Associate Director, US Advocacy, Neuroscience

At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at jnj.com

As guided by Our Credo, Johnson & Johnson is responsible to our employees who work with us throughout the world.  We provide an inclusive work environment where each person is considered as an individual.  At Johnson & Johnson, we respect the diversity and dignity of our employees and recognize their merit.

Job Function:

Customer Management

Job Sub Function:

Patient Advocacy

Job Category:

Professional

All Job Posting Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, United States, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, Chicago, Illinois, United States, New City, New York, United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, Titusville, New Jersey, United States of America, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America

Job Description:

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine is recruiting for an Associate Director, US Advocacy, Neuroscience.

This is a field-based role available in all states within the United States. While specific cities are listed in the Locations section for reference, please note that they are examples only and do not limit your application. We invite candidates from any location to apply.

The  Associate Director, US Advocacy - Neuroscience will execute patient- and professional-facing advocacy, employer engagement, disease-state education, and market‑readiness initiatives for  Johnson & Johnson’s neuroscience portfolio. This role partners across Strategic Customer Group/Market Access, Commercial, US Policy, Scientific Affairs, Medical Affairs, Legal/Compliance, and external stakeholders (patients, caregivers, professional societies, and employers) to drive equitable, appropriate patient access, shape payer and public policy, and support successful commercial product launch and lifecycle execution.

Key responsibilities

• Strategy & Leadership

  • In partnership with the National Policy & Advocacy Director - Neuroscience, execute a cohesive US advocacy strategy for neuroscience therapeutic areas that advances patient access and supports market readiness for product launches and lifecycle activities.

  • Execute policy and payer advocacy initiatives specifically focused on improving access pathways for  the neuroscience portfolio medicines, coordinating cross-functional input and aligning on measurable objectives.

• Policy & Access Advocacy

  • Track, analyze, and proactively respond to relevant federal and state policy developments (e.g. Medicare, Medicaid, state formularies, parity laws, step therapy and prior authorization reforms) that affect access to the  neuroscience portfolio of medications.

  • Execute targeted advocacy campaigns to help shape access and reimbursement policies that improve timely, appropriate access to  neuroscience products.

  • Engage with SCG/market access and US Policy teams to help better inform advocacy coalitions about payer access and payment policies (e.g., coverage, access, reimbursement, prior authorization, parity requirements).

• Patient & Professional Advocacy

  • Cultivate and maintain partnerships with national and regional patient advocacy organizations, professional societies, clinician networks, and employer groups to elevate patient voice and clinical perspectives in policy discussions.

  • Support non-promotional disease-state education and patient empowerment programs that help patients, caregivers, employers, and HCPs navigate care and access challenges.

• Employer Engagement & Education

  • In partnership with US Advocacy Employer Engagement team, US Policy, and other internal TA subject matter experts, implement employer- and benefits-leader education programs on the clinical and economic impact of serious mental illness, evidence-based treatment pathways, and strategies to support workforce health and retention.

  • Support development of employer toolkits, webinars, and case studies highlighting access strategies and supportive benefit designs.

• Market Readiness & Launch Support

  • Partner with Market Access, Commercial, US Policy, Medical Affairs, and Scientific to craft coverage narratives, and evidence dissemination plans ahead of and during launches.

• Support advocation coalitions operationalize their patient access solutions (e.g., prior authorization templates, appeals playbooks, hub services coordination) and consider how best to measure their solutions’ impact on time-to-therapy and coverage outcomes.

• Cross-functional Collaboration & Compliance

  • Serve as the internal advocacy subject-matter expert for policy and access issues; ensure all external communications adhere to company policies and regulatory/compliance standards (non-promotional, patient privacy, disclosure requirements).

  • Coordinate with US Policy, Legal/Compliance, Regulatory/Medical and Public Affairs to ensure accuracy of messaging and appropriate handling of product-specific policy claims.

• Measurement & Reporting

  • Define success metrics, (e.g. policy wins, stakeholder engagement metrics) and report progress to senior leadership.

  • Monitor and communicate evolving landscape intelligence and recommend strategic pivots based on data and stakeholder feedback.

Required qualifications

• Minimum 3-5 years of professional experience in patient advocacy, payer engagement, market access, health policy, or related roles within biopharma, healthcare non-profits, payer organizations, or public policy institutions.

• Proven track record engaging with patient advocacy organizations, clinicians, payers, and/or employers.

• Working understanding of US payer landscape (commercial, Medicare, Medicaid), benefit design constructs, and state/federal policy levers that affect pharmaceutical access.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; experience presenting to senior leaders, payers, government officials, and external stakeholders.

• Strategic thinker with strong project management, coalition-building, and stakeholder engagement capabilities.

• Experience working cross-functionally in matrixed environments and navigating regulatory/compliance requirements for external communications.

Preferred qualifications

• Direct experience in neuroscience, psychiatry, behavioral health, or rare disease advocacy.

• Familiarity with therapeutic product launches and patient-support/hub service models.

• Experience with employer health benefit engagement or workforce mental health initiatives.

• Bachelor’s degree in public policy, public health, health sciences, social sciences, or related field.

• Experience executing successful policy and payer advocacy initiatives that resulted in measurable access improvements.

• Relationships with national and or regional patient advocacy organizations, professional societies, or payer policy decision-makers.

Core competencies

• Strategic advocacy & policy analysis

• Stakeholder mapping and coalition development

• Cross-functional collaboration and influencing

• Regulatory/compliance awareness for external communications

• High emotional intelligence and patient-centric mindset

Working conditions & travel

• Hybrid US-based role with periodic travel to meet with external stakeholders, attend advisory meetings, conferences, and policy briefings (up to 50%)

Johnson & Johnson is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by federal, state or local law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.
 

Johnson & Johnson is committed to providing an interview process that is inclusive of our applicants’ needs. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation, external applicants please contact us via https://www.jnj.com/contact-us/careers, internal employees contact AskGS to be directed to your accommodation resource.

Required Skills:

 

 

Preferred Skills:

Analytics Insights, Care Planning, Case Management, Confidentiality, Customer Support Operations, Customer Support Trends, Fact-Based Decision Making, Health-Medical Programs, Mentorship, Organizing, Patient Advocacy, Patient Care, Patient-Customer Experience, Program Management, Provider Environment, Risk Management, Tactical Planning, Technical Credibility

 

 

The anticipated base pay range for this position is :

$122,000.00 - $212,750.00

Additional Description for Pay Transparency:

Subject to the terms of their respective plans, employees are eligible to participate in the Company’s consolidated retirement plan (pension) and savings plan (401(k)).



This position is eligible to participate in the Company’s long-term incentive program.



Subject to the terms of their respective policies and date of hire, employees are eligible for the following time off benefits:

Vacation –120 hours per calendar year

Sick time - 40 hours per calendar year; for employees who reside in the State of Colorado –48 hours per calendar year; for employees who reside in the State of Washington –56 hours per calendar year

Holiday pay, including Floating Holidays –13 days per calendar year

Work, Personal and Family Time - up to 40 hours per calendar year

Parental Leave – 480 hours within one year of the birth/adoption/foster care of a child

Bereavement Leave – 240 hours for an immediate family member: 40 hours for an extended family member per calendar year

Caregiver Leave – 80 hours in a 52-week rolling period10 days

Volunteer Leave – 32 hours per calendar year

Military Spouse Time-Off – 80 hours per calendar year

For additional general information on Company benefits, please go to: - https://www.careers.jnj.com/employee-benefits

Global healthcare company spanning pharmaceuticals, medtech, and consumer health products. Headquartered in New Brunswick, NJ.

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