Director, Patient Engagement

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Summary

At Novartis, we believe that patients are our most powerful partners in shaping the future of medicine. As Director, Patient Engagement, you'll play a pivotal role in embedding the patient voice across the entire R&D lifecycle, driving meaningful change in how we develop and deliver treatments. Working at the intersection of science, strategy, and advocacy, you'll collaborate with internal teams and external patient communities to ensure our clinical programmes reflect real-world needs and aspirations. This is your opportunity to lead with purpose, innovate with empathy, and help transform the patient experience in oncology.

Location
London, UK & Dublin, Ireland

This role is based in London, UK or Dublin, Ireland. Novartis is unable to offer relocation support for this role: please only apply if this location is accessible for you.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and execution of patient engagement strategies across priority programmes and disease areas.
• Integrate patient perspectives into research strategies, clinical development plans, and trial design.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to shape product profiles and generate patient-relevant data for impactful labeling and access.
• Guide global project teams on patient-centred outcomes, digital tools, and clinical practice relevance.
• Implement regulatory and access-focused patient engagement strategies aligned with disease area priorities.
• Drive innovative partnerships with patient groups and multi-stakeholder forums to address unmet needs.
• Co-create integrated campaigns with patient organisations to elevate leadership in clinical development.
• Ensure compliant execution of funding and engagement activities supporting clinical development plans.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with global and regional patient advocacy organisations.
• Drive patient review for clinical trial concept sheets and protocols, ensuring patient voice embedded in clinical trial design and execution.

Essential For The Role

• Master's degree in life sciences, business administration, public health, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 7–10 years of experience in global pharmaceutical or health-focused organisations, including 3–5 years in external-facing roles such as patient advocacy, medical affairs, or access.
• Deep understanding of the full product development lifecycle, including clinical trial design, regulatory pathways, and commercialization.
• Proven ability to collaborate across diverse functions and geographies, co-creating strategies that reflect patient needs and drive measurable impact.
• Strong expertise in Patient-Focused Drug Development (PFDD), including methodologies for capturing patient insights and integrating them into clinical development.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with a track record of building trust and credibility with patient communities and advocacy groups.
• Agile leadership style with the ability to navigate complex, matrixed environments and lead across multiple disease areas.
• Fluency in English (oral and written); proficiency in additional languages is considered an asset for global collaboration.

Desirable For The Role

• Prior experience in oncology, particularly in prostate cancer, with demonstrated collaboration with prostate cancer advocacy organisations.
• Familiarity with digital health tools and technologies used to enhance patient engagement and clinical trial experiences.

Commitment To Diversity & Inclusion

Novartis is committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams representative of the patients and communities we serve.

Why Novartis: Helping people with disease and their families takes more than innovative science. It takes a community of smart, passionate people like you. Collaborating, supporting and inspiring each other. Combining to achieve breakthroughs that change patients' lives. Ready to create a brighter future together?

Join our Novartis Network: Not the right Novartis role for you? Sign up to our talent community to stay connected and learn about suitable career opportunities as soon as they come up: https://talentnetwork.novartis.com/network

Benefits and Rewards: Read our handbook to learn about all the ways we'll help you thrive personally and professionally: https://www.novartis.com/careers/benefits-rewards

Seniority level

• Director

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Business Development and Sales

Industries

• Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

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