Director, Patient Affairs

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

The Director for Patient Affairs will help foster and support a patient centric approach to Grifols' mission of improving the health and wellbeing of patients around the world. Based in Washington, DC, this position functions as part of a global team but with a North American scope of responsibilities.

This senior role understands the needs of the business and of the patient communities we serve and executes on opportunities to work at the intersection of these two priorities. This role interfaces with patient organizations and patient communities, developing and maintaining trusted relationships and ensuring an overall partnership ethos. This role also partners with Grifols leadership to deliver value-added insights from patients to improve the quality and competitiveness of Grifols products and services. Reports to the Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

Internal Focus

Provide day-to-day management and oversight for the North American Patient Affairs function within Corporate Affairs
Partner effectively across the organization to identify opportunities for collaboration; aligning on priorities and ensuring the patient experience is informing key internal functional strategies
Serve as an ambassador for the patient experience; introduce and embed a patient-centric demeanor in interpersonal activities
Provide management of Grifols Charitable Grants Program
Manage budget planning/execution and communication of milestones & KPIs

External Focus

Maintain trusting relationships and partnerships with Patient Groups and Patient Advocates that aim at creating significant value for patients.
Understand the mission and vision of each patient organization in order to develop and recognize how to work most effectively with these partners
Define and standardize best practices in patient relations based on a clear understanding of and empathy for the patient experience
Bring forward the patient voice and patient experience in appropriate and balanced way.
Proactively identify/execute on opportunities to position Grifols as an industry leader in patient centricity
Represent Grifols at congresses with patient group/advocate involvement, patient group/advocate meetings and within patient associations and patient-related events to raise awareness of Grifols in specific patient populations.
Grow the network of external partners to help drive Patient Affairs priorities

Skills/Qualifications/Education Requirements:

(To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, education, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions).

Education & Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in a scientific and/or business field
Master’s degree preferred, specifically in a field related to Public Health/Population Health/Public Affairs/Public Policy
7 years of progressively responsible experience in the pharmaceutical or other life science industry

Qualities - Technical/Functional Expertise:

Understanding of the pharmaceutical industry with knowledge of the plasma-derivatives industry, Grifols therapeutic areas and indications
Understanding of US health systems, their evolution and the increasingly influential role of the patient
Knowledge of rare disease ecosystem and the unique needs of these communities
Direct patient care experience and/or understanding of patient needs.

Leadership:

Professional presence, warm demeanor, with the ability to show empathy and communicate sensitively, respectfully and informatively with patients, caregivers and external stakeholders
Forward thinking with the ability to drive change across internal and external stakeholders, challenging the status quo and taking risks in bringing forward innovations
Decision-Making & Autonomy
Seeks diverse input from multiple stakeholders to deliver solutions
Accountable for Patient Affairs decisions and prioritization

Complexity & Ethical/Legal

Ability to work within a global ecosystem (internal and external) with a high degree of complexity
Ability to effectively support the priorities of the commercial organization while maintaining the necessary autonomy from it
Ability to appropriately follow compliance and legal guidelines and policies
Unquestionable personal and professional integrity

Additional Expertise:

Superior written and verbal communication skills. Detail-oriented, organized, diligent in preparation; creative presentation skills a plus.

Misc.: Ability to travel domestically approx. 15-20% annually

Depending on the area of assignment, directly related experience or a combination of directly related education and experience and/or competencies may be considered in place of the stated requirements. Example: If a job level requires a Bachelor’s degree plus 4 years of experience, an equivalency could include 8 years of experience, an Associate’s degree with 6 years of experience, or a Master’s degree with 2 years of experience.

Work is performed in an office environment with exposure to electrical office equipment. Frequently sits for 6-8 hours per day. Frequent hand movement of both hands with the ability to make fast, simple, movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists. Frequently walks. Occasionally bends and twists neck. Light to moderate lifting and carrying objects with a maximum lift of 25lbs. Frequently drives to site locations and frequently travels within the United States. Able to communicate complex information and ideas so others will understand; with the ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. Frequently interacts with others, relates sensitive information to diverse groups. Ability to apply abstract principles to solve complex conceptual issues. Performs a wide range of complex tasks as dictated by variable demands and changing conditions with little predictability as to the occurrence.