Description : 

The Director, Patient Advocacy will lead and grow DBV Technologies’ patient advocacy program, building on an established foundation in allergy and immunology. Reporting to the Vice President, Corporate Affairs, this leader will deepen relationships with patient organizations, strengthen the patient voice in company decisions, and build the grassroots and regional advocacy capabilities the company will need as it scales.

The Director is accountable for running the program in full compliance with industry codes and healthcare laws, and partners closely with the Senior Director, U.S. Policy & Government Affairs so patient advocacy and policy strategy reinforce one another. This is a hands-on leadership role: the Director sets strategy, builds infrastructure, and executes. This position is critical for DBV as it prepares for potential regulatory review and commercial launch of its first product, the VIASKIN Peanut Patch for children 4-7 years with a peanut allergy

Location : Warren, New Jersey - 3 days on site OR Washington, D.C. (remote). Expected travel 25-40%

Salary Range : $180-215k

Key Responsibilities : 

1. Patient Advocacy Strategy & Program Leadership

• Develop and execute a multi-year patient advocacy strategy aligned to corporate objectives, pipeline and launch milestones, and therapeutic area priorities in allergy and immunology.

• Evolve the existing program: assess current partnerships, activities, and outcomes, and prioritize where to deepen and expand efforts.

• Establish a clear framework and metrics for measuring the impact of advocacy activity, and report progress to the VP, Corporate Affairs and executive leadership.

• Serve as the internal voice of the patient community, translating patient insights into input for medical, clinical, and commercial teams in a compliant manner.

2. Patient Organization & Coalition Engagement

• Build and maintain trusted, long-term relationships with patient advocacy organizations, coalitions, and medical societies, including leaders in allergy and immunology.

• Maintain stakeholder mapping, engagement plans, and outreach tracking to ensure consistent, measurable relationship management.

• Represent the company at patient community events, conferences, and advisory forums, and prepare executives for external patient engagements.

• Identify emerging and underserved patient communities and recommend where the company should invest as the pipeline grows.

3. Grassroots & Regional Capability Build-Out

• Design and build a scalable grassroots advocacy infrastructure, including advocate recruitment, training, and engagement pathways, that grows with the company.

• Develop a regional advocacy model, including regional partnerships and state and local patient networks, in coordination with the Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs, Senior Director, U.S. Policy & Government Affairs and state policy advisors.

• Evaluate and deploy advocacy platforms and tools for advocate management, outreach, and reporting.

• Plan and execute advocacy programs such as Hill days and fly-ins, policy forums, advocacy summits, and conference activations with external partners and internal teams.

• Define the staffing, vendor, and budget plan needed to scale the program, and build the team over time.

4. Compliance & Governance

• Build and manage the Patient Advisory Board (PAB) to ensure the patient voice is integrated into DBV’s business initiatives.

• Own the compliance framework for patient advocacy, ensuring all activity adheres to applicable laws, industry codes, and company policy, including the Anti-Kickback Statute, OIG guidance, the PhRMA Code on Interactions with Health Care Professionals, the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (Open Payments), FDA promotional requirements, and applicable state laws.

• Maintain firm separation between advocacy activity and commercial, sales, and promotional functions, and ensure patient organization funding decisions are made on objective, documented criteria.

• Partner with Legal and Compliance on written agreements, funding disclosures, transparency reporting, speaker and advisor engagements, and training for internal teams.

• Maintain audit-ready documentation, internal controls, and timely escalation of potential compliance issues.

5. Sponsorships, Grants & Budget Management

• Own the annual corporate patient advocacy sponsorship and support calendar: identify strategic opportunities, coordinate internal reviews, manage approvals, and track deliverables.

• Oversee sponsorship agreements, statements of work, and related contracts in partnership with Legal, Compliance, and Finance.

• Own the patient advocacy budget, including forecasting, vendor and agency spend, and post-event reporting, with administrative and purchasing support from Finance or program coordinators.

• Manage external agencies, consultants, and advocacy platform vendors, including scopes of work and performance.

6. Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner with Medical Affairs, Clinical Operations, Regulatory Affairs, Market Access, Communications, and other Corporate Affairs functions to align advocacy activity with company strategy and communications.

• Align with the Senior Director, U.S. Policy & Government Affairs on shared priorities, patient testimony, and coordinated stakeholder engagement.

• Provide executive briefings, talking points, and presentations for patient-facing engagements.

Qualifications : 

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree required (Public Health, Communications, Public Policy, Life Sciences, or related). Advanced degree preferred.

• 10+ years of progressive experience in patient advocacy, government affairs, or public policy, with at least 5 years in biotech or pharma.

• Demonstrated experience building or scaling a patient advocacy program, including partnerships with patient organizations.

• Working knowledge of compliance requirements governing industry interactions with patient organizations, and a track record of operating within them.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to brief senior leaders and represent the company externally.

• Ability to manage multiple projects independently, with precision, in a fast-moving, matrixed environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in allergy, immunology, rare disease, or pediatric patient communities.

• Experience building grassroots, regional, or state-level advocacy networks.

• Experience in a small to mid-sized biotech, ideally through a commercial launch.

• Familiarity with advocacy platforms and CRM or stakeholder tracking tools.

• Experience managing agencies, sponsorship budgets, and grant or funding compliance processes.

• Prior people management experience.

Behavioral skills : 

• Curiosity: Keep on exploring uncharted territories. Always ask “why?” and more importantly “why not?”,

• Courage: Take smart risks, mentor each other to always do better & be accountable for our choices, our opinions, and our actions,

• Collaboration: Teamwork and spirit. Support each other and be equally involved in the achievement of our common goals,

• Credibility: Be transparent, follow through and build trust. Educate ourselves about our unique technology.

• Builder Mindset: Takes an existing program and scales it with structure, process, and ambition.

  • Trusted Relationship Builder: Credible, empathetic, and responsive with patient communities and partners.

  • Compliance Discipline: Holds a high standard on industry codes and healthcare law and knows what to escalate.

  • Strategic Execution: Connects advocacy activity to business and policy priorities and delivers without slipping.

  • Executive-Ready Communication: Crisp materials, strong meeting preparation, and clear follow-up.

  • Judgment & Discretion: Handles sensitive patient and stakeholder matters with care.