Medical Advocacy & Medical Education Director

US-Remote

Full time

R01546

Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd., is a global pharmaceutical company based in Japan with operations in the U.S. (Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.), focused on addressing patient needs in oncology, urology, women's health, rare diseases, cell & gene therapies and CNS. With several marketed products and a diverse pipeline of early- to late-stage investigational assets, we aim to accelerate discovery, research, and development to bring novel therapies to patients sooner.

For more information on SMPA, visit our website  or follow us on Linked In.

The Director, Medical Advocacy & Medical Education is a strategic leadership role within SMPA Medical Affairs, reporting to the Senior Director, Head of Medical Strategy. The position provides leadership across patient advocacy, external stakeholder engagement, and medical education, translating patient and stakeholder perspectives into meaningful Medical Affairs strategies and initiatives while partnering closely with Medical Strategy and cross-functional colleagues across the organization.

• Develop and execute integrated patient advocacy strategies aligned with therapeutic area priorities and evolving patient community needs.
• Build and maintain trusted, long-term relationships with patient advocacy organizations, professional societies, and other partners at national, regional, and local levels.
• Identify opportunities for strategic collaboration that advance shared goals in disease awareness, patient education, clinical trial awareness, access, and patient support.
• Represent the organization at advocacy meetings, scientific conferences, professional societies, and stakeholder forums.
• Monitor external trends, healthcare policy developments, and emerging patient needs to inform strategic planning and organizational priorities.
• Continuously evaluate and refine advocacy strategies and operating plans to maximize impact and stakeholder value.

• Lead initiatives that elevate the patient's voice through advisory boards, insight-generation activities, and other programs.
• Collect, synthesize, and communicate patient, caregiver, and advocacy organization insights to inform Medical Affairs strategy, Clinical Development activities, evidence generation priorities, and disease education initiatives.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to Medical Affairs colleagues by translating patient perspectives and external stakeholder insights into actionable recommendations.
• Ensure patient-centered perspectives are incorporated into therapeutic area planning and decision-making.
• Champion a culture that recognizes the value of patient experience and stakeholder engagement across the product lifecycle.

• Identify educational gaps and opportunities across patient, caregiver, and healthcare professional audiences.
• Partner with Medical Strategy Leads to identify, review, and prioritize Medical Education grants across the portfolio

• Evaluate educational program effectiveness and incorporate learnings into future planning.
• Ensure educational initiatives are evidence-based, compliant, and aligned with Medical Affairs objectives.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to Medical Affairs senior leadership on advocacy strategy, patient perspectives, stakeholder engagement, and emerging healthcare trends.
• Develop executive-level communications and presentations that articulate patient impact, strategic opportunities, emerging risks, and recommended actions.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration across Medical Affairs, Clinical Development, Market Access, Legal, Compliance, Commercial, and other business partners.
• Foster alignment where applicable across internal stakeholders to support patient-centered initiatives and organizational objectives.
• Contribute to annual strategic planning, operating plans, budget development, and long-term organizational priorities.

• Establish and monitor key performance indicators assessing advocacy engagement effectiveness, educational impact, stakeholder satisfaction, and patient insight generation.
• Measure and communicate the impact of advocacy and medical education initiatives to leadership and key internal stakeholders.
• Apply data, technology, and emerging solutions to continuously improve stakeholder engagement and operational effectiveness.
• Demonstrate comfort with artificial…