The posting
Who we are:
Burson, part of WPP, is the global communications leader built to create value for clients through reputation. With highly specialized teams, industry-leading technologies and breakthrough creative, we help brands and businesses redefine reputation as a competitive advantage so they can lead today and into the future. When you work at Burson, you are part of a global community of lifelong learners who thrive at the edge of innovation.
WPP (LSE/NYSE: WPP) is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit WPP.com
For more information visit bursonglobal.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.
More about the role:
Burson is seeking a Senior Vice President, Health Policy and Public Affairs, to lead one of the agency's most strategically important global healthcare accounts.
This role serves as the senior strategic counselor to client leadership across a portfolio of marketed and pipeline therapies in neurology and rare disease. The EVP will lead multidisciplinary teams responsible for patient advocacy engagement, access and reimbursement policy, stakeholder mobilization, executive visibility, corporate reputation and issues management.
The successful candidate will possess deep healthcare public affairs expertise, exceptional stakeholder engagement experience, and a strong understanding of the evolving policy, regulatory, reimbursement and market access environment impacting innovative medicines globally.
This leader will work at the intersection of science, policy, patient need and reputation, helping shape conversations among patient organizations, professional societies, policymakers, healthcare providers, caregivers and advocacy stakeholders while ensuring communications and engagement strategies support both long-term corporate reputation objectives and product-related priorities.
The ideal candidate combines the strategic instincts of a public affairs leader, the stakeholder expertise of a patient advocacy professional, and the business acumen of a senior agency executive. They are equally comfortable discussing healthcare policy with government stakeholders, scientific innovation with medical leaders, reputation strategy with the C-suite and patient priorities with advocacy organizations.
Most importantly, they understand how policy, science, access, patient advocacy and reputation intersect, and can help global healthcare organizations navigate that complexity to create meaningful impact for patients, caregivers and society.
This Hybrid role is ideally based in New York and Washington DC.
What you'll do:
Strategic Client Leadership
- Serve as senior strategic counselor to global and regional client leadership teams.
- Lead integrated public affairs, corporate reputation and stakeholder engagement programs across neurology and rare disease portfolios.
- Shape strategic communications approaches that connect policy, patient advocacy, access and reputation objectives into a cohesive narrative.
- Develop executive-level recommendations informed by evolving healthcare, political, reimbursement and regulatory environments.
- Act as the primary escalation point for complex business, reputation and policy challenges.
Public Affairs, Policy & Access Leadership
- Lead policy and advocacy strategies addressing market access, affordability, reimbursement and healthcare system priorities.
- Counsel clients on emerging U.S., European and global policy developments affecting innovative medicines.
- Monitor and advise on pricing, reimbursement and trade-related policy developments, including initiatives such as Most Favored Nation (MFN) pricing models, international reference pricing and healthcare cost-containment efforts.
- Translate complex policy developments into impactful engagement and communications strategies.
- Partner with policy experts, economists and scientific leaders to develop evidence-based advocacy initiatives.
Patient Advocacy & Stakeholder Relations
- Build and strengthen relationships with patient organizations, advocacy coalitions, caregivers, healthcare professional associations and disease community leaders.
- Design and implement engagement strategies that elevate patient perspectives throughout the disease lifecycle.
- Identify opportunities for trusted partnerships that advance awareness, access, education and health outcomes.
- Guide stakeholder mapping and influence strategies across advocacy, policy and medical communities.
- Ensure patient-centered engagement approaches are integrated across all programs.
Neurology & Rare Disease Expertise
- Provide strategic counsel across brain health, neuroscience and rare disease areas.
- Help clients advance a more integrated and holistic view of brain health that addresses patient outcomes, access, caregiver needs, public awareness and policy considerations.
- Develop reputation and thought leadership platforms supporting both established therapies and future innovation.
- Counsel clients on scientific milestones, breakthrough therapies, disease awareness efforts and emerging healthcare trends.
- Support launch readiness and lifecycle communications for pipeline and marketed assets.
Issues & Reputation Management
- Lead proactive reputation management and complex issues preparedness initiatives.
- Develop risk assessments, scenario planning exercises and stakeholder response frameworks.
- Counsel executives during periods of heightened scrutiny involving pricing, access, clinical development, regulatory matters or public policy debates.
- Ensure consistency of corporate and product-related narratives across stakeholder groups and geographies.
- Protect and strengthen organizational reputation during critical moments.
Regulatory & Commercialization Strategy
- Advise clients throughout the therapy development lifecycle, including:
- Clinical development and trial communications
- Regulatory milestones
- FDA and global regulatory approval processes
- Launch readiness
- Market access preparation
- Lifecycle management
- Partner with scientific, medical and market access teams to connect innovation stories with stakeholder priorities and policy realities.
Business Leadership & Team Development
- Lead and inspire cross-functional account teams across multiple markets.
- Drive account growth through expansion opportunities and strategic advisory services.
- Contribute to new business efforts across the health and public affairs sectors.
- Mentor and develop senior talent while fostering a collaborative and inclusive culture.
- Strengthen Burson's intellectual capital across healthcare public affairs, patient advocacy and reputation management.
Experience that contributes to success:
- 15+ years of experience in healthcare public affairs, policy, corporate communications, government affairs, market access, advocacy or related disciplines.
- Significant experience counseling pharmaceutical, biotechnology or healthcare clients on complex public affairs and reputation issues.
- Demonstrated expertise in neurology, neuroscience, rare disease, specialty pharmaceutical or adjacent therapeutic areas.
- Deep understanding of healthcare policy, pricing, reimbursement and access environments in the United States and internationally.
- Experience developing and executing stakeholder engagement strategies involving patient advocacy organizations, healthcare professional associations, policymakers and caregiver communities.
- Strong familiarity with FDA approval pathways, clinical trial communications and pharmaceutical commercialization strategies.
- Proven experience supporting both marketed products and clinical-stage pipeline assets.
- Knowledge of European and/or global healthcare policy environments and stakeholder ecosystems.
- Exceptional executive presence and ability to counsel C-suite and senior healthcare leaders.
- Experience leading large, multi-market client engagements and cross-functional teams.
- Demonstrated success managing complex reputation and issues management situations.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working within global pharmaceutical companies, healthcare trade associations, public affairs consultancies or communications agencies.
- Understanding of rare disease and neurological policy frameworks within key international markets.
- Familiarity with health technology assessment (HTA), reimbursement decision-making and payer environments.
- Experience engaging with organizations such as patient advocacy coalitions, specialty medical societies, health policy organizations and caregiver networks.
- Exposure to global market access, international pricing policy and cross-border regulatory considerations.
Burson is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.
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Individual compensation varies based on job-related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications. We offer a competitive benefits package; click here for more details: https://mybenefits.wpp.com/public/welcome.
The base salary for this position at the time of this posting may range between:
$125,000—$295,000 USD
You belong at Burson:
Our vision is for Burson to be the leading ‘academy company’ for creative communications professionals and emerging leaders. We provide a dynamic environment where ambitious colleagues come to elevate their skills, expand their networks, and ultimately, produce the best solutions for today’s leading brands. Our commitment to your growth is reflected in our robust benefits and people programs, which include professional development opportunities, mentorship programs with industry leaders, a vibrant and inclusive company culture fostering collaboration and innovation and packages designed to reward and retain top talent. We invest in our people because we believe their success is our success.
At Burson, we’re an agency of learn-it-alls. We recognize that the things we do best, creativity and communications, require a level of nuanced understanding. That’s why it’s imperative for us to hire extraordinarily talented people of all backgrounds and identities. Without that we can’t do the essential work of inspiring bold ideas, fostering constructive dialogue, cultivating meaningful experiences, and driving innovation and creativity for our partners. Your unique point of view—your talent—is what makes you a #BursonPerson, and it’s how we deliver exceptional results for our clients, together.
We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.
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