Senior Director, Head of Patient Services

Patient Services Strategy and Operating Model

• Develop and execute the U.S. patient services strategy and launch-readiness plan, with clear milestones, decision points, risks, and accountabilities.
• Build and lead an integrated patient support model spanning referral and enrollment, benefits investigation, prior authorization and appeal support, case management, affordability, treatment coordination, and ongoing patient support.
• Map, standardize, and continuously improve the patient and caregiver journey to reduce access friction and support timely, coordinated treatment initiation.
• Establish governance, escalation pathways, business continuity plans, and service standards across internal teams and external partners.

Hub, Access, and Affordability Operations

• Lead the implementation and day-to-day oversight of hub and other patient services vendors, including workflow design, staffing assumptions, training, quality controls, and operational escalation.
• Design and manage financial assistance and affordability programs, subject to applicable legal and compliance requirements.
• Partner with Market Access and field reimbursement colleagues to align patient services workflows with payer policies, reimbursement requirements, and access pathways.

Site-of-Care and Treatment Coordination

• Lead patient services support for treatment-center onboarding and readiness, in coordination with Medical, Commercial, and operational partners.
• Define clear handoffs among the hub, treatment centers, specialty pharmacy and distribution partners, field teams, patients, and caregivers.
• Develop escalation protocols for access barriers, incomplete referrals, scheduling delays, treatment-center capacity constraints, and other launch-critical issues.
• Support a consistent, high-touch experience for patients and caregivers before, during, and after treatment initiation, within the approved program scope.

Data and Performance Management

• Lead vendor implementation, budget management, and ongoing business reviews in partnership with Procurement, Finance, Legal, Compliance, and IT.
• Establish service-level agreements, key performance indicators, quality measures, and launch-readiness dashboards that provide timely visibility into patient access, operational performance, patient experience, and emerging risks.
• Partner with Commercial Operations and IT to define data requirements, integrations, reporting cadence, privacy controls, and issue-resolution processes across the vendor ecosystem.
• Use operational insights to identify root causes, drive corrective actions, and continuously improve program effectiveness and scalability.

Compliance, Quality, and Operational Excellence

• Develop and maintain SOPs, work instructions, training materials, and documentation standards for patient- and provider-facing activities.
• Ensure patient services programs operate in alignment with applicable regulatory, legal, privacy, quality, and compliance requirements and Capricor policies.
• Partner with Quality and Compliance on monitoring, auditing, deviation management, corrective actions, and vendor oversight, as appropriate.
• Maintain inspection-ready documentation and promote a culture of patient focus, accountability, and disciplined execution.

Team Leadership

• Build and lead the patient services organization, including future roles supporting treatment-center onboarding, nurse education, patient engagement, and reimbursement coordination, as business needs evolve.
• Own workforce planning, role design, hiring, onboarding, training, coaching, and performance management to support launch readiness and post-launch scale.
• Set clear objectives and operating norms, develop team capabilities, and foster effective collaboration across internal and external stakeholders.
• Serve as the senior internal subject-matter expert for patient services and provide concise updates, recommendations, and risk assessments to executive leadership.
• Perform other duties as assigned consistent with the scope and seniority of the role.

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Progressive experience in patient services, hub operations or a related function within the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry, including meaningful leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated success building, launching, or scaling patient support programs for rare disease, specialty, or other complex therapies.
• Deep working knowledge of benefits investigation, prior authorization and appeals processes, case management, affordability programs, and the operational realities of patient access.
• Experience managing external vendors, budgets, contracts, implementation plans, service levels, and performance improvement.
• Strong cross-functional leadership, problem-solving and decision-making skills, with the ability to translate strategy into detailed execution.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, growth-stage environment with evolving priorities and a high degree of accountability.
• Excellent written, verbal, and executive communication skills, with strong attention to detail and documentation discipline.

• Advanced degree or clinical credential, such as an MBA, MPH, RN, PharmD, or comparable qualification.
• Experience with cell therapy, gene therapy, infused products, or other therapies requiring coordinated treatment-center readiness and high-touch patient support.
• Experience establishing patient services capabilities from the ground up in a pre-commercial or early-commercial biotechnology company.
• Familiarity with rare-disease patient communities, caregiver needs, and family-centered support models.
• Experience with patient services technology, data integrations, dashboards, privacy requirements, and operational analytics.

• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Vendor management and negotiation skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, rapidly scaling environment.
• Exceptional attention to detail and documentation discipline.
• Ability to influence without authority and collaborate effectively across functions.

Compensation and Benefits

The posted salary range represents Capricor’s good-faith estimate of the salary range reasonably expected to be paid for this position at the time of hire. Final compensation will be determined based on job-related factors, including the candidate’s relevant experience, education, skills, certifications, scope of role, location, and internal equity.

This position may also be eligible for a discretionary annual performance bonus and, depending on the level of the role, long-term equity incentive awards in accordance with company policy.

Capricor Therapeutics offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes employer-sponsored medical, dental, and vision coverage; company-paid basic life and AD&D insurance; a 401(k) plan with company match; paid time off and company holidays; and paid parental leave. Additional voluntary benefits and wellness programs may also be available.