Associate Director / Director of Patient Advocacy

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of Capricor’s U.S. patient advocacy strategy across therapeutic areas, aligned with pipeline priorities and long term organizational goals.
• Identify, establish, and nurture compliant, collaborative partnerships with national and regional patient advocacy organizations.
• Serve as a trusted liaison between Capricor and patient communities, fostering consistent, transparent, and ethical engagement.
• Integrate patient insights into clinical development, Medical Affairs, Market Access, Patient Services, and Commercial activities to enhance decision making and strategy.
• Oversee patient listening initiatives, advisory boards, and insight gathering activities in collaboration with cross functional teams and external partners.
• Partner with Medical Affairs and Marketing to develop patient education resources, disease awareness initiatives, and community engagement materials.
• Collaborate with Policy, Access, and Patient Services teams, as well as external organizations, to understand and help address systemic barriers affecting patients and caregivers.
• Ensure all advocacy activities adhere to legal, regulatory, compliance, and corporate governance requirements.
• Track, analyze, and report on advocacy engagement, insights, and program impact to inform future planning and investment.
• Represent Capricor at patient focused meetings, advocacy forums, and relevant conferences to strengthen visibility and trusted engagement across communities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in public health, health policy, communications, or a related field preferred.
• 7–10+ years of experience in patient advocacy or patient engagement, or related external facing roles within biotech or pharma.
• Experience working in rare disease, specialty care, or high unmet need therapeutic areas strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise partnering with national and regional patient advocacy organizations and community leaders.
• Strong understanding of compliant patient engagement practices, grants, sponsorships, and advocacy interaction requirements.
• Proven ability to translate patient insights into actionable inputs for clinical development, Medical Affairs, Access, and Commercial teams.
• Experience leading patient listening initiatives, advisory boards, or community insight gathering programs.
• Excellent relationship building, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Ability to manage multiple external partnerships and prioritize initiatives in a fast‑paced, growth‑stage environment.
• Strong organizational, planning, and project‑management capabilities with a commitment to ethical, patient‑centered impact.