Associate Director, Patient Marketing

Xenon Pharmaceuticals • Needham, MA

23h • $197,458 - $249,700 • Hybrid

About The Position

Xenon Pharmaceuticals is seeking an Associate Director, Patient Marketing, to contribute to strategic and operational patient-focused marketing initiatives supporting the launch and growth of a novel epilepsy therapy. This individual-contributor role develops and executes integrated patient marketing strategies intended to drive disease awareness, patient education, adoption, and long-term engagement. The role requires patient-centric marketing expertise, an understanding of healthcare consumer behavior, and experience with rare or specialty pharmaceutical launches.

Working with Medical Affairs, Advocacy, Market Access, Commercial Operations, Legal, Regulatory, HCP marketing colleagues, Sales leadership, and external agency partners, the Associate Director will embed the patient voice throughout brand strategy and the patient experience. The role combines strategic planning with hands-on execution of patient-facing campaigns, educational resources, digital initiatives, and advocacy partnerships for patients and caregivers.

The position reports to the Senior Director, Patient Marketing. It is based at Xenon's Needham, Massachusetts office, with remote locations considered for exceptional candidates. Hybrid positions require at least two onsite days per week. The position level will be commensurate with the candidate’s education and industry experience. Some international travel may be required.

Requirements

• Minimum undergraduate degree.
• At least 8 years of relevant management experience or a combination of degrees and experience.
• At least 7 years of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, or consumer health marketing experience.
• At least 3 years of experience developing patient-focused marketing strategies and campaigns.
• Experience supporting product launches and commercialization activities.
• Demonstrated success managing agencies, budgets, and cross-functional initiatives.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree such as an MBA, MPH, or a degree in a related field.
• Neurology, epilepsy, CNS, rare disease, specialty pharmaceutical, or orphan drug experience.
• Experience working with patient advocacy organizations and community stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of patient support programs and patient engagement strategies.
• Experience leveraging digital marketing, CRM platforms, social media, and omnichannel engagement approaches.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the development and execution of patient marketing strategy aligned with brand objectives and launch milestones.
• Identify barriers, unmet needs, and engagement opportunities across diagnosis, treatment initiation, and long-term disease management by understanding the patient journey.
• Translate patient and caregiver insights into actionable marketing strategies and programs.
• Partner with market research and analytics teams to assess patient attitudes, behaviors, and campaign effectiveness.
• Advocate internally for patient-centricity across brand planning and commercialization.
• Design and implement patient-facing campaigns to increase disease awareness, treatment understanding, and brand engagement.
• Develop educational resources and support materials for patients, caregivers, and families affected by epilepsy.
• Lead branded and unbranded initiatives across digital, social, print, video, and experiential channels.
• Manage content strategy and execution for patient websites, CRM programs, email campaigns, and other digital engagement platforms.
• Oversee agency partners responsible for creative development, media planning, content production, and campaign execution.
• Support pre-launch, launch, and post-launch planning for a novel epilepsy therapy.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams to execute patient initiatives in line with launch timelines.
• Develop launch materials and activation plans to drive awareness and engagement among patients and caregivers.
• Identify innovative channels and approaches to accelerate patient education and activation.
• Build and maintain relationships with patient advocacy organizations and epilepsy community stakeholders.
• Partner with advocacy teams to identify education, awareness, and patient support opportunities.
• Incorporate patient perspectives into strategic planning and program development.
• Support patient ambassador and testimonial programs in compliance with company policies and regulatory requirements.
• Partner with Medical Affairs, Regulatory, Legal, Market Access, Commercial Operations, and Sales leadership to execute compliant and impactful initiatives.
• Collaborate with HCP marketing colleagues to align customer-facing strategies.
• Manage agencies, budgets, and project prioritization to achieve business objectives.
• Define and monitor KPIs to assess program effectiveness.
• Analyze campaign performance and patient engagement metrics to optimize marketing investments.
• Provide regular updates and strategic recommendations to brand leadership.
• Develop and propose short- and long-term functional objectives consistent with Company strategies and plans.
• Act in accordance with Company policies, including the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, and ensure policies are understood and followed by direct reports, if any.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Base salary, target bonus, and stock options.
• Medical, dental, vision, short- and long-term disability, accidental death and dismemberment, and life insurance programs.
• Employee Assistance Program and travel insurance.
• Retirement savings programs with company matching contributions.
• Vacation, personal days, and sick days.
• End-of-year company shutdown.
• Training, Learning & Development program.
• Tuition Assistance program for advanced degrees.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior