Director, Clinical Trial Patient Engagement

Jazz Pharmaceuticals; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 190,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Jazz Pharmaceuticals in the United States seeks a senior leader to drive global patient recruitment and retention across clinical programs. You will partner with Program/Study leads, Clinical Development, CROs and vendors to meet enrolment timelines and budgets.

The role emphasizes data-driven planning, patient-centric study designs, regulatory compliance, and building a high-performing team to optimize recruitment outcomes and trial experience.

Qualifications

• Expertise in global patient recruitment and retention strategy.
• Ability to translate data insights into actionable recruitment plans.
• Experience managing CROs and vendor partnerships.
• Strong understanding of data privacy and regulatory considerations.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership of global patient recruitment and retention across activities.
• Lead development of program-level recruitment strategies with timeline and budget.
• Ensure patient-centric study designs and mitigate recruitment risks.
• Integrate data sources and AI/ML tools for enrolment forecasting.
• Oversee KPIs for recruitment cost and ROI with continuous improvements.
• Lead and develop a high-performing recruitment team.

Skills

People leadership

Strategic leadership

Cross-functional leadership

Data-driven decisions

Vendor management

Regulatory awareness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences or related field

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Essential Functions/Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership of the global patient recruitment and retention capability, ensuring operational excellence across all related activities.
• Lead the development of program and study-level patient recruitment and retention strategies in partnership with Program/Study leads, Clinical Development, CROs, and external vendors, ensuring alignment with agreed timelines, budget, and enrolment objectives with advanced mitigation plans.
• Provide strategic input into protocol and operational planning to identify opportunities for enhanced patient-centric study designs, advise on the need for patient insights, enrolment opportunities, recruitment risks, and retention challenges.
• Integrate country, direct patient insights and patient population considerations into the strategic feasibility assessment and study design process, leveraging data-driven approaches (e.g., real-world evidence, EMR/claims data, AI/ML tools) to support realistic enrolment planning and forecasting.
• Develop, implement and oversee global patient recruitment and retention processes, optimize enrolment acceleration, clinical study costs, and trial participant experience.Establish and monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for patient recruitment cost and ROI using insights to drive study level mitigations as well as continuous improvement.
• Ensure all patient-facing clinical trial activities and materials meet regulatory compliance, ethical standards, and organizational objectives, incorporating health literacy considerations.
• Provide functional oversight of CROs and specialist vendors supporting patient recruitment and retention activities, including governance, performance management, and contract and budget alignment.
• Identify, assess, and integrate cutting-edge technologies and data sources (e.g., direct-to-patient outreach, digital and social media campaigns, patient advocacy partnerships, geo-mapping, patient registries) to improve the accuracy and efficiency of recruitment planning and patient engagement.
• Build effective working relationships and provide cross-functional leadership with key internal and external stakeholders (e.g., Feasibility, Patient Advocacy, Clinical Development, Medical Affairs) to ensure alignment and timely delivery of recruitment initiatives.
• Manage and develop a high-performing patient recruitment and retention team, including hiring, coaching, and resource planning.
• Act as a strategic advisor and Subject Matter Expert (SME) on patient recruitment, retention optimization, and clinical trial patient engagement across the organization and in industry forums.
• Represent patient recruitment and retention leadership in executive meetings, governance boards, and strategic planning sessions.
• Support inspection readiness and study closeout activities through appropriate documentation and oversight of recruitment-related activities.
• Contribute to the enhancement of recruitment tools, methodologies, and best practices across the clinical development portfolio and within industry collaboration efforts

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• At Jazz, we believe that effective people leadership is essential to our success. Our people managers play a vital role in creating an environment where teams thrive, and individuals reach their full potential. Jazz invests in people managers to ensure they are equipped to drive performance, grow individuals and create belonging. As a result, Jazz people managers champion a culture of collaboration, inclusion, and belonging; ensuring that everyone feels heard and valued. They connect with their teams on a personal level, understanding their unique needs and motivations and providing personalized support to empower every team member to thrive
• Success in this role requires a high degree of independence, initiative, and accountability. This individual must be comfortable establishing processes, driving decisions, and managing multiple stakeholders with minimal direction
• Advanced expertise in global patient recruitment and retention strategy with proven success in strategic leadership of global patient recruitment programs and delivering enrolment outcomes and mitigating enrolment risk.
• Expertise in diverse recruitment approaches, including direct-to-patient outreach, digital and social media campaigns, patient advocacy partnerships, site-based recruitment, and healthcare professional engagement, leveraging cutting-edge technologies.
• Proven ability to interpret complex patient data and translate insights into actionable recruitment strategies, integrating predictive analytics and various data sources (e.g., real-world evidence, EMR/claims data, AI/ML tools).
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop a high-performing team and a proven cross-functional leader, manage complex projects, and drive cross-functional decisions through data-driven discussions.
• Demonstrated functional oversight of CRO and vendor partnerships supporting patient recruitment and retention, including governance oversight, performance management, and contract and budget alignment.
• Deep understanding of data privacy, informed consent, and global regulatory considerations associated with patient recruitment and retention activities.
• Advanced experience in developing or reviewing patient/HCP-facing recruitment materials, supporting health literacy considerations, and ensuring ethical and regulatory compliance.
• Proficiency with clinical trial systems, reporting tools, and data visualization platforms, with experience in assessment or utilization of AI/LLM preferred.
• Experience with inspection readiness and continuous process improvement initiatives

Required/Preferred Education and Licenses

• Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences, Healthcare, Public Health, Marketing, or a related field required; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of 10-12 years of experience in clinical research, with 5+ years in leadership roles within patient recruitment, patient engagement, or clinical trial enrolment strategy

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