ViiV Healthcare (GSK) Global Patient Engagement Director, Research & Development in Durham

ViiV Healthcare is a global specialty HIV company, the only one that is 100% focused on researching and delivering new medicines for people living with, and those who can benefit from PrEP. ViiV is highly mission-driven in our unrelenting commitment to being a trusted partner for all people living with and affected by HIV. Our aim is to think, act, and connect differently through a focus on HIV prevention, treatment and cure. We go to extraordinary lengths to deliver the sorts of breakthroughs, both in treatments, care solutions and communities, that really count. We go beyond the boundaries of medicine by taking a holistic approach to HIV through developing and supporting sustainable community programs and improving access to care. We are fully committed to push through every challenge until HIV is eradicated. ViiV has played a significant part in delivering breakthroughs that have turned HIV into a manageable health condition. We offer the largest portfolio of HIV medicines available anywhere, and we continue our work to cater for the widest possible range of needs in response to the HIV epidemic. We are aware of how much is at stake for those living with and affected by HIV and we show up every day 100% committed to people living with HIV and those who can benefit from PrEP. Our work culture is fast-paced, diverse, inclusive, competitive, and caring. But ViiV isn’t just somewhere to work – it’s a place to belong, an invitation to bring your very best, and a team full of impact-driven team members who are hungry to make a difference. While we have been improving lives of people living with HIV for 30 years, this is an especially exciting time to be at ViiV, as we evaluate novel approaches to treatment, prevention and cure that could further reduce the impact of HIV on individuals and communities.

The Global Patient Engagement Director – R&D leads the development and execution of ViiV Healthcare’s patient engagement strategy in support of Research and Development, ensuring that patient and community voices, experiences and priorities systematically shape R&D strategy, drug development, study design and decision-making. The role acts as a critical bridge between ViiV’s global patient engagement and R&D, enabling meaningful two-way dialogue with patients and communities. It ensures that their insights, needs and preferences shape research priorities and medicine development, while communicating ViiV’s research agenda clearly and transparently. The role is responsible for coordinating, translating and embedding patient and community insights across the medicine lifecycle, from drug discovery and clinical development, through evidence generation, access, uptake and long-term patient outcomes.

Working in partnership with patients, community organisations, advocacy leaders, patient facing healthcare professionals, researchers and internal stakeholders, the Director drives an insight-to-action approach that informs strategy, strengthens patient-centred innovation and advances ViiV’s mission to leave no person living with HIV behind. As the R&D patient engagement lead, the role works in close partnership with Research and Development and the Global Patient Engagement Director, while also collaborating across External Affairs, Medical Affairs, Commercial Market Access and Government Affairs to ensure patient and community perspectives shape strategy, priorities and decisions across the medicine lifecycle. The Director champions meaningful engagement, fosters trusted community partnerships, builds organisational capability in patient-centricity, and demonstrates the impact of patient engagement on R&D strategy, and clinical development and patient and community outcomes. The role reports to the Head of Patient Engagement, in the Communications and Government Affairs (CGA) Division, and provides strategic matrix leadership across global, R&D regional and local cross-functional teams.

This opportunity is based at our U.S. headquarters in Durham, NC. Please note that relocation support is not available for this role. This role will provide YOU the opportunity to lead key activities to progress YOUR career. These responsibilities include some of the following:

• R&D Patient Engagement Strategy & Leadership: Develop and execute R&D’s Patient Engagement strategy, aligned to ViiV’s global patient engagement vision and business objectives, ensuring that patient and community priorities inform the discovery and development of medicines and deliver outcomes that matter to patients. Ensure patient and community insights inform R&D priorities and decision-making, while R&D needs and learning inform global patient engagement priorities, frameworks and capability development. Foster a patient-centric culture by connecting internal stakeholders with the experiences and needs of people living with HIV and communities affected by HIV.
• Insight Generation & Translation: Co-design, plan and coordinate patient and community insight-generating activities with patient and community partners, LOC engagement leads, R&D and cross-functional partners. Ensure these activities have shared objectives and inform the R&D patient engagement strategy, R&D decision-making, clinical development programmes, and study design and execution. Translate insights into actionable recommendations that inform strategy, evidence generation, communications, access initiatives and patient-centred innovation. Identify emerging trends, unmet needs and barriers affecting patient outcomes across diverse healthcare systems and ensure these inform R&D planning and decision-making, trial design, and drug development.
• Community & External Partnerships: Develop and maintain trusted, strategic relationships with patient organisations, advocacy groups, community leaders and other external stakeholders across the HIV ecosystem to inform patient engagement strategy, strengthen community trust and ensure research priorities reflect patient and community needs. Advance meaningful engagement and co-creation with communities to strengthen understanding, trust, relevance and impact. Represent ViiV at external meetings, conferences and community forums, championing patient-centred approaches and partnership.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Support incorporation of patient insights into clinical development, evidence generation, scientific communication, access strategies and patient support initiatives. Provide strategic leadership and expert advice to cross-functional teams, ensuring patient and community perspectives are effectively integrated into business decisions, organisational priorities and initiatives across the medicine lifecycle.
• Patient Engagement Excellence & Impact: Co-define with patient and community partners, establish and monitor R&D patient engagement processes, objectives, measures and outcomes. Capture and share insights, outcomes and best practices across Global and LOC-specific initiatives to support learning, consistency and continuous improvement across ViiV’s R&D patient engagement model. Ensure all activities are conducted in compliance with legal, regulatory and corporate requirements.

Basic Qualifications: We are looking for professionals with these required skills to achieve our goals: Bachelor’s degree & 10+ years in patient engagement, patient advocacy, community partnerships, public health, and healthcare, including community-based OR lived experience. Experience supporting patient input across research, development, evidence generation, access, policy, external engagement OR commercialization activities. Experience working with Research and Development, Medical Affairs, Field Medical, clinical development, evidence generation or scientific engagement teams, with experience translating medical and scientific context into patient-centred strategy and engagement. Experience with HIV prevention and treatment landscapes and therapeutic areas. Experience working with patient organisations, advocacy groups and community stakeholders. Experience translating patient and community insights into recommendations and business actions. Leadership experience within matrix organisations. Experience developing and implementing strategic plans and execution. Experience with healthcare environments and issues affecting people living with HIV and communities impacted by HIV.

Preferred Qualification: If you have the following characteristics, it would be a plus: Excellent communication, facilitation and relationship-building skills. Experience leading cross-functional initiatives across regional, multi-country or local market environments. Demonstrated ability to build trusted partnerships that strengthen community trust, mutual accountability and patient-centred outcomes. Experience measuring and demonstrating the impact of patient engagement initiatives.

This role is based in Durham, NC and offers a hybrid working model, combining onsite presence with remote work flexibility.

At ViiV Healthcare, we will not rest until we leave no person living with HIV behind. Until the 40 million people living with HIV is down to zero, we will continue searching for new ways to limit the impact of HIV. We are the only pharmaceutical company solely focused on combating, preventing, and ultimately eradicating HIV and AIDS. At ViiV Healthcare, we do things differently. Born out of a partnership between GSK and Pfizer in 2009, with Shionogi joining in 2012, we are determined to help end the HIV epidemic. We are guided by our mission to leave no person living with HIV behind and it is this mission that unites our employees located across the globe. We combine expertise in research, manufacturing, policy and more to push the boundaries of what people think is possible in HIV treatment and care. As a result of our connection with GSK, we are able to draw on their proud history and resources. This means that you would receive all the employee benefits offered by GSK. Living our mission of leaving no person living with HIV behind means keeping inclusion and diversity at the heart of everything we do - from our breakthrough innovation, to our diverse portfolio of medicines as well as the work we do to partner with HIV communities. Having a truly inclusive culture where we’re all able to be ourselves and feel like we belong will make us an even stronger team, better able to perform as a business and deliver on our mission to leave no person living with HIV behind.