Associate Director, US Advocacy, Neuroscience

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine•Washington, DC

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine is recruiting for an Associate Director, US Advocacy, Neuroscience. This is a field-based role available in all states within the United States. While specific cities are listed in the Locations section for reference, please note that they are examples only and do not limit your application. We invite candidates from any location to apply. The Associate Director, US Advocacy - Neuroscience will execute patient- and professional-facing advocacy, employer engagement, disease-state education, and market‑readiness initiatives for Johnson & Johnson’s neuroscience portfolio. This role partners across Strategic Customer Group/Market Access, Commercial, US Policy, Scientific Affairs, Medical Affairs, Legal/Compliance, and external stakeholders (patients, caregivers, professional societies, and employers) to drive equitable, appropriate patient access, shape payer and public policy, and support successful commercial product launch and lifecycle execution.

Requirements

Minimum 3-5 years of professional experience in patient advocacy, payer engagement, market access, health policy, or related roles within biopharma, healthcare non-profits, payer organizations, or public policy institutions.
Proven track record engaging with patient advocacy organizations, clinicians, payers, and/or employers.
Working understanding of US payer landscape (commercial, Medicare, Medicaid), benefit design constructs, and state/federal policy levers that affect pharmaceutical access.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills; experience presenting to senior leaders, payers, government officials, and external stakeholders.
Strategic thinker with strong project management, coalition-building, and stakeholder engagement capabilities.
Experience working cross-functionally in matrixed environments and navigating regulatory/compliance requirements for external communications.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience in neuroscience, psychiatry, behavioral health, or rare disease advocacy.
Familiarity with therapeutic product launches and patient-support/hub service models.
Experience with employer health benefit engagement or workforce mental health initiatives.
Bachelor’s degree in public policy, public health, health sciences, social sciences, or related field.
Experience executing successful policy and payer advocacy initiatives that resulted in measurable access improvements.
Relationships with national and or regional patient advocacy organizations, professional societies, or payer policy decision-makers.
Strategic advocacy & policy analysis
Stakeholder mapping and coalition development
Cross-functional collaboration and influencing
Regulatory/compliance awareness for external communications
High emotional intelligence and patient-centric mindset

Responsibilities

In partnership with the National Policy & Advocacy Director - Neuroscience, execute a cohesive US advocacy strategy for neuroscience therapeutic areas that advances patient access and supports market readiness for product launches and lifecycle activities.
Execute policy and payer advocacy initiatives specifically focused on improving access pathways for the neuroscience portfolio medicines, coordinating cross-functional input and aligning on measurable objectives.
Track, analyze, and proactively respond to relevant federal and state policy developments (e.g. Medicare, Medicaid, state formularies, parity laws, step therapy and prior authorization reforms) that affect access to the neuroscience portfolio of medications.
Execute targeted advocacy campaigns to help shape access and reimbursement policies that improve timely, appropriate access to neuroscience products.
Engage with SCG/market access and US Policy teams to help better inform advocacy coalitions about payer access and payment policies (e.g., coverage, access, reimbursement, prior authorization, parity requirements).
Cultivate and maintain partnerships with national and regional patient advocacy organizations, professional societies, clinician networks, and employer groups to elevate patient voice and clinical perspectives in policy discussions.
Support non-promotional disease-state education and patient empowerment programs that help patients, caregivers, employers, and HCPs navigate care and access challenges.
In partnership with US Advocacy Employer Engagement team, US Policy, and other internal TA subject matter experts, implement employer- and benefits-leader education programs on the clinical and economic impact of serious mental illness, evidence-based treatment pathways, and strategies to support workforce health and retention.
Support development of employer toolkits, webinars, and case studies highlighting access strategies and supportive benefit designs.
Partner with Market Access, Commercial, US Policy, Medical Affairs, and Scientific to craft coverage narratives, and evidence dissemination plans ahead of and during launches.
Support advocation coalitions operationalize their patient access solutions (e.g., prior authorization templates, appeals playbooks, hub services coordination) and consider how best to measure their solutions’ impact on time-to-therapy and coverage outcomes.
Serve as the internal advocacy subject-matter expert for policy and access issues; ensure all external communications adhere to company policies and regulatory/compliance standards (non-promotional, patient privacy, disclosure requirements).
Coordinate with US Policy, Legal/Compliance, Regulatory/Medical and Public Affairs to ensure accuracy of messaging and appropriate handling of product-specific policy claims.
Define success metrics, (e.g. policy wins, stakeholder engagement metrics) and report progress to senior leadership.
Monitor and communicate evolving landscape intelligence and recommend strategic pivots based on data and stakeholder feedback.

Benefits

Subject to the terms of their respective plans, employees are eligible to participate in the Company’s consolidated retirement plan (pension) and savings plan (401(k)).
This position is eligible to participate in the Company’s long-term incentive program.
Subject to the terms of their respective policies and date of hire, employees are eligible for the following time off benefits:
Vacation –120 hours per calendar year
Sick time - 40 hours per calendar year; for employees who reside in the State of Colorado –48 hours per calendar year; for employees who reside in the State of Washington –56 hours per calendar year
Holiday pay, including Floating Holidays –13 days per calendar year
Work, Personal and Family Time - up to 40 hours per calendar year
Parental Leave – 480 hours within one year of the birth/adoption/foster care of a child
Bereavement Leave – 240 hours for an immediate family member: 40 hours for an extended family member per calendar year
Caregiver Leave – 80 hours in a 52-week rolling period10 days
Volunteer Leave – 32 hours per calendar year
Military Spouse Time-Off – 80 hours per calendar year
For additional general information on Company benefits, please go to: - https://www.careers.jnj.com/employee-benefits