Director, Patient Experience and Program Communications, Pain Programs and Patient Support

Job Description

General Summary:

The Director, Patient Experience and Program Communications will serve as a key leader within the Pain Patient Support Team, responsible for defining and driving the strategy for patient-facing and stakeholder-facing communications that support access, fulfillment, and engagement. This role will lead efforts to simplify the patient access experience by translating operational complexity into clear, compelling, and actionable messaging and resources for patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, and internal stakeholders.

We are seeking a candidate with a strong track record of leadership in US commercial roles, and demonstrated success leading complex cross-functional initiatives in highly regulated environments. The ideal candidate brings strategic agility, strong organizational influence, ability to create clarity from complexity, and can effectively balance business goals and stakeholder needs.  This role will report to the Senior Director / Head of Pain Patient Support.  

Key Duties & Responsibilities 

• Lead the strategy for patient experience and program communications across Pain Patient Support, ensuring a patient-centered and stakeholder-informed approach 

• Translate complex operational, access, reimbursement, and support processes into simple, clear, and effective messaging that improves understanding and reduces friction across the patient journey 

• Shape the long-term vision and annual strategic plan for patient support communications, access messaging, onboarding resources, and related engagement initiatives 

• Partner cross-functionally with HCP Marketing, Consumer Marketing, Market Access Strategy, and Trade Strategy to ensure aligned, consistent, and streamlined access experience messaging across stakeholder touchpoints 

• Lead the development of integrated communications, tools, and resources that support patient education, access, reimbursement, financial assistance, and fulfillment  

• Serve as a key leader in the creation and execution of patient-centric resources and digital assets across channels, including print, web, email, text, video, and virtual engagement platforms 

• Build and evolve the communications capability for the Patient Support function, identifying opportunities to innovate and enhance the patient experience based on emerging needs and external market dynamics 

• Lead complex cross-functional workstreams and drive alignment among internal stakeholders with differing priorities, ensuring progress against business objectives while maintaining patient centricity 

• Cultivate strong partnerships with Medical, Legal, Regulatory, Compliance, and the Communications Review Committee (CRC) to support timely, compliant review and execution of communications 

• Provide strategic direction and oversight for agency partners and external vendors, ensuring high-quality deliverables, effective resource utilization, and adherence to timelines and budgets 

• Collaborate with fulfillment and operational partners to ensure effective management of communications inventory, material deployment, and ordering processes 

• Establish measurement frameworks and success metrics for owned communications and support materials; use performance insights to optimize strategy, improve execution, and inform future investment decisions 

• Identify opportunities to improve how stakeholder feedback, performance data, and market insights are incorporated into communication planning and experience design 

• Act as a strategic thought partner to leadership on patient experience, support communications, and access-related engagement strategy 

 

 
Required Education 

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Advertising, Business, or a related field 

 

 
Required Experience 

• 10+ years of relevant experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience, in patient support, patient engagement, consumer/patient marketing, market access communications, or other closely related commercial roles 

• Significant experience in the biopharmaceutical or healthcare industry, with increasing scope of responsibility and demonstrated strategic leadership 

• Proven success leading complex, cross-functional initiatives and influencing across matrixed organizations 

• Experience developing and executing patient support or access-related communication strategies in a regulated commercial environment 

• Demonstrated experience navigating Medical, Legal, Regulatory, and Compliance review processes 

• Experience leading agency partners and external vendors to deliver high-quality, on-strategy work 

 
 

Required Knowledge / Skills 

• Exceptional strategic communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to distill complex operational and access-related processes into simple, effective messaging 

• Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence and align cross-functional stakeholders at multiple levels of the organization 

• Strong business acumen and understanding of the commercial ecosystem, including the intersection of patient support, access, marketing, and field execution 

• Ability to lead multiple priorities and workstreams simultaneously with strong project management, organizational, and decision-making skills 

• Ability to develop and execute support materials across a range of channels, including email, print, web, video, text, and virtual events 

• Strategic and innovative mindset, with the ability to identify creative solutions to complex business and communication challenges 

• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to interpret performance metrics and translate insights into actionable strategic and tactical improvements 

 

Preferred Knowledge / Skills 

• Advanced degree preferred 

• Experience in pain, specialty therapeutics, or launch environments strongly preferred 

• Working knowledge of commercial marketing and operational platforms, including Veeva Vault PromoMats, Salesforce CRM, Marketo, Tableau, Smartsheet, and related tools 

• Experience supporting or partnering closely with Market Access, Trade, HCP Marketing, and Consumer Marketing functions 

• Experience building communication strategies that support access education, onboarding, affordability, and stakeholder engagement across multiple customer groups 

At Vertex, we embrace continuous learning and encourage employees to stay informed on advances in AI, technology, automation, and industry trends. We seek talent who bring an external perspective, demonstrate curiosity and sound judgment, and thoughtfully adopt new capabilities that improve decision-making, drive innovation, increase efficiency, and help deliver better outcomes for patients.

Pay Range:

$189,600 - $284,400

Disclosure Statement:

Flex Designation:

Hybrid-Eligible Or On-Site Eligible

Flex Eligibility Status:

In this Hybrid-Eligible role, you can choose to be designated as: 
1.    Hybrid: work remotely up to two days per week; or select
2.    On-Site: work five days per week on-site with ad hoc flexibility.

Note: The Flex status for this position is subject to Vertex’s Policy on Flex @ Vertex Program and may be changed at any time. 

#LI-Hybrid
 

Company Information

Vertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation.

Vertex is committed to equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to a person's race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, or any characteristic protected under applicable law. Vertex is an E-Verify Employer in the United States. Vertex will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities, in accordance with applicable law.

Any applicant requiring an accommodation in connection with the hiring process and/or to perform the essential functions of the position for which the applicant has applied should make a request to the recruiter or hiring manager, or contact Talent Acquisition at ApplicationAssistance@vrtx.com