Director, Scientific Patient Engagement Lead, Vaccines & Infectious Diseases

Role Summary

The Director, Scientific Patient Engagement Lead is responsible for developing and implementing a global headquarters strategic patient engagement plan aligned with therapeutic objectives, ensuring patient perspectives remain central to the company’s work. The role drives planning, execution of patient engagement initiatives, and manages relationships between patient advocacy organizations (PAOs) and the company, coordinating with internal and external stakeholders to incorporate patient input into strategies across Value & Implementation, clinical research, commercial, policy, and manufacturing. The leader is innovative, collaborative, strategic, compassionate, and able to influence across the organization.

Responsibilities

• Develops the headquarters therapeutically aligned strategic plan, executes strategic initiatives, and assists in planning of KPIs, goals, and tactics that flow from evolving V&I and Research & Development priorities and internal/external factors.
• Executes and implements patient innovation and engagement activities to incorporate the patient voice into internal strategy development and decision-making across the company.
• Supports efforts to gather and include patients’ and advocates’ insights and perspectives throughout the product lifecycle.
• Develops the headquarters therapeutically aligned strategic patient advocacy and educational plans.
• Develops, manages, and supports long-term PAO relationships through engagement and communication.
• Serves as a liaison to PAOs and patient arms of professional societies.
• Facilitates engagement through active participation at national and regional congresses and successful implementation of meetings with PAO leadership and executive staff.
• Ensures compliance with existing company guidelines as they pertain to patient engagement and patient advocacy.
• Navigates across internal and external stakeholders ranging from individual patients to highly networked patients and medical organizations.
• Collaborates with key internal stakeholders to proactively develop and execute the global V&I plan.
• Participates in external conferences, congresses, and industry consortiums to represent the company’s focus on the patient, including speaking, presenting, and authoring publications.
• Ensures alignment with regional and country level related activities (patient, scientific, medical).
• Supports any division with needs relating to patient engagement or patient advocacy, including Research Laboratories, Human Health, Manufacturing Division, IT, and others.
• Develops the talent on the team and seeks opportunities to enhance their capabilities.
• Tracks associated spend for activities and communicates with TA and Strategy Lead.
• Tracks and reports impacts, findings and associated key metrics and measurements related to the work.

Qualifications

• Required: Advanced Degree in health sciences or BS with equivalent patient engagement work experience; MD, MSN, or PhD strongly desirable.
• Required: Minimum of 10 years' experience in the healthcare industry (clinical/biopharmaceutical/patient advocacy organization, etc).
• Required: Minimum of 3 years' experience managing relationships with external stakeholders.
• Required: In-depth knowledge and understanding of vaccines and infectious diseases, including scientific, medical, and public health / policy considerations.
• Required: Deep academic understanding of the science of patient input, and a strong record of achievement obtaining and incorporating patient insights into decision making.
• Required: Deep understanding of Patient Engagement, Patient Insights, Patient Advocacy Organizations, as well as knowledge of best practices in those areas.
• Required: U.S./Global experience in clinical research, regulatory affairs, scientific and medical affairs, or pharmaceutical policy.
• Required: Ability to understand the importance of patient innovation and engagement across the company; a track record of advocating or advancing patient engagement experience.
• Required: Ability to navigate a complex matrixed organization, think creatively, and develop innovative strategies and solutions.
• Required: Ability to understand and manage a diverse set of issues and engage with a diverse, complex group of stakeholders.
• Required: Ability to manage competing priorities with effective collaboration and program management skills.
• Required: High degree of ethics and ability to build effective working relationships, both internally and externally.
• Preferred: Prior experience working with patients and PAOs strongly desired; experience in the therapeutic area space strongly desired; demonstrated track record of establishing trusted and meaningful relationships with patient organizations and with professional society or public health organizations and their leaders strongly preferred.

Skills

• Accountability
• Adaptability
• Cross-Functional Teamwork
• Global Project Management
• Healthcare Education
• Infectious Disease
• Medical Affairs
• Medical Knowledge
• Oral Communications
• Patient Advocacy
• Patient Engagement
• Professional Networking
• Project Facilitation
• Project Management
• Public Health
• Regulatory Affairs Compliance
• Results-Oriented
• Scientific Reviews
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Stakeholder Relationship Management

Additional Requirements

• Travel: 15-20% anticipated