Senior Director, Patient Engagement

Position Summary

The Senior Director of Patient Engagement leads NKF’s patient engagement strategy, ensuring the patient voice is meaningfully integrated across research, policy, advocacy, education, and program development.

This role builds and manages relationships with patients, care partners, volunteers, and external stakeholders to advance patient-centered initiatives across the kidney community.

What You’ll Do

• Coordinate strategic patient engagement initiatives across NKF and with external partners to ensure the patient voice is meaningfully integrated into research, care, advocacy, drug development, educational initiatives, and program development
• Develop and lead training programs, tools, and resources for patient volunteers, advocates, living donors, care partners, and community members to support meaningful engagement across all levels of care, research, and policy
• Conduct qualitative and quantitative research activities, including interviews, focus groups, survey design, data analysis, and preparation of narrative summaries and insight reports
• Co-author white papers, abstracts, posters, manuscripts, and other publications in collaboration with patients, care partners, and family stakeholders
• Serve as an NKF spokesperson on patient engagement, patient-centered programming, kidney disease care, and treatment, as appropriate
• Build and maintain strong relationships with external stakeholders, including patient advocates, community organizations, healthcare providers, government agencies, advocacy groups, and pharmaceutical companies
• In collaboration with the Kidney Learning Solutions (KLS) team and other cross-functional teams, consult and support patient-centered programs and services designed to educate, empower, and support individuals affected by kidney disease
• Collaborate closely with NKF’s grassroots advocacy network, including the Kidney Advocacy Committee, and partner with the Government Relations team to coordinate advocacy and patient engagement activities
• Support patient engagement related business development initiatives, revenue strategy, grant development, and funder deliverables
• Partner with Government Relations, as needed, to advance initiatives and policies that support individuals affected by chronic kidney disease and dialysis, including analysis of legislation and regulatory proposals impacting constituents
• Stay informed on emerging trends, public policy, legislation, medical advances, research, publications, and conferences related to kidney disease and dialysis care
• Perform additional duties as assigned

What You’ll Bring

• Master’s degree from an accredited college or university required; MPH or MSW preferred
• Minimum of five (5) years of related experience working in a multifaceted nonprofit organization
• Strong stakeholder engagement, relationship management, and coalition-building skills
• Experience with patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) and patient/public involvement and engagement (PPIE)
• Experience conducting qualitative and quantitative research, including surveys, interviews, focus groups, data analysis, and impact measurement
• Demonstrated experience in strategic planning, program development, and execution
• Ability to translate complex medical and scientific information into patient-friendly language
• Excellent oral, written, interpersonal, organizational, and presentation skills
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, decision-making, consultation, and planning abilities
• Experience with volunteer engagement, advisory boards, community outreach, and digital engagement strategies preferred
• Knowledge of the current healthcare environment, including trends, challenges, policy, and issues impacting patients and healthcare professionals
• Experience advancing health equity initiatives and engaging historically underrepresented and underserved communities strongly preferred
• Experience with communications strategy, storytelling, public speaking, and content development preferred
• Knowledge of healthcare policy, regulatory, advocacy, and clinical research environments preferred
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of an integrated, cross-functional team
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products, databases, social media platforms, and digital collaboration tools
• Experience with grant support, partnership development, and cross-sector collaboration preferred
• Ability to travel occasionally, including overnight and weekend travel, as needed (approximately five trips annually), and work additional hours when required

Leadership Competencies

• Accountability — Establishes organizational accountability, driving performance across all levels
• Change Leadership — Delivers or leads large-scale organizational change, setting direction and guiding teams through transformation
• Collaboration — Leads collaborative efforts across the organization and actively builds partnerships with external stakeholders to advance the mission
• Data-Driven Decision Making & Results Orientation — Leverages accurate, comprehensive analytics to guide strategic planning, sets high-impact targets, and ensures delivery on commitments
• Operational Excellence — Leads or delivers large-scale operational improvements that elevate organizational performance
• Stakeholder Engagement — Shapes and directs a broad spectrum of strategic stakeholders to influence policy and advance NKF’s impact
• Financial Acumen — Applies strategic financial judgment in planning, resource allocation, and long-term sustainability
• People Leadership — Sets high-impact goals, develops talent, and ensures teams deliver on strategic commitments
• Innovation — Champions strategic innovation and process optimization that position NKF as a leader in kidney health
• DEI 4A & Cultural Humility — Advances diversity, equity, and inclusion for all, ensuring policies, programs, and services are designed with an equity lens