Director, Patient Advocacy & Health Equity Strategy

Job Summary:

The Director, Patient Advocacy and Health Equity Strategy is responsible for building and leading Beeline's patient advocacy strategy — establishing the organization's relationships and building strategic, partnerships with patient advocacy organizations (PAOs), patient communities, and disease-specific foundations within the Immunology & Inflammation (I&I) therapeutic area. This role serves as the organization's primary ambassador to the patient community, ensuring that the patient voice is authentically integrated into Beeline's clinical development programs, research priorities, corporate strategy, and external communications. Operating in a clinical-stage biotech, the Director, Patient Advocacy will serve as a member of the Medical Affairs leadership team and a key cross-functional partner to Corporate Communications & Investor Relations, building the sub-function from the ground up — identifying and cultivating the right PAO partnerships, developing a patient engagement framework, and ensuring that patients and caregivers are meaningfully represented in the decisions that shape the organization's pipeline and culture. This role focuses on designing and implementing a patient advocacy model that evolves with pipeline growth, enabling geographic expansion, scalable engagement, and alignment with global regulatory expectations. Additionally, this role also drives the development of the Company’s Health Equity Strategy, focused on how to best reach and support the underrepresented and underserved communities in the I&I therapeutic area.

This individual brings genuine passion for patients, deep knowledge of the I&I advocacy landscape, and the relationship-building skills required to become a trusted, long-term partner to the communities Beeline seeks to serve.

Work Arrangement & Location: 

Hybrid - This position follows a hybrid work schedule, requiring a minimum of two (2) days on-site per week — currently designated as Tuesday and Wednesday. Additional on-site days may be required based on business needs, team priorities, or leadership direction

OR

Remote - This position is designated as remote; the incumbent will be expected to travel to Beeline Medicines’ offices on a periodic basis to support in-person collaboration, team engagement, and business operations. The frequency and scheduling of such visits will be determined at the company's discretion based on business need.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Build and lead Beeline's patient advocacy function — establishing the organizational strategy, partnership framework, KPIs, and internal processes required to develop meaningful, trust-based relationships with patient advocacy organizations, disease foundations, and patient communities relevant to the I&I therapeutic area.
• Identify, prioritize, and cultivate relationships with key patient advocacy organizations, patient community leaders, and disease-specific foundations — developing a strategic engagement plan that aligns PAO partnerships with Beeline's pipeline priorities, clinical programs, and organizational values.
• Serve as the organization's primary point of contact and ambassador to the patient community — representing Beeline at patient advocacy conferences, disease awareness events, community forums, and PAO board engagements with authenticity, transparency, and genuine commitment to the patient perspective.
• Champion and operationalize a patient-centric culture across the organization through training, frameworks, and internal engagement programs.
• Provide strategic advice to Medical Affairs leadership and Corporate Communications & IR on patient-related risks, opportunities, and external perception to support functional and corporate goals.
• Drives Health Equity strategy and initiatives to ensure diverse and representative patient participation in clinical trials through community partnerships and tailored engagement strategies. Cultivates cross-functional strategic plans to help address the needs of underserved populations.
• Translate patient insights into actionable recommendations for asset strategy, indication expansion, and differentiation vs competitors.
• Proactively embed patient experience data into early and late-stage clinical development, influencing protocol design, endpoint strategy, and regulatory narrative to ensure differentiation in increasingly competitive I&I landscapes. Partner cross-functionally to develop and implement patient-centered evidence generation strategies, including PRO endpoints and value demonstration aligned with payer and regulatory needs.
• Develop and execute patient engagement initiatives — including patient advisory boards, caregiver councils, and direct patient input programs — that create structured, ongoing opportunities for patients and caregivers to shape Beeline's research priorities and organizational decisions.
• Partner with Clinical Operations to optimize study feasibility, site selection, and patient-facing trial design elements to enhance accessibility, inclusivity, and patient experience. Serve as the patient advocacy lead in collaboration with Clinical Operations to successfully deliver a field-based, sponsor-focused operating model.
• Partner with Corporate Communications & Investor Relations to ensure that Beeline's external narrative authentically reflects its commitment to patients — contributing to disease awareness campaigns, and patient-centered corporate messaging. Leverage advanced analytics and AI-enabled tools to systematically capture, analyze, and translate patient insights; including digital listening, patient-reported data, and community engagement into actionable recommendations that inform clinical development, trial design, and patient engagement strategies.
• Define success metrics (KPIs, e.g.: patient insights integrated into protocols / endpoints, PAO partnerships influencing trial recruitment, measurable impact on diversity in trials, external reputation in advocacy ecosystem, contribution to regulatory interactions (PFDD, FDA engagement).
• Synthesize advocacy landscape insights into actionable competitive intelligence, informing differentiation of Beeline’s patient engagement strategy relative to peer organizations.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned

Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Public Health, Communications, Social Work, or a related field required. Advanced degree (MPH, MSW, MBA, or equivalent) preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in patient advocacy, patient engagement, or a closely related field within the pharmaceutical, biotech, or life sciences industry or within a major patient advocacy organization.
• Demonstrated track record of building and managing meaningful PAO relationships and integrating the patient voice into drug development programs.
• Relationships with organizations in the immunology, inflammation, rheumatology, dermatology, gastroenterology, or a related I&I therapeutic area strongly preferred.
• Experience building a patient advocacy function in a clinical-stage environment preferred.
• Experience in health equity strategy development which engages underrepresented or underserved communities preferred.
• Deep knowledge of the patient advocacy landscape, preferably in immunology and inflammation — including familiarity with major PAOs, disease foundations, and patient community networks across relevant I&I conditions..
• Understanding of patient-focused drug development (PFDD) frameworks — including FDA PFDD guidance, patient experience data collection methodologies, and the integration of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and patient preference data into regulatory submissions.
• Proven patient advocacy builder — demonstrated experience establishing patient engagement programs, PAO partnerships, and patient advisory structures in a clinical-stage or early-stage pharmaceutical or biotech organization.
• Mission-driven leader with authentic compassion for patients — brings commitment to centering the patient experience in organizational decision-making, and inspires that same commitment in cross-functional colleagues and external partners.
• Exceptional interpersonal and relationship communication skills — builds authentic connections with patients, caregivers, and advocacy community leaders through empathy, active listening, and a genuine commitment to understanding and amplifying the patient experience.
• Skilled public communicator and organizational ambassador — represents Beeline at patient advocacy events, conferences, and community forums with warmth, credibility, and a clear articulation of the organization's mission and patient commitment.
• Travel Requirements: Role requires regular travel to patient advocacy conferences, disease awareness events, PAO meetings, and community forums. Estimated travel 30–40%+.