Senior Director, Pipeline Patient Engagement & Advocacy

General Scope and Summary

SAGE Therapeutics is searching for a creative, resourceful, integrative thinker for a vital role to grow and lead patient and advocate engagement within the Patient Advocacy function. Reporting to the Vice President, Patient Engagement & Advocacy, the individual will manage a team of patient engagement and advocacy professionals and lead development and execution of goals to ensure critical patient insights are factored into overall program strategy. This role will advance Sage’s mission by:

• Mobilizing brain health advocacy that drives better access to innovative treatments; and
• Leveraging patient insights to inform strategic decision-making;

• Driving engagement that align to critical business priorities.

The Senior Director is an integral member of Patient Engagement & Advocacy at Sage. This individual will lead development and execution to move program goals forward and ensure critical patient insights are factored into overall program strategy.

Working cross-functionally with internal stakeholders including Corporate Communications, Government Affairs, Market Access, Medical Affairs, HEOR, and Clinical Operations, the Senior Director will be a key member of pipeline asset program teams that support the successful launch and commercialization of Sage’s potentially life-changing therapies.

Roles and Responsibilities

Pipeline Advocacy:

• Lead the team in identifying requirements for and delivering lived experience voices (patients, caregivers, and advocates) to support disease awareness and education internally and externally.
• Engage and collaborate with key organizations serving the brain health community, including those that advocate for Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, essential tremor, and epilepsy.
• Support the success of the Advocacy team by championing the growth and development of team members.
• Facilitate best practice relationships with patient advocacy organizations to ensure productive ongoing partnerships while working to expand network of advocates.
• Partner with program teams, cross-functional leaders, and collaboration partners (as applicable) to identify patient advocacy engagement activities that add value to program strategy, including innovative clinical trial awareness and recruitment.
• Partner with the Vice President, Patient Engagement & Advocacy to operationalize how best to track progress and capture business outcomes driven by the function.
• Facilitate communication between Sage and key professional and patient advocacy groups, nationally and globally, to support distribution of transparent and timely information.
• Drive development of the Patient Engagement & Advocacy strategic plan for pipeline programs, including 718 and 324.
• Serve as a catalyst and consultant for internal stakeholders to consistently factor patient perspectives and insights into decision-making processes across the enterprise.

Experience, Education and Specialized Knowledge and Skills

Must thrive working in a fast-paced, innovative environment while remaining flexible, proactive, resourceful, and efficient. Must have excellent interpersonal skills, the ability to develop important relationships with key stakeholders, good conflict management and negotiation skills, and the ability to analyze complex issues to develop relevant and realistic plans, programs, and recommendations. Must have a demonstrated ability to translate strategy into action, excellent analytical skills, and an ability to communicate complex issues in a simple way and to orchestrate plans to resolve issues and mitigate risks.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.
• 10+ years of patient advocacy and patient engagement experience in the pharmaceutical industry required.
• 5+ years of people management experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Understanding of the importance of strategic advocacy engagement across the full drug development lifecycle, clinical through commercial availability.
• Must embrace Sage’s core values: Put People First, Improve Lives, Cultivate Curiosity, Do Right, and Forge New Pathways.
• Significant organizational and program/project management skills.
• Prior experience in brain health disorders is preferred.
• Excellent communication skills and proven ability to influence decision-making.
• 6-8 years of people management experience.
• Travel up to 25% required.
• Strong strategic leadership attributes; ability to consult with key business stakeholders and all levels of management.
• Excitement about the vision and mission of Sage.
• Advanced degree in business or science.
• Ability to travel up to 25% and regularly meet with patient advocacy organizations in the US, as well as globally if necessary.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain compliant, authentic, and impactful relationships with the advocacy community.

Benefits and Compensation

The base salary hiring range for this position is $210,650 - $289,644.*

• The actual salary offered within the range is dependent on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience, qualifications, education, skills, and performance.
• To support your well-being, we offer a comprehensive benefits and wellness package, which includes medical, dental, and vision coverage upon hire. More information can be found in our Benefits Guide.
• This position is eligible to participate in the Company’s annual bonus plan; the bonus varies based on performance and is subject to the standard terms and conditions of the incentive program.

• Base salary ranges are periodically reviewed and subject to change. #LI-Remote