Patient Engagement Associate Director, Design And Innovation (Sponsor Dedicated/ Remote - US Based)
Syneos Health
This listing was originally posted on Syneos Health's careers page. Formulate is an equal opportunity job aggregator and is not involved in the hiring process. Where salary information is estimated, it is derived from BLS industry benchmarks and may differ from actual compensation.
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Upgrade to Pro — $25/moSyneos Health® is a leading fully-integrated life sciences services organization built to accelerate customer success. We partner with innovators at every point across the drug development and commercialization continuum, helping them navigate complexity, anticipate change and accelerate progress.
Our Clinical Solutions team members act with a drug development mindset, applying their years of experience and deep expertise to truly understand customer needs and represent those in the solutions we shape.
Whether you join us in a Functional Service Provider partnership or a Full-Service environment, you’ll collaborate with passionate problem solvers, innovating as a team to help our customers achieve their goals. We are agile and driven to deliver – for one another, our customers, and, most importantly, for those in need.
Discover what your 25,000 future colleagues already know:
Why Syneos Health
• We are passionate about developing our people, through career development and progression; supportive and engaged line management; technical and therapeutic area training; peer recognition and total rewards program.
• We are committed to building an inclusive culture – where you can authentically be yourself. Central to this is our purpose – Driven to Deliver – which captures the passion of our colleagues to show up each day and shape solutions that have the ability to dramatically impact someone’s life.
• We are continuously building the company we all want to work for and our customers want to work with. Why? Because we know that when we bring together smart colleagues from across the world, we can shape the future of healthcare, driving impact for customers and defining the pace of patient progress.
Job Responsibilities
Associate Director, Patient Engagement
Sponsor‑Dedicated Role / Remote - US Based
**Direct Pharmaceutical Experience Required**
This is a rare opportunity to lead patient‑focused drug development from the inside of a pharmaceutical organization, while being supported by the global scale and innovation engine of Syneos Health.
As Associate Director, Patient Engagement, you will serve as a strategic leader embedded within a sponsor’s clinical development organization, responsible for integrating the patient voice across the full development lifecycle—from early molecule strategy through clinical execution and evidence generation. Your work will directly influence how trials are designed, how patients experience participation, and how development decisions are made at an enterprise level.
This is not a support or execution‑only role. It is a visible, high‑influence, sponsor‑side position requiring hands‑on experience leading patient engagement and patient recruitment strategies within a pharmaceutical company. Experience limited to CROs, investigative sites, agencies, or service providers does not meet the requirements of this role.
A global strategy for patient‑focused trial design, patient experience enhancement, and patient‑centered evidence generation
Sponsor‑side patient recruitment and retention strategies embedded directly into clinical development planning and execution
Patient journey analytics, inclusion frameworks, and co‑designed engagement initiatives that improve recruitment performance, reduce participant burden, and increase trial satisfaction
Strategies to strengthen representation and inclusion across therapeutic areas and geographies
Enterprise‑level change management to scale patient engagement capabilities, standardize best practices, and modernize the clinical trial experience
Cross‑functional collaboration with Clinical Operations, Clinical Research, Regulatory, Data Science, Medical Affairs, Public Affairs, Commercial, and Corporate Affairs
Strategic input into policy and regulatory initiatives related to PFDD, PFMD, the 21st Century Cures Act, PDUFA VII, digital health, and real‑world evidence
Engagement with patient advocacy groups, caregivers, and external stakeholders to support long‑term trust and advocacy
Patient engagement is no longer optional—it is a competitive differentiator in drug development. Regulatory expectations, digital innovation, real‑world data, and patient advocacy are reshaping how clinical programs are evaluated and rewarded.
In this role, you won’t react to that change—you’ll lead it.
You will help ensure that patient perspectives are not an afterthought, but a core pillar of how development decisions are made, improving trial feasibility, regulatory confidence, participant experience, and overall development outcomes.
Sponsor‑Dedicated Impact, Powered by Syneos
This role is fully sponsor‑dedicated, meaning you operate as an embedded leader within a pharmaceutical organization—participating in real development decisions, governance discussions, and cross‑functional planning—not as an external vendor.
At the same time, as part of Syneos Health, you gain access to a global organization known for advancing patient‑centric innovation at scale, including industry‑leading capabilities in data science, digital health, real‑world evidence, and patient engagement methodology.
The Best of Both Worlds
True sponsor‑side ownership of patient engagement and recruitment strategy
Long‑term impact, building scalable capabilities within a single sponsor portfolio
Innovation at scale, leveraging Syneos’ tools, insights, and cross‑industry expertise
A career‑defining opportunity to be recognized as a leader in patient‑focused drug development
If you want to shape how patient voice becomes operational reality—not just a philosophy—this role delivers that platform.
Patient insights are embedded in protocol design, endpoint selection, and development strategy
Recruitment and retention improve because trials are designed with patients, not just for them
Patient engagement approaches are consistent, scalable, and measurable across programs
The sponsor is recognized internally and externally as a leader in patient‑focused development
Required
5+ years of experience in patient engagement, patient recruitment, or patient‑centric clinical trial strategy within a pharmaceutical company
Demonstrated experience influencing cross‑functional leaders and driving enterprise change
Strong understanding of global clinical development, regulatory frameworks, and operational decision‑making
Proven ability to design and execute global, multi‑functional patient engagement initiatives
Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to translate complex scientific and regulatory concepts into clear strategy
Preferred
Advanced degree in Life Sciences, Pharmacy, Data Science, Information Technology, or related field
Experience with digital health solutions, real‑world data, and patient engagement technology
Prior leadership of large, global clinical development programs or transformation initiatives
Your experience is limited to CRO, site‑level, agency, or services‑vendor roles
You have not owned patient engagement or recruitment strategy from within a pharmaceutical sponsor
You are seeking rotational project work rather than deep, sponsor‑embedded leadership
At Syneos Health, we believe in providing an environment and culture in which Our People can thrive, develop and advance. We reward and recognize our people by providing valuable benefits and a quality-of-life balance. The benefits for this position may include a company car or car allowance, Health benefits to include Medical, Dental and Vision, Company match 401k, eligibility to participate in Employee Stock Purchase Plan, Eligibility to earn commissions/bonus based on company and individual performance, and flexible paid time off (PTO) and sick time. Because certain states and municipalities have regulated paid sick time requirements, eligibility for paid sick time may vary depending on where you work. Syneos complies with all applicable federal, state, and municipal paid sick time requirements.
Salary Range:
$114,000.00 - $210,900.00The base salary range represents the anticipated low and high of the Syneos Health range for this position. Actual salary will vary based on various factors such as the candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and proficiency for the role.
Get to know Syneos Health
Over the past 5 years, we have worked with 94% of all Novel FDA Approved Drugs, 95% of EMA Authorized Products and over 200 Studies across 73,000 Sites and 675,000+ Trial patients.
No matter what your role is, you’ll take the initiative and challenge the status quo with us in a highly competitive and ever-changing environment. Learn more about Syneos Health.
Additional Information
Tasks, duties, and responsibilities as listed in this job description are not exhaustive. The Company, at its sole discretion and with no prior notice, may assign other tasks, duties, and job responsibilities. Equivalent experience, skills, and/or education will also be considered so qualifications of incumbents may differ from those listed in the Job Description. The Company, at its sole discretion, will determine what constitutes as equivalent to the qualifications described above. Further, nothing contained herein should be construed to create an employment contract. Occasionally, required skills/experiences for jobs are expressed in brief terms. Any language contained herein is intended to fully comply with all obligations imposed by the legislation of each country in which it operates, including the implementation of the EU Equality Directive, in relation to the recruitment and employment of its employees. The Company is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, including the provision of reasonable accommodations, when appropriate, to assist employees or applicants to perform the essential functions of the job.
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