Director, Patient Engagement

Novartis AG; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global pharmaceutical company is looking for a Director of Patient Engagement to shape and implement patient engagement strategies. This role requires extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry and collaboration with patient communities to ensure clinical programmes reflect real-world needs. The ideal candidate will have a Master's degree and significant experience in patient advocacy or medical affairs, along with strong stakeholder engagement skills.

Qualifications

• 7-10 years of experience in global pharmaceutical or health-focused organisations.
• Experience in patient advocacy or medical affairs.
• Understanding of the product development lifecycle.
• Strong communication skills with patient communities.

Responsibilities

• Lead patient engagement strategies across programmes.
• Integrate patient perspectives into clinical development plans.
• Collaborate to shape product profiles and data for labelling.
• Develop partnerships with patient groups for unmet needs.

Skills

Patient-Focused Drug Development (PFDD)

Stakeholder engagement

Collaboration across functions

Agile leadership

Fluent English

Education

Master's degree in life sciences or related discipline

Job description

Overview

At Novartis, we believe that patients are our most powerful partners in shaping the future of medicine. As Director, Patient Engagement, you'll play a pivotal role in embedding the patient voice across the entire R&D lifecycle, driving meaningful change in how we develop and deliver treatments. Working at the intersection of science, strategy, and advocacy, you'll collaborate with internal teams and external patient communities to ensure our clinical programmes reflect real-world needs and aspirations.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and execution of patient engagement strategies across priority programmes and disease areas.
• Integrate patient perspectives into research strategies, clinical development plans, and trial design.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to shape product profiles and generate patient-relevant data for impactful labelling and access.
• Guide global project teams on patient-centred outcomes, digital tools, and clinical practice relevance.
• Implement regulatory and access-focused patient engagement strategies aligned with disease area priorities.
• Drive innovative partnerships with patient groups and multi-stakeholder forums to address unmet needs.
• Co-create integrated campaigns with patient organisations to elevate leadership in clinical development.
• Ensure compliant execution of funding and engagement activities supporting clinical development plans.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with global and regional patient advocacy organisations.
• Drive patient review for clinical trial concept sheets and protocols, ensuring patient voice embedded in clinical trial design and execution.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in life sciences, business administration, public health, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 7-10 years of experience in global pharmaceutical or health-focused organisations, including 3-5 years in external-facing roles such as patient advocacy, medical affairs, or access.
• Deep understanding of the full product development lifecycle, including clinical trial design, regulatory pathways, and commercialisation.
• Proven ability to collaborate across diverse functions and geographies, co-creating strategies that reflect patient needs and drive measurable impact.
• Strong expertise in Patient-Focused Drug Development (PFDD), including methodologies for capturing patient insights and integrating them into clinical development.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with a track record of building trust and credibility with patient communities and advocacy groups.
• Agile leadership style with the ability to navigate complex, matrixed environments and lead across multiple disease areas.
• Fluency in English (oral and written); proficiency in additional languages is considered an asset for global collaboration.

Desirable

• Prior experience in oncology, particularly in prostate cancer, with demonstrated collaboration with prostate cancer advocacy organisations.
• Familiarity with digital health tools and technologies used to enhance patient engagement and clinical trial experiences.

Notes: At Novartis, we are committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams representative of the patients and communities we serve.