Patient Engagement Associate Director, DESIGN AND Innovation; Sponsor Dedicated​/Remote

PATIENT ENGAGEMENT ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, DESIGN AND INNOVATION (Sponsor Dedicated/ Remote - US Based)

Updated: January 20, 2026
Location: USA-NY-Remote
Job :

Syneos Health® is a leading fully integrated biopharmaceutical solutions organization built to accelerate customer success. We translate unique clinical, medical affairs and commercial insights into outcomes to address modern market realities.

Our Clinical Development model brings the customer and the patient to the center of everything that we do. We are continuously looking for ways to simplify and streamline our work to not only make Syneos Health easier to work with, but to make us easier to work for.

Whether you join us in a Functional Service Provider partnership or a Full‑Service environment, you’ll collaborate with passionate problem solvers, innovating as a team to help our customers achieve their goals. We are agile and driven to accelerate the delivery of therapies, because we are passionate to change lives.

Discover what our 29,000 employees, across 110 countries already know:

WORK HERE MATTERS EVERYWHERE

• We are passionate about developing our people, through career development and progression; supportive and engaged line management; technical and therapeutic area training; peer recognition and total rewards program.
• We are committed to our Total Self culture – where you can authentically be yourself. Our Total Self culture is what unites us globally, and we are dedicated to taking care of our people.
• We are continuously building the company we all want to work for and our customers want to work with. Why? Because when we bring together diversity of thoughts, backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives – we’re able to create a place where everyone feels like they belong.

Job Responsibilities

Associate Director, Patient Engagement

Sponsor‑Dedicated Role / Remote - US Based

** Direct Pharmaceutical Experience Required**

This is a rare opportunity to lead patient‑focused drug development from the inside of a pharmaceutical organization
, while being supported by the global scale and innovation engine of Syneos Health
.

As Associate Director, Patient Engagement
, you will serve as a strategic leader embedded within a sponsor’s clinical development organization, responsible for integrating the patient voice across the full development lifecycle—from early molecule strategy through clinical execution and evidence generation
. Your work will directly influence how trials are designed, how patients experience participation, and how development decisions are made at an enterprise level.

This is not a support or execution‑only role
. It is a visible, high‑influence, sponsor‑side position requiring hands‑on experience leading patient engagement and patient recruitment strategies within a pharmaceutical company
. Experience limited to CROs, investigative sites, agencies, or service providers does not meet the requirements of this role.

• A global strategy for patient‑focused trial design, patient experience enhancement, and patient‑centered evidence generation
• Sponsor‑side patient recruitment and retention strategies embedded directly into clinical development planning and execution
• Patient journey analytics, inclusion frameworks, and co‑designed engagement initiatives that improve recruitment performance, reduce participant burden, and increase trial satisfaction
• Strategies to strengthen representation and inclusion across therapeutic areas and geographies
• Enterprise‑level change management to scale patient engagement capabilities
  , standardize best practices, and modernize the clinical trial experience
• Cross‑functional collaboration with Clinical Operations, Clinical Research, Regulatory, Data Science, Medical Affairs, Public Affairs, Commercial, and Corporate Affairs
• Strategic input into policy and regulatory initiatives related to PFDD, PFMD, the 21st Century Cures Act, PDUFA VII, digital health, and real‑world evidence
• Engagement with patient advocacy groups, caregivers, and external stakeholders to support long‑term trust and advocacy

Patient engagement is no longer…