Director, Global Patient Advocacy Lead

Location: Barcelona - Spain (3 days working from the office and 2 days working from home)

This is what you will do:

Reporting to VP Global Head Patient Experience, this position is part of Alexion AstraZeneca Rare Disease Patient Experience team and is responsible for leading the Global patient advocacy strategy and patient engagement within the Alexion Rare Disease Business unit and may span multiple disease within the current portfolio and pipeline.

This role will drive the global strategy to find opportunities to understand and support the patient journey including accelerating the time to diagnosis, disease awareness and resources, treatment advances, and providing caregiver support to improve health outcomes.

The Director, Patient Advocacy will be responsible for driving, building and enhancing strategic alliances with both disease-specific advocacy organizations and those that span across disease area umbrella groups, as well as other rare/ultra-rare disease-oriented organizations in response to patient needs to drive Alexion AstraZeneca Rare Disease global patient advocacy strategic goals. 

In this role you will enhance Alexion’s commitment and demonstration of patient centricity. Through understanding of the patient community, this individual will bring the patient perspective into Alexion Astra Zeneca Rare Disease decision making.

You will be responsible for:

• Establish Alexion as a strong partner to the global relevant patient communities promoting strategic, long-term partnerships with this community by strengthening existing collaborations and identifying new groups for partnerships and engagement

• Shape and coordinate execution of global patient advocacy strategy and plans disease areas in scope through effective cross-functional partnerships with Therapeutic Area leaders of Alexion’s Medical and Commercial organizations and coordinate with critical internal partners, including Medical Affairs, R&D, Corporate Affairs, Market Access, Marketing, Regulatory, Legal and Compliance.

• Advance patient-focused drug development, ensuring strategic partnership with rare disease communities in support of R&D programs and clinical trials , working closely with Global Patient Insights and Solutions (GPIS) towards facilitating and implementing early patient engagement and insights activities and supporting clinical trial awareness and recruitment 

• Leading patient identification, engagement and relationship development to support PEX organized frameworks (STAR workshops, Patient Frictions Coefficients, Patient Insights Forum, etc.) to ensure effective cross-sectional representation of patient and caregivers within those platforms

• Promote patient-partnered alliances and initiatives with PAGs to advance access and equity by shaping policies and guidelines that are informed by the lived experience of patients and caregivers. Partner closely with Corporate Affairs teams towards actions that support system changes supporting the advancement of policy positions that embrace appreciation of innovation and the importance of optimal treatment as it applies to the disease areas and TAs in scope for this role.

• Link appropriate patient groups with the information and resources needed to support patients and caregivers to advocate for appropriate care. Build a sense of community and collaboration among these groups and with Alexion

• Efficiently and effectively serve as a liaison to the rare disease community by working appropriately with global colleagues on cross-disease initiatives while prioritizing engagement on disease-specific work and ensuring coordinated outreach and further establishing our external rare disease leadership

• Support collection of patient’ and caregiver’s insights and proactively and routinely sharing and integrating insights from patient advocacy groups to shape programs, research and activities related to Alexion programs.

• Lead internal thought leaders patient centricity sessions and represent Alexion externally in patient focused congresses and patient meetings to enhance our corporate reputation and connections with patient communities

• Align closely with other AZ business unites towards optimal synergies and coordinated approach to partnering with patient groups and communities that are shared across the different AZ areas of work

• Partnering closely with all in-country patient advocacy team (US, EUCAN & International, China, Japan) providing strategic guidance and actional frameworks and resources. Ensure alignment and synergies between global and local patient advocacy strategies and plans in this TA supporting local teams deliver key projects and initiatives and the effective participation of local PAG leaders in global PEX initiatives

• Represent Patient Advocacy in the relevant TA cross-functional leadership teams ensuring the patient advocacy perspective is adequately integrated and reflected in internal strategies, plans as well as decision-making

• Providing impactful points of connection for patient advocacy groups with Alexion employees and senior leaders

You will need to have:

• Bachelor’s degree with 10+years of progressive industry/relevant professional experience or 7+ years of patient advocacy experience, including in global/ international roles

• Solid knowledge and established connections with the global rare disease advocacy community

• Ability to lead with influence in a complex internal matrix

• Broad knowledge of the biopharma industry; working knowledge of drug development, HEOR,  product launch, access and reimbursement, and commercialization and compliant patient engagement.

• Superb communication skills, tact, composure, and confidentiality in order to coordinate complex patient issues, manage sensitive information, and participate in key inter-departmental interactions

• Robust knowledge of current compliance, legal, regulatory and other issues that impact the biopharmaceutical industry and its protocol for patient engagement

• Outstanding interpersonal skills, ability to successfully influence without authority, and effectively work with global colleagues efficiently across functions in a complex organization and business environment

• Strong ability to initiate and maintain partnerships with key internal and external partners and work cross-functionally to identify and prioritize company goals to accomplish with patient advocacy groups

• Impeccable personal character and high integrity

• Ability to collaborate, work well under pressure and enjoys a fast-paced, often unpredictable environment

• Excellent project, vendor and budget management to deliver business results

• The duties of this role are generally conducted in an office environment. As is typical of an office-based role, employees must be able, with or without an accommodation to: use a computer; engage in communications via phone, video, and electronic messaging; engage in problem solving and non-linear thought, analysis, and dialogue; collaborate with others; maintain general availability during standard business hours.

We would prefer for you to have:

• Existing relationships with disease-specific organizations such as relevant rare disease groups

• Experience managing product launches and life cycle management in a co-promotion framework

• Proven experience providing leadership and direction to agency partners

• Knowledge of healthcare systems within individual markets

Date Posted

Closing Date

Alexion is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We are committed to fostering a culture of belonging where every single person can belong because of their uniqueness. The Company will not make decisions about employment, training, compensation, promotion, and other terms and conditions of employment based on race, color, religion, creed or lack thereof, sex, sexual orientation, age, ancestry, national origin, ethnicity, citizenship status, marital status, pregnancy, (including childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), parental status (including adoption or surrogacy), military status, protected veteran status, disability, medical condition, gender identity or expression, genetic information, mental illness or other characteristics protected by law. Alexion provides reasonable accommodations to meet the needs of candidates and employees. To begin an interactive dialogue with Alexion regarding an accommodation, please contact accommodations@Alexion.com. Alexion participates in E-Verify.