Director, Clinical Trial Patient Engagement

Jazz Pharmaceuticals • Philadelphia, PA

14d • $200,000 - $300,000 • Remote

About The Position

Jazz Pharmaceuticals is seeking a Director, Clinical Trial Patient Engagement to provide strategic leadership of its global patient recruitment and retention capability. The role leads program- and study-level recruitment and retention strategies in partnership with internal teams, CROs, and external vendors, aligning activities with timelines, budgets, enrollment objectives, and mitigation plans. It contributes strategic input to protocol and operational planning, feasibility assessments, patient-centric study design, and data-driven enrollment forecasting.

The Director develops and oversees global recruitment and retention processes, monitors recruitment cost and return-on-investment KPIs, and ensures patient-facing activities and materials meet regulatory, ethical, and health-literacy standards. The role provides functional oversight of CROs and specialist vendors, evaluates recruitment technologies and data sources, and collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to deliver recruitment initiatives. It manages and develops the recruitment and retention team, serves as an organizational and industry subject matter expert, represents the function in executive and governance forums, and supports inspection readiness, study closeout, and continuous improvement across the clinical development portfolio.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences, Healthcare, Public Health, Marketing, or a related field.
• Minimum of 10–12 years of experience in clinical research, including 5 or more years in leadership roles in patient recruitment, patient engagement, or clinical trial enrollment strategy.
• Advanced expertise in global patient recruitment and retention strategy, with demonstrated success leading global programs, delivering enrollment outcomes, and mitigating enrollment risks.
• 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.
• Ability to interpret complex patient data and translate insights into recruitment strategies, integrating predictive analytics and data sources such as real-world evidence, EMR/claims data, and AI/ML tools.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop a high-performing team, lead cross-functionally, manage complex projects, and drive decisions through data-driven discussions.
• Experience overseeing CRO and vendor partnerships for recruitment and retention, including governance, performance management, and contract and budget alignment.
• Deep understanding of data privacy, informed consent, and global regulatory considerations related to patient recruitment and retention.
• Advanced experience developing or reviewing patient- and healthcare-professional-facing recruitment materials, supporting health-literacy considerations, and ensuring ethical and regulatory compliance.
• Proficiency with clinical trial systems, reporting tools, and data visualization platforms.
• Experience with inspection readiness and continuous process improvement initiatives.
• Ability to work independently with initiative and accountability, establish processes, drive decisions, and manage multiple stakeholders with minimal direction.
• People leadership skills that foster collaboration, inclusion, belonging, individual development, and team performance.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree.
• Experience assessing or utilizing AI/LLM tools.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership of the global patient recruitment and retention capability.
• Lead development of program- and study-level recruitment and retention strategies with program and study leads, Clinical Development, CROs, and external vendors, aligning them with timelines, budgets, enrollment objectives, and mitigation plans.
• Provide strategic input into protocol and operational planning to identify patient-centric study design opportunities and assess patient insights, enrollment opportunities, recruitment risks, and retention challenges.
• Integrate country, direct-patient, and patient-population insights into feasibility assessments and study design, using data-driven approaches such as real-world evidence, EMR/claims data, and AI/ML tools for enrollment planning and forecasting.
• Develop, implement, and oversee global recruitment and retention processes to optimize enrollment acceleration, clinical study costs, and participant experience.
• Establish and monitor recruitment cost and ROI KPIs and use insights to drive study-level mitigations and continuous improvement.
• Ensure patient-facing clinical trial activities and materials meet regulatory and ethical standards and organizational objectives, including health-literacy considerations.
• Provide functional oversight of CROs and specialist vendors, including governance, performance management, and contract and budget alignment.
• Identify, assess, and integrate recruitment technologies and data sources, including direct-to-patient outreach, digital and social media campaigns, patient advocacy partnerships, geo-mapping, and patient registries.
• Build working relationships and provide cross-functional leadership with internal and external stakeholders to align and deliver recruitment initiatives.
• Manage and develop a high-performing patient recruitment and retention team, including hiring, coaching, and resource planning.
• Serve as a strategic advisor and subject matter expert 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 through appropriate documentation and oversight of recruitment-related activities.
• Contribute to improvements in recruitment tools, methodologies, and best practices across the clinical development portfolio and industry collaborations.

Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement savings plan
• Flexible paid vacation
• May be eligible for a discretionary annual cash bonus or incentive compensation, depending on the role
• May be eligible for discretionary equity grants

What This Job Offers

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