Director Patient Advocacy

About this role

Job Purpose

The Director Patient Advocacy will lead patient advocacy strategy and engagement within the Marketing team, with a primary focus on hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and support for psoriatic arthritis (PsA). This individual will build trusted, long-term relationships with patient advocacy organizations, patients, and caregivers; deepen understanding of unmet needs across the patient journey; and ensure patient perspectives inform disease education, patient support, and launch planning.

Working closely with Marketing, Medical Affairs, Patient Services, Market Access, and Clinical Development, the Director will translate community insights into actionable initiatives while respecting advocacy organizations’ independence and maintaining appropriate boundaries between advocacy, market research, and promotional activities.

Major Accountabilities

• Patient Advocacy Strategy & Needs Assessment: Develop and execute an annual patient advocacy plan grounded in community priorities, unmet needs, and launch readiness. Monitor the advocacy landscape and identify opportunities to address gaps in disease awareness, education, and support.
• Patient Journey & Community Partnerships: Build and sustain relationships with national and regional advocacy organizations, patient leaders, and caregivers. Map the patient journey with community input, identifying barriers to diagnosis, access to care, and ongoing support; develop shared initiatives that respect each organization’s mission and independence.
• Disease Education & Community Engagement: Develop and deliver compliant, accessible disease-awareness and educational initiatives with advocacy partners. Represent the company at patient meetings and community events, incorporate health-literacy principles, and create opportunities for patients with varied experiences and care settings to contribute.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Serve as Marketing’s patient advocacy lead and a resource across Medical Affairs, Patient Services, Market Access, and Clinical Development. Bring community perspectives into launch readiness, education, and support planning; coordinate trial-awareness activities with Medical and Clinical colleagues, with clear accountability and appropriate nonpromotional boundaries.
• Partnership, Vendor & Budget Management: Manage advocacy budgets, agencies, timelines, and deliverables. Coordinate sponsorships, grants, and partnership agreements through designated review and approval processes; work with Legal, Compliance, Medical, and Regulatory on appropriate engagement, consent, privacy, transparency, and adverse-event reporting.

Your profile

Job Requirements

• Education:
• Bachelor’s degree required
• Advanced degree (MSc, MBA, PhD, PharmD, or MD) preferred.
• Experience:
• 5+ years of relevant experience in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, patient advocacy organizations, or related healthcare settings, including substantial direct responsibility for patient advocacy strategy, partnerships, and engagement.
• Demonstrated success building trusted advocacy relationships, leading patient advisory boards and educational initiatives, and translating community insights into cross-functional action. Experience managing external partners and budgets required; emerging-biotech and prelaunch or launch experience preferred.
• Experience in immunology, dermatology, rheumatology, or a related specialty/chronic disease area preferred; familiarity with HS or PsA patient communities is a plus.
• Skills/knowledge/behavioural competencies:
• Strong relationship-building, listening, facilitation, and communication skills, with the ability to engage patients and caregivers respectfully and translate complex information into accessible education.
• Ability to synthesize patient and caregiver feedback into clear priorities, influence cross-functional decisions without direct authority, and balance strategic planning with hands-on execution in a lean, fast-paced environment.
• Sound judgment and working knowledge of ethical patient engagement, advocacy independence, patient privacy and consent, grants and sponsorship governance, and the distinction between advocacy and promotion; strong project management, prioritization, and accountability.
• Why us?
• An exciting job opportunity awaits you!
• MoonLake is a dynamic and innovative company pushing the boundaries of possibility, and we are looking for passionate individuals to join our stellar team.

What we offer

• Learning Environment: An opportunity to learn and grow alongside experienced professionals in a supportive and innovative biotech environment.
• Impactful Work: Contribute to ground-breaking projects that have the potential to transform global healthcare.
• Flexibility and Balance: Enjoy a healthy work-life balance while making meaningful contributions to our team.
• Career Growth: A clear path for career progression, with the chance to take on more responsibilities as you develop your skills.