Associate Director, Patient Advocacy

Position Overview:

Astria Therapeutics is dedicated to bringing hope with life-changing therapies to patients and families affected by allergic and immunological diseases. Astria’s pipeline includes our lead program, STAR-0215, a monoclonal antibody inhibitor of plasma kallikrein in clinical development for the treatment of hereditary angioedema, as well as STAR-0310, an OX40 monoclonal antibody antagonist currently in pre-clinical development for atopic dermatitis (AD) and being explored for other allergic and immunological diseases.

We are seeking an emotionally intelligent and experienced patient advocacy professional to join our team as the Associate Director, Patient Advocacy. Reporting to the Executive Director, Patient Advocacy, you will play a pivotal role in the creation and execution of patient advocacy plans for our STAR-0310 atopic dermatitis program and support Astria’s overarching patient advocacy strategy. You will be the primary interface with the AD patient community and responsible for building trust, relationships, and mutually beneficial collaborations with patient organizations within the AD and broader dermatologic/immunologic communities. You will be a liaison – internally and externally – collaborating cross-functionally across the organization and with patients, caregivers, and advocacy organizations to ensure the needs and perspectives of people living with AD are at the core of our decision-making. You will also be instrumental in helping to shape and nurture Astria’s culture centered around the purpose of addressing the needs of patients and making a meaningful difference in their lives.

Responsibilities:

• Shape the development and own the execution of Astria’s near-and-long-term patient advocacy plans for our STAR-0310 atopic dermatitis program and contribute to our overarching patient advocacy strategy.
• Build and maintain trusting, authentic relationships with patient advocacy groups and the broader patient community at a national, regional, and global levels.
• Create venues (ex. advisory meetings, standing councils) to gather patient and community insights and deliver recommendations for how we might apply learnings to strengthen our program and community relationships.
• Drive diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to ensure the perspectives and needs of historically marginalized groups are addressed in our work.
• Manage the STAR-0310 program patient advocacy budget and supervise the management of any external partners or agency resources.
• Develop plan for strategic giving; manage internal review of community requests for sponsorship, membership, and charitable donations and ensure funded programs are compliant and aligned with strategic objectives.
• Advise on processes related to ensuring the patient perspective is incorporated into all appropriate initiatives including disease education programs, clinical development and trial recruitment, research collaborations, market access efforts and patient support services.
• Collaborate with cross functional teams and external agencies to develop patient-focused messaging and educational materials for Astria clinical development programs and patient advocacy initiatives; ensure all materials are reviewed for accuracy and compliance.
• Monitor advocacy@astriatx.com e-mail inbox and support appropriate and compliant responses.
• Represent the Patient Advocacy function on key internal teams, educate other functions on the patient engagement and advocacy landscape.
• Manage and lead our company presence at key AD patient advocacy group conferences and other patient community events, domestic and international.
• Plan and host events with invited representatives of the AD community for the purpose of deepening Astrians’ understanding of lived experience (e.g. all-company meetings, disease Awareness Days, etc.).

Qualifications:

• Four-year undergraduate degree (ex. BA, BS) required.
• 5+ years of progressive pharmaceutical/biotechnology experience.
• Experience in dermatology and/or allergy/immunology preferred.
• Proven track record of building trusting, meaningful relationships with patient advocacy organizations and patient communities.
• Demonstrated understanding of the drug development process, including application of patient insights to inform clinical, regulatory, and commercial decision-making.
• Strong understanding of legal, regulatory, and compliance best practices related to patient advocacy & engagement in the US and EMEA regions.
• Self-starter with a demonstrated ability to independently and effectively lead and influence others to drive cross-functional alignment.
• Able to prioritize tasks and successfully manage multiple projects in fast-moving, dynamic, small company environment.
• Interest and capacity to learn and understand Astria’s science.
• Outstanding interpersonal and organizational skills and excellent verbal and written communication skills are required.
• Sensitivity to diverse groups of individuals (both internal and external) with the ability to manage many different opinions and perspectives.
• Excellent collaboration skills with strong attention to detail and the ability to multi-task and manage complexity.
• Passionate, emotionally intelligent individual with the ability to build meaningful connections with internal and external stakeholders and drive change.
• Travel: 20% (domestic and international)

Astria’s Commitment:

At Astria, we are committed to building a diverse team where every Astrian endorses the idea that people bring their authentic self to work. We embrace a patient-first, people-always culture which strives to ensure all Astrians and our collaborators have a sense of belonging and receive the support they need to thrive. We invest in our people through our words, our actions, and our values. We are working to develop and implement initiatives that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the organization and foster a culture of openness, respect, and collaboration, where all voices are heard, and everyone is valued for their unique perspectives and contributions. ​

People are our greatest asset, and only with a diverse team can Astria shine brighter. Together we can bring our passion and compassion to the work of delivering life-changing therapies to patients, families, and communities.