Senior Director, Patient Advocacy

About the role

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, which manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Senior Director, Patient Advocacy based in the United States. As Senior Director, Patient Advocacy, you will shape the strategy that ensures patients, caregivers, and communities play a central role in the development of innovative medicines. You will lead patient advocacy initiatives across kidney and metabolic diseases, building meaningful partnerships with advocacy organizations and community stakeholders. Working closely with Medical Affairs, clinical development, regulatory, and executive leadership teams, you will translate patient insights into actionable strategies that influence clinical trial design, enrollment, and patient support. You will establish and grow the patient advocacy function while fostering a culture of collaboration, inclusion, and accountability. This leadership opportunity comes at a pivotal stage in clinical development, when patient engagement will be essential to advancing upcoming clinical trials. Your work will help strengthen community trust, improve the patient experience, and ensure that scientific innovation remains firmly focused on patient needs.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the patient advocacy and community engagement strategy, aligning initiatives with clinical development priorities, Medical Affairs objectives, pipeline needs, and broader organizational goals.
• Manage the function's budget, resource allocation, and strategic planning, regularly communicating progress, performance, and impact to Medical Affairs leadership and executive stakeholders.
• Serve as the primary liaison between the organization and patients, caregivers, patient advocacy groups, professional societies, and community-based organizations across kidney disease, metabolic disease, and future therapeutic areas.
• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships at the national and international levels, with particular attention to communities disproportionately affected by kidney disease and other relevant conditions.
• Design and implement patient education, communications, community outreach, and engagement programs that increase disease awareness and improve understanding of clinical research and the therapeutic pipeline.
• Represent patient and caregiver perspectives in cross-functional discussions, ensuring that lived experiences inform clinical trial design, recruitment and enrollment strategies, regulatory planning, patient support programs, health equity initiatives, and broader business decisions.
• Establish and lead patient and caregiver advisory groups to gather actionable insights and incorporate patient priorities throughout the drug development lifecycle.
• Ensure that all advocacy activities, partnerships, grants, sponsorships, and patient interactions comply with applicable laws, regulations, industry standards, and internal policies.
• Lead, mentor, and expand the patient advocacy team, including recruiting new talent, establishing performance expectations, supporting professional development, and fostering inclusive leadership.
• Define and monitor meaningful performance indicators that demonstrate the function's contribution to clinical trial enrollment, patient experience, community relationships, and long-term organizational impact.