About the position
The Patient and Community Liaison (PCL) is an important patient and caregiver facing role within the SMA team, who engages with the Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) community at live events. The PCL is primarily responsible for engaging with patients, caregivers and local community advocacy partners, while delivering education about SMA, Gene Therapy and branded education. The education will be provided using approved materials, resources and talking points. Another key aspect to this role is building relationships with the local advocacy chapter leads. Key learnings from these stakeholders will be shared back with the advocacy, marketing strategy and product strategy teams, to support program development, material development and enhancements in our market strategy approach and activities.
Responsibilities
- Deliver accurate and empathetic information about disease progression, symptoms, and unmet needs for patients and caregivers.
- Empower patients and caregivers with knowledge and tools to navigate their SMA journey.
- Educate patients and caregivers about the benefits, proper use, and potential side effects of the brand product(s), ensuring adherence to company-approved materials and guidelines.
- Provide resources and education on treatment expectations.
- Develop relationships with local advocacy chapter leads.
- Attend events throughout the country by hosting the Novartis table, meeting with SMA families, answering questions and delivering branded presentations.
- Provide insights/learnings to Advocacy, Marketing, NPS and Market Access teams to help support development of educational materials, presentations, and resources.
- Identify gaps in patient and caregiver knowledge and provide recommendations for improving educational content.
- Adhere to all regulatory and compliance standards related to patient and product education.
- Document interactions and feedback from patients and caregivers to improve the education program and support outcomes tracking.
- Contribute and participate in required internal and business reviews.
- Maintain working knowledge of required platforms and processes.
- Maintain high scientific and current knowledge about responsible products and therapeutic area.
- Ensure compliance with all NVS policies and guidance including Code of Conduct and all applicable laws and regulations.
- Contribute to the onboarding and mentoring of new team members.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in healthcare (i.e. social work, genetic counseling) education, or a related field.
- Minimum of 3-5 years of experience in patient education, pharmaceutical, or healthcare support roles.
- Ability to travel 70% of time, with weekend travel required.
- Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to connect with diverse populations.
- Ability to present complex information in an empathetic, clear, and engaging manner.
- Experience delivering presentations in front of a live audience.
- Experience working within regulatory and compliance guidelines in the healthcare or pharmaceutical industries.
- Proficiency in using virtual tools for education (e.g., video conferencing, webinars).
- Ability to think creatively and conceptually.
- Ability to lead, motivate, develop, and influence others.
- Strong teamwork and collaborative skills and mindset.
- Proven ability to work effectively in a matrixed environment.
- Financial/budgetary experience.
Nice-to-haves
- Bilingual (Spanish/English).
- Experience in gene therapy and rare disease.
Benefits
- Full range of medical benefits.
- 401(k) eligibility.
- Various paid time off benefits, such as vacation, sick time, and parental leave.
- Sign-on bonus.
- Restricted stock units.
- Discretionary awards.
