Patient Engagement Associate Director, LATAM

The Associate Director, International Patient Engagement, Latin America at Vertex Pharmaceuticals reports to the Director, International Patient Engagement, Distributor Markets and is responsible for supporting the company’s goals by creating and executing patient engagement strategy for Latin America. This position will work closely with the Director, International Patient Engagement, Distributor Markets and the Senior Director, Northern Europe, Canada, Australia and Distributors to help lead the company’s ongoing efforts to build and sustain meaningful relationships and collaborations to support the needs of patients and advance our company’s goals in Latin America. The role focuses on Cystic Fibrosis.  The Associate Director, International Patient Engagement, Latin America will be responsible for country-level campaigns in Cystic Fibrosis in Latin America. The role will be responsible for leading and executing the company’s advocacy strategy by working across several functional areas, including market access, communications, policy, and medical affairs, OBIE within their designated geography.  

Job Responsibilities 

• Reporting directly to Director, International Patient Engagement, Distributor Markets and working hand in hand with the Senior Director, Northern Europe, Canada, Australia and Distributors and the Vice President, Patient and Community Engagement to help execute the company’s patient engagement strategy including tactical implementation

• Serve as liaison between the patient community and VRTX; developing and leveraging high-level relationships with patient advocacy groups in Cystic Fibrosis at national and local levels in Latin America to achieve Vertex goals, bring value to patients and enhance the Company’s standing and reputation

• Collaborating with Business Unit Leads and x-functional teams: Sit on the country leadership team, partner with Market Access, Communications, GAPP, Medical, Regulatory, Compliance, Legal to identify barriers to access for our portfolio; represent the perspective of the patient community in this work

• Work and align with IPE international disease focused team to discuss and execute tactics and deliver company’s goals

• ​Develop programming within Cystic Fibrosis in partnership with the patient community on the patient community’s agenda 

• Build long-term, sustainable relationships with not only Cystic Fibrosis patient groups but also the broader Latin American community

• Be an appropriate partner to both the patient community and the Grants and Donations committee in effective and compliant management of the grants and donations process 

• Accurate financial management of allocated budgets – working hand in hand with Distributor Markets team and financial business partners  

• Ensure timely, appropriate and legally approved communication with the patient community on the above 

• Appoint and manage patient engagement consultants in Latin America to deliver on business objectives while maintaining compliance with VRTX policies;  

• In partnership with communications team, integrate Vertex’s communications objectives with the patient advocacy strategy and identify additional communications opportunities where appropriate; 

• Provide strategic input into the development and resource prioritization for the Company’s annual patient advocacy plan; and the local business plan for each country within the geography

•  Identifying and pursuing additional opportunities to advance our company’s business objectives; 

•  Fulfilling other duties/projects as assigned; 

• Serve as an early warning to identify threats and opportunities that may impact the business and patient community;  

• Exemplifying Vertex’s core values and the Vertex phenotype in fulfilling these job duties, in particular the Company’s core value regarding its commitment to patients.  

Key Requirements:

• Strong and relevant experience in the pharmaceutical industry in patient advocacy, market access, public health policy, government relations

• Bachelor’s degree

• Demonstrated outstanding strategic planning, communication and presentation skills

• Ability to travel  within assigned region as well as within International as required

• Fluency in Spanish

• Very good understanding of a local healthcare system in Latin America, which a special focus on understanding of local HTA systems, policy environment, and reimbursement. 

• Experience in working with patient communities, very good understanding of a compliant way of working with PAGs within the PMCPA code, the importance of patient's insights and compliant dialogue with them 

• Experience in working with cross-functional teams across several functional areas, including market access, communications, policy, and medical affairs, compliance, legal.

• Ability to navigate seamlessly in a matrixed environment, able to work in situations with levels of ambiguity with independence 

• Experience in patient advocacy, government affairs, communications, market access or public policy. A deep understanding of the HTA/pricing/access systems relevant to the geography and therapy area

• Working knowledge and appreciation of the complexities of the drug development process and regulatory requirements

• Understanding of the patient and caregiver lived experience in (especially Cystic Fibrosis) to include diagnosis, treatment, and treatment options

• Detail-oriented, self-initiating, well-organized and capable of managing multiple projects simultaneously.

This role is based in Mexico City with min 3 days working in the office.