Senior Director, U.S. Public Affairs

Location: Boston, MA, or remote from the Washington, D.C. area
Employment Type: Full-time
Travel: Approximately 20%, based on business needs

The Opportunity

A commercial-stage biopharmaceutical organization is seeking a Senior Director, U.S. Public Affairs to serve as the company's senior U.S. leader across public policy, government affairs, and strategic external engagement.

This individual will effectively lead the organization's U.S. Public Affairs and Government Affairs function, shaping policy strategy, influencing the external healthcare environment, and ensuring that legislative, regulatory, reimbursement, and political developments are incorporated into enterprise decision-making.

As a trusted advisor to senior leadership, the Senior Director will anticipate emerging risks and opportunities, translate complex policy developments into clear business implications, and develop advocacy strategies that advance patient access, support scientific innovation, protect portfolio value, and enable sustainable growth. The successful candidate will also lead and develop the U.S. Public Affairs team while strengthening the company's credibility and influence across the U.S. healthcare policy community.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Public Affairs Strategy and Executive Counsel

• Develop and lead an integrated U.S. Public Affairs strategy aligned with enterprise priorities, portfolio and pipeline plans, launch objectives, and long-term growth goals.
• Establish clear priorities, accountabilities, operating processes, and measures of impact for the Public Affairs function.
• Serve as a senior advisor to U.S. leadership on healthcare policy, political dynamics, and legislative, regulatory, and reimbursement developments.
• Translate complex external developments into concise business implications, strategic recommendations, and decision-ready action plans.
• Anticipate emerging policy risks and opportunities and develop proactive strategies that support patient access, protect portfolio value, and advance business objectives.
• Ensure policy considerations are incorporated early into asset strategy, business development assessments, launch readiness, lifecycle planning, and enterprise risk discussions.
• Provide timely counsel during significant policy, political, regulatory, or reputational developments.
• Prepare senior leaders for engagement with policymakers, regulators, industry organizations, and other priority stakeholders.

Public Policy and Government Affairs

• Lead the development and execution of the company's U.S. public policy and government affairs strategy at the federal and state levels.
• Define organizational positions on priority healthcare policy matters affecting biopharmaceutical innovation, patient access, coding, coverage, reimbursement, drug pricing, and the development and commercialization of medicines.
• Develop advocacy strategies that promote a policy environment supportive of patient access, scientific innovation, and sustainable business growth.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with policymakers, regulators, legislative staff, trade associations, coalitions, policy organizations, and other healthcare stakeholders.
• Represent the organization in relevant external forums, including industry coalitions, trade associations, policy conferences, and stakeholder meetings.
• Oversee the development of policy briefs, position statements, comment letters, issue analyses, executive updates, legislative impact assessments, and advocacy materials.
• Monitor and interpret federal and state legislative, regulatory, reimbursement, and political developments, distinguishing high-priority issues from broader environmental activity.
• Establish effective processes for policy intelligence, issue prioritization, escalation, decision-making, and coordinated execution.
• Provide strategic oversight to external consultants, advisors, contract lobbyists, and government affairs partners.
• Partner closely with Legal and Compliance to ensure that all government affairs and advocacy activities are conducted in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and company policies.

Strategic External Engagement

• Develop an integrated stakeholder-engagement strategy aligned with patient, policy, portfolio, and business objectives.
• Build strategic relationships with healthcare policy experts, patient and professional organizations, medical societies, think tanks, nonprofits, industry groups, and other influential stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities to develop strategic coalitions and participate in multi-stakeholder initiatives.
• Pursue responsible thought-leadership opportunities that elevate the company's voice and expertise in priority policy areas.
• Develop stakeholder maps, engagement plans, executive briefing materials, and additional resources that support coordinated external engagement.
• Partner with Patient Advocacy and Communications to clarify stakeholder ownership, align messaging, and present a coordinated external presence.
• Evaluate partnerships and memberships based on strategic relevance, potential impact, resource requirements, and alignment with enterprise priorities.

Functional Leadership and Cross-Functional Partnership

• Lead, coach, and develop the U.S. Public Affairs team, fostering a culture of strategic thinking, collaboration, inclusion, accountability, and high performance.
• Define the function's operating model, responsibilities, capabilities, and ways of working to support the evolving needs of the U.S. business.
• Establish the annual Public Affairs plan, budget, resource model, and performance objectives.
• Allocate internal and external resources toward policy matters and opportunities with the greatest potential impact on patients and the business.
• Build strong operating relationships and clear governance across Market Access, Patient Advocacy, Communications, Legal, Compliance, Regulatory Affairs, Medical Affairs, Commercial, Corporate Strategy, Business Development, Finance, and other relevant functions.
• Partner with Market Access to align policy and reimbursement strategies while maintaining clear functional ownership.
• Collaborate with Communications on policy messaging, thought leadership, executive positioning, issues preparedness, and coordinated internal and external responses.
• Ensure patient perspectives appropriately inform policy priorities and stakeholder-engagement strategies through close partnership with Patient Advocacy.
• Support alignment between U.S. policy priorities and relevant global positions while representing the distinct needs of the U.S. business and healthcare environment.
• Promote a consistent enterprise-wide understanding of priority policy issues, their potential business implications, and the organization's response strategies.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in public policy, health policy, political science, government, public health, law, economics, or a related discipline.
• At least 12 years of progressively responsible experience in U.S. public affairs, healthcare policy, government affairs, reimbursement policy, or a related field.
• Significant experience within the biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, government, trade association, consulting, or health-policy environment.
• Deep understanding of the U.S. healthcare system and federal and state legislative, regulatory, coverage, reimbursement, and political processes.
• Demonstrated success developing and executing high-impact policy or advocacy strategies aligned with business and patient priorities.
• Experience engaging with federal agencies, Congress, state policymakers, trade associations, coalitions, and other healthcare stakeholders.
• Ability to translate complex policy developments into clear business implications and actionable recommendations.
• Experience advising senior executives on policy, political, reimbursement, or external-environment matters.
• Experience leading teams and complex cross-functional initiatives within a matrixed organization.
• Experience managing external consultants, advocacy partners, trade-association engagement, or government affairs resources.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree such as an M.P.P., M.P.H., J.D., M.B.A., or another relevant qualification.
• Experience supporting specialty medicines, oncology, neurology, rare disease, or other complex therapeutic areas.
• Experience integrating policy strategy into product development, launch planning, market access, lifecycle management, or business development.
• Experience building, expanding, or evolving a Public Affairs, public policy, or government affairs function within a growing organization.
• Established credibility and relationships within the U.S. healthcare policy community.

Leadership Profile

The successful candidate will bring:

• Enterprise perspective: The ability to connect policy and political developments with patient needs, portfolio strategy, access, reputation, and long-term business priorities.
• Strategic judgment: The ability to identify the issues that matter most and direct resources toward the highest-impact opportunities.
• Executive presence: Confidence and credibility when engaging senior leaders, policymakers, regulators, industry peers, and external stakeholders.
• Policy expertise: Sophisticated understanding of healthcare policy and the ability to convert technical developments into practical recommendations.
• Influence and collaboration: A track record of building alignment across functions with different priorities and accountabilities.
• External leadership: The ability to build trusted relationships and represent the company as a credible, constructive, and patient-focused partner.
• People leadership: Experience attracting, developing, coaching, and retaining high-performing talent.
• Communication excellence: Exceptional written, verbal, presentation, negotiation, and stakeholder-management capabilities.
• Agility and integrity: Sound judgment and the ability to operate responsibly within dynamic political, regulatory, legal, and reputational environments.