Associate Director, Patient Advocacy – Patient Community Ambassador (Southeast)
Who we are:
At Agios, we are fueled by connections to transform rare diseases. We foster an inclusive, collaborative culture – one that sparks bold thinking and strengthens our connections with each other and with the rare disease communities we serve. We embrace diverse backgrounds with respect, active listening, and a commitment to inclusion – because our differences shape how we hire, collaborate, and innovate. Our team’s proven track record of executional excellence, combined with our depth of expertise and dedication, enables us to develop innovative medicines that reflect the priorities of rare disease communities. Our commitment is more than scientific – it’s deeply personal, grounded in the meaningful connections we have built. To learn more, visit www.agios.com and follow Agios on LinkedIn and X.
The impact you will make:
Agios Pharmaceuticals is searching for a dynamic Associate Director, Patient Advocacy – Patient Community Ambassador, to join our growing patient advocacy team. We want someone who cares about this important work, and who’s driven to connect to our mission of helping these patient communities. The Associate Director, Patient Advocacy – Patient Community Ambassador is a field-based position and will be responsible for responsible for catalyzing broader engagement with patients, caregivers, and patient advocacy organizations at a grassroots level. By building and managing these critical relationships, you will learn and gather deeper insights into the needs of the rare hemolytic anemia disease communities we serve.
We are looking for a passionate and impact-focused person interested in joining an innovative patient advocacy team, who together will partner with patients to bring about meaningful change. This position will report into the Senior Director of Patient Advocacy and focus on building Agios’ profile in hemolytic anemias, such as thalassemia and sickle cell disease.
The territory to cover will include Florida, Georgia, Alabama & Mississippi with a high concentration of community-based organizations in Florida.
What you will do:
- Identify opportunities to build and strengthen relationships with local patients, patient support groups, advocacy organizations, and multicultural centers to ensure we better understand the needs of the patient communities.
- Provide quarterly and annual business plans and contribute to developing the company’s local community engagement plan.
- Represent Agios at key patient-facing events to better understand the community’s perspectives and needs, as well as to collect and share insights to enrich company strategy.
- Identify disease education opportunities and collaborate with internal colleagues, including Agios Clinical Educators and Medical Affairs staff to deliver the right information in the most impactful manner.
- Provide weekly updates to Patient Advocacy team members and cross-functional colleagues, ensuring a one-team mindset to support patients.
- Serve as a liaison between the patient community and internal Agios teams, compliantly communicating key information from Agios programs to relevant stakeholders on a local level.
- Share insights regarding on-the-ground issues, which will feed into Governmental Affairs programing and inform broader company objectives.
- Adhere to Agios’ policies and standard operating procedures and those regulatory and other ethical guidelines relevant to this role.
- Embrace and demonstrate the Agios culture of absolute integrity, focused execution, incisive leadership, collaborative spirit and pursuit of excellence and innovation.
- Meet/exceed agreed goals, delivering successful outcomes for both Agios and the patient communities we serve.
What you bring:
- Bachelor’s degree in science, social science, or a related field.
- Minimum of 3 years of patient advocacy experience, with 8+ years of progressive experience in a healthcare / biopharma setting.
- Proven track record of working collaboratively and with flexibility in a fast-paced, multi-tasking environment, while maintaining operational quality.
- Ability to think critically, strategically, and cross functionally.
- Goal oriented, self-starter with a strong ability to self -manage.
- Innovative mindset and a proven ability to challenge the status quo.
- Ability to connect and build trusted relationships with patients, caregivers, and local advocacy organizations.
- Strong understanding of the patient and caregiver experience in rare diseases.
- Team-minded and able to react constructively in a high-energy and fast paced environment.
- Excellent interpersonal skills, including oral and written communication skills and strong presentation skills.
- Ability to build and sustain relationships with advocacy groups, government officials, and community leaders.
- Ability to relate with a diverse group of individuals and develop rapport quickly.
- Previous work with patients and advocacy groups in thalassemia, sickle cell disease or other rare diseases is preferred.
- Proficient in basic computer skills and Microsoft Word systems.
- Valid driver's license and clean driving record.
Concerned that you don’t check off every box in the requirements listed above? Please apply anyway! At Agios, we value each other’s differences and recognize that teams thrive when everyone brings their unique experiences to the table. We are dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible environment where all employees can bring their whole selves to work. If you’re excited about this role but your previous experience doesn’t align perfectly with the job description, we still encourage you to apply. You may be just the right candidate for this role or another opening!
Work Location:
Location Specific – Field/Remote: This is a remote based field position. Employees in field roles must reside within their designated territory. Regular conversations with manager are encouraged to ensure alignment on in-person presence/expectations. Travel may be required commensurate to the above job description and/or to attend team meetings and other company events.
What we will give you:
- Deliberate Development. Your professional growth as one of our top priorities.
- Flexibility. We’re all about individual needs. We embrace different perspectives, work styles, health and wellness approaches, care of families and productivity. When you’re at your best, we’re at our best.
- Premium benefits package. We invest in the health, wellbeing, and security of our people with a premium benefits package that is well-rounded and flexible to help meet the varied personal and professional needs of every member of our team. For more detail on the benefits we offer at Agios, visit the Inside Agios section of our website.
- Competitive and equitable performance-based compensation. This includes base salary and both short- and long-term incentives that are connected to our business strategy and vary based on individual and company performance.
- The current base salary range for this position is expected to be between $153,541 and $230,312 annualized; final salary will be determined based on various factors including, but not limited to, years of relevant experience, job knowledge, skills and proficiency, degree/education, and internal comparators.
- Psychological safety. We support an environment of fearlessness. We want you to share your ideas, speak candidly and take data-informed risks to help push the boundaries.
- Commitment to diversity. We strive to foster a welcoming workplace where everyone can thrive. We’re continuously looking to improve the inclusivity of our workforce.
- Commitment to community. We’re an active participant in the communities that surround us – the communities where we live, and the community of people and their loved ones in need of better treatment options for conditions that are often overlooked.
Interested in learning more about what makes our culture unique? Visit the Inside Agios section of our website.