Medical Advocacy & Medical Education Director

Sumitomo Pharma•Marlborough, MA

4d•Remote

About The Position

The Director, Medical Advocacy & Medical Education is a strategic leadership role within Sumitomo Pharma America’s Medical Affairs organization. Reporting to the Senior Director, Head of Medical Strategy, the position leads patient advocacy, external stakeholder engagement, and medical education, translating patient and stakeholder perspectives into Medical Affairs strategies and initiatives. The director partners closely with Medical Strategy and colleagues across the organization. The role develops advocacy strategies and external partnerships, elevates patient and caregiver perspectives through advisory boards and insight-generation activities, and applies those insights to Medical Affairs strategy, Clinical Development, evidence generation, and disease education. It also works with Medical Affairs colleagues to identify educational needs, prioritize medical education grants, and assess program effectiveness. The director advises senior Medical Affairs leadership, develops executive communications, and promotes cross-functional alignment. The position contributes to strategic and operating plans, budget development, and organizational priorities. It establishes measures of advocacy and education impact and applies data, technology, and AI-enabled tools responsibly to improve engagement, operations, and decision-making in accordance with compliance standards. This is primarily a remote role with periodic on-site office meetings. Domestic and international travel may be required. The work involves a fast-paced environment with multiple demands, and requires judgment, initiative, independence, strong communication skills, and extended computer use.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
10 or more years of experience in patient advocacy, Medical Affairs, medical education, healthcare policy, stakeholder engagement, or related biopharmaceutical functions.
Demonstrated success developing advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and medical education strategies in the healthcare or biopharmaceutical industry.
Proven ability to build trusted external partnerships and translate stakeholder insights into strategic recommendations.
Experience leading patient advisory boards, educational initiatives, grants programs, and insight-generation activities in a compliant environment.
Strong understanding of Medical Affairs, Clinical Development, patient-focused drug development, healthcare policy, and access environments.
Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders and collaborate effectively across highly matrixed organizations.
Strong business acumen, financial stewardship, project management, communication, and executive presentation skills.
Commitment to patient-centered innovation, continuous improvement, and organizational excellence.
Ability to travel as required, including domestic and international travel.
Ability to exercise appropriate judgment in a fast-paced environment handling multiple demands.
High level of initiative and independence.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Ability to use a personal computer for extended periods.
Maintain compliance with applicable regulatory, legal, and operational rules and procedures and follow high ethical standards.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree, such as MPH, MS, PharmD, MD, PhD, or a degree in Public Health, Health Policy, Communications, or a related discipline.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute integrated patient advocacy strategies aligned with therapeutic-area priorities and patient community needs.
Build and maintain relationships with patient advocacy organizations, professional societies, and other partners at national, regional, and local levels.
Identify strategic collaborations advancing disease awareness, patient education, clinical trial awareness, access, and patient support.
Represent the organization at advocacy meetings, scientific conferences, professional societies, and stakeholder forums.
Monitor external trends, healthcare policy developments, and emerging patient needs to inform planning and organizational priorities.
Evaluate and refine advocacy strategies and operating plans.
Lead initiatives that elevate the patient voice, including advisory boards and insight-generation activities.
Collect, synthesize, and communicate patient, caregiver, and advocacy organization insights to inform Medical Affairs strategy, Clinical Development, evidence generation, and disease education.
Advise Medical Affairs colleagues by translating patient and stakeholder perspectives into actionable recommendations.
Promote incorporation of patient-centered perspectives into therapeutic-area planning and decision-making, and champion recognition of patient experience across the product lifecycle.
Collaborate with Medical Affairs colleagues to develop educational areas of interest supporting disease awareness, informed healthcare decisions, and improved patient outcomes.
Identify educational gaps and opportunities for patient, caregiver, and healthcare professional audiences.
Partner with Medical Strategy Leads to identify, review, and prioritize Medical Education grants across the portfolio.
Evaluate educational program effectiveness and apply learnings to future planning.
Ensure educational initiatives are evidence-based, compliant, and aligned with Medical Affairs objectives.
Advise Medical Affairs senior leadership on advocacy strategy, patient perspectives, stakeholder engagement, and emerging healthcare trends.
Develop executive-level communications and presentations describing patient impact, strategic opportunities, emerging risks, and recommended actions.
Drive cross-functional collaboration across Medical Affairs, Clinical Development, Market Access, Legal, Compliance, Commercial, and other business partners.
Foster internal alignment supporting patient-centered initiatives and organizational objectives.
Contribute to annual strategic planning, operating plans, budget development, and long-term organizational priorities.
Establish and monitor key performance indicators for advocacy engagement effectiveness, educational impact, stakeholder satisfaction, and patient insight generation.
Measure and communicate the impact of advocacy and medical education initiatives to leadership and internal stakeholders.
Apply data, technology, and emerging solutions to improve stakeholder engagement and operational effectiveness.
Responsibly consider and leverage AI-enabled tools for insight generation, stakeholder engagement, operational efficiency, and decision-making in accordance with compliance standards.
Achieve and maintain compliance with applicable regulatory, legal, and operational rules and procedures, and uphold high ethical standards.