Director, Patient Innovation & Engagement - Project Management

Job Description

Position Overview

The Project Manager, Patient Engagement works closely with the Scientific Patient Engagement & Advocacy Lead and is responsible for the strategic planning, coordination, operational excellence leading to execution of all patient engagement activities. This includes managing and planning congress activities, patient speaker engagements, patient dialogue initiatives, direct engagements with consultants and organizing both small and large meetings with patient advocates. The ideal candidate possesses strong organizational skills, exceptional communication abilities, and experience working with patient communities in a healthcare or life sciences setting. The candidate must be able to plan, lead, and facilitate the execution of patient engagement activities within a cross-functional team, utilizing their network to influence and ensure completion of activities in a compliant manner.

Key Responsibilities

Patient Engagement Activities within Patient Innovation and Engagement team such as:

• Congress Activities Management: Oversee all aspects of patient involvement at medical and scientific congresses, including planning, logistics, contract support and on-site coordination. Ensure patient perspectives are meaningfully integrated into congress programming.

• Patient Speaker Engagements: Identify, recruit, and support patient speakers for internal and external events. Coordinate speaker training, logistics, and follow-up to ensure impactful and compliant engagements.

• Patient Dialogue Activities: Facilitate and support the vendor assignment and operational activities that foster dialogue between patients, advocates, and company stakeholders. Ensure action memo tracking in adobe sign, capture insights and feedback to inform organizational strategies for activities.

• Patient Advocate Meetings: Plan and execute small and large meetings with patient advocates, including roundtables, advisory boards, and community forums. Manage invitations, agendas, materials, and post-meeting communications.

• Stakeholder Collaboration: Work closely with cross-functional teams (medical affairs, communications, regulatory, GEMs etc.) to ensure alignment and compliance in all patient engagement initiatives.

• Compliance and Reporting: Ensure all activities adhere to relevant legal, regulatory, and ethical standards. Maintain accurate documentation and generate reports on engagement outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, communications, public health, or a related field (Master’s or higher preferred).

• Experience and background in managing and planning congress activities.

• 5+ years of experience in project management, preferably in patient engagement, advocacy, or healthcare communications.

• Strong organizational and multitasking skills, with a proven track record of managing complex projects.

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage and build trust with diverse stakeholders.

• Experience working with patient communities, advocates, or patient organizations is highly desirable.

• Understanding of compliance requirements and best practices in patient engagement.

• Proficiency in project management software and virtual meeting platforms.

• Ability to travel as needed for congresses, meetings, and events.

Key Competencies

• Empathy and cultural sensitivity

• Attention to detail

• Strategic thinking and problem-solving

• Adaptability and resilience

• Collaboration and teamwork

Required Skills:

Clinical Engagement, Clinical Engagement, Collaborative Development, Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM), Contract Management, Digital Project Management, Ethical Standards, Healthcare Education, Healthcare Project Management, Innovation Projects, Knowledge Management, Leadership, Legal Compliance, Life Science, Medical Affairs, Medical Communications, Medical Knowledge, Medical Operations, Operational Excellence, Patient Communications, Patient Engagement, Professional Networking, Project Management, Project Management Software (PMS), Results-Oriented {+ 5 more}

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.  As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.  For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

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We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively.

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U.S. Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as “remote”.

The salary range for this role is

$187,000.00 - $294,400.00

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits.  Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

25%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

12/4/2025

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.