ABOUT THE ROLE:

BNO is seeking a compassionate, organized, and proactive Patient Engagement Lead to manage and enhance a Patient Ambassador Program for a rare disease pharmaceutical client. This is a high-touch, human-centered role supporting individuals and families impacted by a rare condition. You will act as the primary liaison between the patient community and our agency, ensuring every speaker is supported, prepared, and empowered to share their story authentically (and compliantly) at key engagements. This is a part-time, contract position.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Speaker Vetting & Onboarding

• Manage and vet potential speakers provided by the client using an established screener
• Facilitate contract signature coordination using pre-supplied agreements
• Serve as the point of contact for all onboarding communications and logistics

Story Development & Compliance

• Collaborate with new speakers to help write their patient/caregiver journey narrative
• Work with the internal team to guide stories through Medical/Legal/Regulatory approval
• Ensure final story approvals are obtained directly from the patient

Training & Coaching

• Train new speakers using a provided speaker training deck, focusing on authentic and compliant storytelling
• Lead personalized rehearsal sessions with speakers ahead of each event to refine and prepare their delivery

Event Participation & Support

• Coordinate and manage speaker participation at virtual patient events hosted by the client's third-party partner
• Attend each virtual event (~2/month, 1.5 hrs each, typically evenings) to provide speaker support
• Liaise with the BNO team to coordinate travel logistics (BNO handles execution)

Ongoing Speaker Relations

• Serve as the main point of contact for speaker-related inquiries and check-ins, responding within 24 hours
• Ensure speaker engagement, wellbeing, and readiness throughout the lifecycle of the program
• Backup support will be provided during scheduled time off

Internal & Strategic Collaboration

• Attend and contribute to BNO team meetings (~4 hours/month)
• Collaborate with cross-functional agency partners and the client to ensure alignment with broader campaign efforts and patient engagement strategies

Advisory Board & Patient Summit Coordination

• Coordinate patient and caregiver participation in up to two advisory boards per year and one in-person patient summit
• Support onsite logistics and serve as liaison during these live events

Time Commitment & Hourly Expectations

• Estimated weekly hours for the remainder of the year: 6–10 hours/week
• Total estimated hours for the remainder of 2025: Approximately 250 hours
• Includes ~80 hours allocated for a major patient advisory board in late September/early October
• Ongoing commitment in 2026: Average of 10 hours/week (some weeks higher, some lower depending on activity)
• Evening availability: ~2x/month and occasional live event travel are required

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of experience in patient advocacy, healthcare communications, pharma marketing, or related field
• Deep understanding of patient experience in rare disease, preferably with direct patient-facing or engagement experience
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to connect empathetically and professionally
• Experience managing patient speaker programs or similar ambassador initiatives
• Familiarity with pharmaceutical regulatory/compliance processes (MLR); however, will not be responsible for submissions
• Highly organized and detail-oriented with the ability to manage multiple touchpoints simultaneously
• Comfortable working independently in a fast-paced agency environment

Compensation

• Competitive hourly/project rate based on experience ($85-$90/hr)
• Contract duration and scope to be defined in alignment with client calendar and engagement schedule