Director, Global Patient Advocacy Lead, Rare Disease

**This is what you will do**:
Reporting to VP Global Head Patient Experience, this position is part of Alexion AstraZeneca Rare Disease Patient Experience team and is responsible for leading the Global patient advocacy strategy and patient engagement for the emerging therapeutic portfolio across drug discovery and commercialization. This role will drive the global strategy to find opportunities to understand and support the patient journey including accelerating the time to diagnosis, disease awareness and resources, treatment advances, and providing caregiver support to improve health outcomes. The Director, Patient Advocacy will be responsible for driving, building, and enhancing strategic alliances with both disease-specific advocacy organizations and those that span across disease area umbrella groups, as well as other rare/ultra-rare disease-oriented organizations in response to patient needs to drive Alexion AstraZeneca Rare Disease global patient advocacy strategic goals Additionally, you will work with cross functional partners and local country contacts to accelerate organizational objectives. In this role you will enhance Alexion’s commitment and demonstration of patient centricity. Through understanding of the patient community, this individual will bring the patient perspective into Alexion Astra Zeneca Rare Disease decision making.

**You will be responsible for**:

- Advancing patient-focused drug development, including trial design, recruitment, regulatory preparations, and internal and external communication.
- Shaping and coordinating execution of global patient advocacy strategy and plans for pipeline indications working closely with Therapeutic Area leaders of Alexion’s Medical and Commercial organizations to support local strategies and objectives, and coordinating with critical internal partners, including Medical Affairs, Clinical Operations, Government Affairs and Market Access, Marketing, Corporate Communications, Regulatory, Legal and Compliance.
- Support advancing Alexion Health Equity ambition.
- Driving, building, and enhancing external engagement and strategic alliances with relevant Global and pan European and regional patient advocacy organizations both disease-specific and those that span across disease area umbrella groups, as well as other rare/ultra-rare disease-oriented organizations and conditions.
- Linking appropriate patient groups with the information and resources needed to support patients and caregivers to advocate for appropriate care. Build a sense of community and collaboration among these groups and with Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease
- Representing Patient Advocacy in the relevant International TA cross-functional leadership teams ensuring the patient advocacy perspective is adequately integrated and reflected and coordinating with critical internal partners, including Medical Affairs, Market Access, Marketing, Government Affairs, Corporate Communications, Regulatory, Legal and Compliance, as well as Clin Ops.
- Partnering closely with all Patient Advocacy Leads across the US and International countries to ensure alignment of strategies and plans with local patient advocacy and to support PA Leads deliver key local projects in the disease areas and potentially other pipeline indications as well as partnering with Astra Zeneca stakeholders.
- In collaboration with appropriate Government Affairs associates, supporting the advancement of policy positions that embrace open access to medicine, appreciation of innovation and the importance of optimal treatment.
- Efficiently and effectively serve as a liaison to the rare disease community by working appropriately with global colleagues on cross-disease initiatives while prioritizing engagement on disease-specific work and ensuring coordinated outreach and further establishing our external rare disease leadership.
- Supporting collection of patient and family insights and proactively and routinely sharing and integrating insights from patient advocacy groups to shape programs, research and activities related to Alexion development programs.
- Providing impactful points of connection for patient advocacy groups with Alexion employees including Medical Affairs, Market Access, Government Affairs & Policy, R&D, Clinical Operations, Corporate Affairs, and other functions to partner on key initiatives. Foster strong partnership with Legal, Regulatory, Compliance and other functions on all engagement activities.
- Leading patient identification, engagement, and relationship development to support global patient participating in PEX organized frameworks established to ensure patient insights.
- Lead thought leaders patient centricity sessions and represent Alexion externally in patient focused congresses to enhance our corporate reputation.

**You will need to have**:
**Essential Qualifications**
- Bachelor’s degree with 10+years of progressive industry/relevant professional experience or 7+ years of patient advoc