Lead, US Public Affairs & Patient Advocacy Rare Diseases

About this role

Job title: Lead, US Public Affairs & Patient Advocacy Rare Diseases • Location: Cambridge, MA

About the Job:

Job Family Group:  US Public Affairs & Patient Advocacy Job Family:  US Public Affairs & Patient Advocacy Rare Disease Job Family Description:  Manages public affairs for specific therapeutic areas. Job Category:  Rare Disease Patient Advocacy  Job Category Description:  Dedicated to US rare disease and rare blood disorders portfolio engaging with patient organizations, scientific societies, and associated institutions to build meaningful partnerships, support disease awareness, and ensure the patient voice is integrated into Sanofi's rare disease strategy. Reports To: Head, US Public Affairs and Patient Advocacy, Rare Diseases   Our Commitment to Patients: Sanofi believes the US healthcare system should understand and solve for what matters most to patients. We are committed to working with patient advocacy organizations to accelerate research and development of medicines that address unmet needs, and to developing solutions that overcome barriers, so people have affordable and sustainable access to the right treatments.   Position Summary: The Rare Disease Patient Advocacy L3-1 is responsible for supporting and contributing to patient advocacy strategies across rare disease therapeutic areas. This role sustains trusted relationships with rare disease patient advocacy groups, and other key public affairs stakeholders to amplify the patient voice in Sanofi's internal and external initiatives. The role operates in close collaboration with cross-functional teams including Corporate Affairs, Medical Affairs, Commercial, and R&D to ensure patient-centric approaches are embedded throughout the product lifecycle. Role will primarily focus on Rare and Rare Blood Disorder pipeline or related disease areas, and will contribute operationally across Sanofi’s rare disease portfolio and pipeline.

About Sanofi:  

We’re an R&D-driven, AI-powered biopharma company committed to improving people’s lives and delivering compelling growth. Our deep understanding of the immune system – and innovative pipeline – enables us to invent medicines and vaccines that treat and protect millions of people around the world. Together, we chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives.   Main Responsibilities: • Patient Organization Partnership Management: Manage strategic partnerships with rare disease patient advocacy organizations, foundations, and caregiver networks. Develop and execute partnerships that align organizational goals with Sanofi's rare disease priorities, ensuring relationships are built on transparency, trust, and shared commitment to patient outcomes.

• Strategic Program Execution: Lead, manage, and support Sanofi’s key Public Affairs and Patient Advocacy initiatives and projects in relationship to pipeline development. Develop advocacy landscape assessments that identify key stakeholders, trends, and opportunities for engagement. Manage projects and ensure Sanofi is capturing key metrics and data to demonstrate impact and develop meaningful impact reports.

• Advocacy Strategy Development & Execution: Support the Head of US PA&PA Rare Diseases to implement comprehensive patient advocacy strategies for rare disease therapeutic areas. The Lead will manage budgets, timelines and metric reporting..

• External Stakeholder Engagement: Serve as a point of contact and relationship manager for patient advocacy organizations, disease-specific foundations, rare disease coalitions and patient community leaders. Represent Sanofi at rare disease conferences, patient summits, advisory boards, and advocacy events.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Act as the patient advocacy liaison to internal cross-functional teams including Medical Affairs, Regulatory Affairs, Market Access, Health Economics & Outcomes Research (HEOR), Clinical Development, Commercial, and other functions of Corporate Affairs. Ensure the patient perspective is embedded throughout the product lifecycle.

• Compliance:  Ensure all patient advocacy activities are conducted in full compliance with Sanofi's policies, industry codes, and applicable regulations.

About You:

Required Qualifications: • Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Public Health, Communications, or related field. Advanced degrees (JD, PharmD, MPH, MD, PhD, a plus).

• Minimum 2-4 years of experience in patient advocacy, public affairs, or a related function within the pharmaceutical or biotech industry, preference for experience with the rare disease community.

• Demonstrated experience working with rare disease patient communities and advocacy organizations.

• Proven ability to build and sustain trusted relationships with external stakeholders.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to craft compelling narratives.

• Demonstrated AI-native ways of working, uses AI tools daily as core instruments of strategy, analysis, writing, and decision-making rather than occasional aids.

• 25% travel required (conferences, conventions, and meetings)

Healthcare Industry Compliance Experience:

A working command of the compliance frameworks governing industry interactions with advocacy and healthcare organizations, including funding and transparency requirements, with a track record of operating impeccably within them.   Preferred Qualifications:

Experience in clinical trial and pipeline development and or related diseases. Experience with project management, impact reporting and budgeting.

Why Choose Us? • Make your work count by supporting a company that brings life-changing treatments to millions — and is committed to doing right by patients, communities, and the planet.

• Drive progress from within by helping simplify, scale, and modernize how a global biopharma business delivers smarter, faster, and more sustainably.

• Support teams across science, medicine, and operations by building better systems, shaping bold strategies,

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