Head Of Patient Advocacy

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is headquartered in Carlsbad, California, with offices in Boston, Massachusetts, and Dublin, Ireland.  For more than 30 years, Ionis has been the leader in RNA-targeted therapy, pioneering new markets and changing standards of care with our novel antisense technology.  Ionis currently has three marketed medicines and a premier late-stage pipeline highlighted by industry-leading cardiovascular and neurological franchises. Our scientific innovation began and continues with the knowledge that sick people depend on us, which fuels our vision to become the undisputed leader in genetic medicine, utilizing a multi-platform approach to discover, develop and deliver life-transforming therapies.

As the first company to fully harness the power of RNA technology for human therapeutics, Ionis’ platform continues to revolutionize drug discovery and transform lives for patients with unmet needs.  We are building upon our innovative research and drug development excellence to provide greater value to patients, and we are well positioned financially to deliver on our strategic goals.

Ionis is a challenging, motivating and rewarding environment designed to foster innovation and scientific excellence.  Our success is a direct result of our outstanding employees.  We are interested in bringing together a diverse group of individuals with different skill sets and perspectives into this creative environment to be part of a productive and inclusive team.  While acknowledging people are actively engaged in hybrid/remote work, we continue to invest time, money, and energy into making our workplace locations a place where our culture and employees can thrive.  We believe engaging on a day-to-day basis, in person,  builds solid and lasting relationships, and contributes positively to our culture and innovation.  From the heart of our stunning Carlsbad campus,  we aim to provide a central connection point for all our employees.  These facilities give us the opportunity to connect cross-functionally, collaborate and to build on the success of our business as we continue to grow.   Join us and experience our unique culture while you develop and expand your career.

HEAD OF PATIENT ADVOCACY

SUMMARY:

Ionis is seeking an exceptional candidate to develop and lead a Patient Advocacy team within the corporate affairs function. Reporting to the SVP of Corporate Affairs, the Head, Patient Advocacy will oversee:

• The partnership and engagement strategy with global Patient Advocacy groups across the company’s broad range of therapeutic areas
• Patient and caregiver insight gathering and analysis to inform clinical and program strategy, patient preferences, and outcomes that are most meaningful to patient communities.
• Designing strategic patient education, engagement and access programs in collaboration with PAGS
• Liaising with other biopharma partners as needed
• Ensuring a passion for patients remains core to the Ionis brand
• Leading a high-performing team of Patient Advocacy experts

 In addition, this person will help establish the company’s leadership within the broader cardiovascular, neurological disease and rare disease Patient Advocacy communities and champion the patient perspective within the company. The right candidate will have strong leadership and communications skills and be able to develop meaningful relationships inside and outside the company. This person will also have strong business acumen, be a strategic thinker who can bridge the complexities of Patient care, drug development, and access.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• As the functional leader, helps define the company’s vision and mission for Patient Advocacy and builds a strategy that reflects the company’s commitment to patient, caregiver, and advocate engagement
• Effectively leads, mentors and develops an internal Patient Advocacy team
• Builds an infrastructure that ensures advocacy strategy and programs advance the interests it shares with advocates along the development and commercialization continuum
• Champions the patient perspective and delivers strategic insights to senior executive, clinical development/operations, medical affairs, commercial leaders, as well as program teams, to optimize corporate and program strategy
• Fosters a patient-centric culture driven by the company’s core values, directly connecting employees to the patient and care experience through distinct and innovative corporate programs and activities.
• Oversees the development and implementation of strategic plans for engaging global patient communities across the company’s portfolio
• Oversees engagement at patient meetings across the portfolio, ensuring activities demonstrate the company’s commitment to disease communities and drive strategic program goals
• Be the key relationship manager for global Patient Advocacy groups; oversees regular communications by the advocacy team and ensures other cross-functional alignments; assesses and mitigates potential risks
• Identifies, initiates, and oversees strategic Patient Advocacy programs and partnerships related to disease awareness and education, diagnosis, access to appropriate care, adherence, and policy
• Supports clinical trial awareness among the patient community
• Partners effectively with the medical affairs and clinical teams to ensure patient inquiries about programs—including clinical trials and pre-approval drug access—are rapidly and consistently addressed with compliant information
• Partners effectively with the legal, regulatory, clinical, medical affairs, and finance teams to optimize a strategic and compliant sponsorship, grants, and charitable contribution review process
• Creates and ensures adherence to legal and compliance frameworks that ensure the company’s relationships with advocacy stakeholders are respectful and appropriate
• Routinely interacts and builds trusted relationships with the executive leadership team and the commercial, medical affairs, clinical, corporate affairs, government affairs, research, legal, and regulatory teams
• Oversees the advocacy budget; identifies and supervises the management of external strategic partners and internal PA team
• Reinforces the company’s leadership role within the industry

REQUIREMENTS: 

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred (e.g., MS, RN, PhD, or MD)
• Minimum of 15 years of relevant Patient Advocacy, communications, or consumer marketing experience in the biopharmaceutical industry
• Proven understanding of the needs of individuals living with devastating diseases as well as pressing public health issues, including patients and care providers
• Knowledge of the biopharmaceutical industry, with an understanding of regulatory bodies that impact communications and reimbursement
• Understanding of guidelines and best practices for developing and executing patient outreach programs and patient events in the US and Europe
• High degree of professionalism, maturity, executive presence, business understanding, and confidentiality
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, as well as strong interpersonal skills, with impeccable attention to detail
• Strong leadership skills with a proven ability to collaborate effectively with internal and external stakeholders at all levels and influence decision-making without authority
• Highly motivated individual with the flexibility and creativity to excel in a rapidly growing and changing environment; confidence and organizational skills to independently work on multiple tasks
• Must be willing and able to travel (approximately 30%) and regularly meet with Patient Advocacy organizations in the US and internationally (as needed)

 Please visit our website, www.ionispharma.com for more information about Ionis and to apply for this position; reference requisition # IONIS003178

Ionis offers an excellent benefits package! Follow this link for more details: Ionis Benefits

Full Benefits Link: https://www.ionispharma.com/careers/working-at-ionis/#:~:text=our%20employee%20spotlight-,Benefits,-Employees%20are%20rewarded

The pay scale for this position is $225,357 to $276,756

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. PRINCIPALS ONLY.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and all its subsidiaries are proud to be EEO employers.