Associate Director, Patient Engagement GDNF

Position Summary

We're seeking an Associate Director, Patient Engagement in the US to help expand possibilities for patients with rare and common diseases, particularly those with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA).

Job Responsibilities

• Develop and implement an external engagement strategy for our PD and MSA programs aligned with internal and external community needs.
• Manage patient advocacy and external engagement to support AskBio’s development and commercial strategies in PD and MSA.
• Identify, develop, and cultivate trust-based relationships with patient advocacy and key patient/caregiver organizations.
• Lead US-based engagements with patient groups by setting the strategy and leading execution to evolve disease and gene therapy understanding and education.
• Participate in and support patient organization events, workshops, and conferences to elevate gene therapy awareness and champion patient community engagement.
• Create and oversee quarterly community newsletter (AAVengers) for the community.
• Communicate progress, metrics, and milestone status for PD/MSA to leadership, R&D partners, and others.
• Engage with patient advocacy groups, foundations, and individual patients to understand their point of view and needs as it relates to patient-focused drug development.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with key collaborators in the patient community.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure patient perspective is internally understood and incorporated into company culture and patient needs are considered at all stages of product development.
• Collaborate with Corporate communications and external agencies to develop patient/advocate awareness of AskBio science and clinical programs.
• Manage standing patient council meetings and recruit and organize Patient advisory boards, focus groups, meetings as needed, in support of clinical programs.
• Perform other activities as assigned by the VP Medical Affairs and senior management.
• Cultivate a culture of appreciation for Patients as Partners within AskBio.
• Collaborate with Integrated Product Team, Clinical Development, Medical Affairs, Regulatory, Corporate Communications, Human Resources, Legal, Compliance, and Partner companies to ensure that core values and corporate brand are represented in internal and external initiatives.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in life sciences, healthcare, public health, or a related field and at least 8 years' experience in patient advocacy/engagement or closely related roles within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical healthcare industries.
• Experience in Neurology and/or Parkinson’s Disease.
• Understanding of drug development process, with an ability to communicate complex scientific concepts to diverse audiences.
• Consistent track record of performance in developing and driving strategic projects, including leading budgets and demonstrating impact.
• Proven ability to translate patient insights into actionable inputs for clinical development.
• Excellent communication and social skills to engage with patients, advocacy groups, and internal collaborators effectively.
• Demonstrated peer leadership experience and ability to inspire and motivate a matrixed team.
• Deep appreciation for patients and their families, with a passion for advocating on their behalf.
• Knowledge of regulatory and ethical considerations related to patient advocacy and engagement.
• Passionate for making a difference in the lives of patients with serious and rare disease.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the interpersonal skills to interact and collaborate effectively with people, internally and externally.

Preferred Education, Experience And Skills

• Ability to multitask among multiple projects and teams and work independently in a fast-paced, highly interactive environment.
• Acute organizational skills with a strong attention to detail, clarity, accuracy, and conciseness.
• Demonstrated ability to work with different personalities and styles efficiently and prioritize activities based on ambiguous or quickly changing information and environments is critical.
• Familiarity/experience with regulatory and pharmaceutical legal promotional review processes.