Director, Patient Engagement and Advocacy (National)
Neurocrine Biosciences
Summary
The Director, National Patient Engagement & Advocacy (PEA) provides strategic leadership for patient engagement & advocacy across assigned Endocrinology therapeutic development programs and brands. Reporting to the Senior Director, Endocrinology PEA, this role develops and executes patient engagement & advocacy strategies that strengthen long-term partnerships with national patient advocacy organizations, integrate patient and caregiver perspectives throughout the product lifecycle, and help inform enterprise decision making across research, development, medical affairs, market access, and commercialization.
Job description
About the Role
The Director, National Patient Engagement & Advocacy (PEA) provides strategic leadership for patient engagement & advocacy across assigned Endocrinology therapeutic development programs and brands. Reporting to the Senior Director, Endocrinology PEA, this role develops and executes patient engagement & advocacy strategies that strengthen long-term partnerships with national patient advocacy organizations, integrate patient and caregiver perspectives throughout the product lifecycle, and help inform enterprise decision making across research, development, medical affairs, market access, and commercialization.
Your Contributions
Strategic Leadership
- Lead the development and execution of patient engagement strategies for assigned Endocrinology therapeutic programs and brands, ensuring alignment with business priorities and patient needs
- Serve as the strategic Patient Engagement & Advocacy lead for assigned Development Program Teams and Brand Teams, integrating patient and caregiver perspectives throughout research, development, commercialization, and lifecycle management
- Translate patient and community insights into actionable recommendations that inform enterprise strategy, business decisions, and long-term engagement planning
National Partnership Leadership
- Develop and steward long-term strategic relationships with national patient advocacy organizations and other external stakeholders, serving as a trusted partner while advancing shared objectives
- Strengthen and protect Neurocrine's reputation and credibility within the patient community by fostering transparent, collaborative, and mutually beneficial partnerships
- Identify, develop, and lead strategic collaborations with patient advocacy organizations while monitoring the external landscape for emerging trends, unmet needs, partnership opportunities, and potential risks
Enterprise Partnership Leadership
- Serve as the enterprise lead for patient engagement across assigned therapeutic programs, providing strategic leadership for patient advocacy engagement across internal functions
- Partner with Medical Affairs, Clinical Development, HEOR, Commercial, Market Access, Corporate Affairs, Legal, Compliance, and other cross-functional teams to develop coordinated engagement strategies
- Provide strategic guidance to internal stakeholders on appropriate engagement with patient advocacy organizations
Patient Insights & Engagement
- Lead strategies to generate meaningful patient and caregiver insights through advisory boards, ongoing engagement, research activities, and strategic partnerships
- Partner with the PEA Operations Manager to plan and execute patient engagement activities while ensuring strategic objectives are achieved
Financial & Business Management
- Develop annual patient engagement strategies, engagement plans, and proposed budgets for assigned therapeutic programs and brands
- Manage approved budgets and resources responsibly while ensuring all activities comply with company policies, applicable laws, regulations, and industry standards
Leadership
- Partner closely with the Director, State & Grassroots PEA to ensure enterprise strategies are effectively translated into coordinated field engagement activities
- Foster a collaborative, high-performing culture by mentoring colleagues, sharing best practices, and contributing to the continued development of Patient Engagement & Advocacy capabilities
Requirements
- High school diploma with 16+ years of combined relevant education and experience; OR BS/BA degree in Business, Economics, Communications, Public Health, Healthcare Administration, or related discipline with 12+ years of relevant experience; OR Master's degree with 10+ years of relevant experience
- Experience leading strategic partnerships with national patient advocacy organizations or comparable external stakeholders
- Experience supporting drug development, medical affairs, commercialization, market access, or corporate affairs initiatives
- Demonstrated ability to develop and execute enterprise-level patient engagement & advocacy strategies
- Exceptional relationship-building, influencing, stakeholder management, and diplomacy skills
- Strong business acumen with ability to translate patient insights into strategic recommendations and business decisions
- Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence without formal authority
- Excellent communication, presentation, facilitation, negotiation, and executive presence
- Strong judgment and ability to balance competing stakeholder priorities while maintaining trusted external relationships
- Knowledge of the U.S. healthcare, biopharmaceutical, and patient advocacy landscape
- Commitment to compliant, ethical, and patient-centered engagement
- Experience in biopharmaceutical industry, patient advocacy organization, or healthcare consulting, communications, or patient engagement agency strongly preferred
- Experience working in rare disease or specialty pharmaceutical environments preferred
Benefits
- 401(k) Matching
- Paid Vacation
- Paid Holidays
- Paid Personal Days
- Paid Caregiver Leave
- Paid Parental Leave
- Paid Medical Leave
- Medical, Dental & Vision
- Prescription Drug Coverage
- Annual Bonus
- Equity Long-Term Incentive
Company overview
Neurocrine Biosciences is a leading neuroscience-focused biopharmaceutical company founded in 1992 and headquartered in San Diego, California. The company specializes in discovering and developing life-changing treatments for patients with under-addressed neurological, neuroendocrine, and neuropsychiatric disorders. Neurocrine's diverse portfolio includes FDA-approved treatments for tardive dyskinesia, chorea associated with Huntington's disease, classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids. Their flagship product, INGREZZA (valbenazine), was the first FDA-approved treatment for adults with tardive dyskinesia. The company maintains a robust pipeline with multiple compounds in mid- to late-phase clinical development across core therapeutic areas, including Parkinson's disease, Tourette syndrome, and major depressive disorder. Neurocrine operates with a purpose to relieve suffering for people with great needs, applying unique insights into neuroscience and the interconnections between brain and body systems to treat complex conditions. The company is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol NBIX and has established strategic collaborations with major pharmaceutical partners including AbbVie.