The Senior Manager, KOL & External Engagement Strategy is responsible for developing and executing a coordinated approach to key opinion leader (KOL) engagement, voice-of-customer (VOC) insights, advisory panels, speaker programs, webinars, and advocacy initiatives across clinical areas. The role reports into Marketing Excellence and Marketing Communications and serves as a critical connector between external stakeholders and internal teams.

This position partners closely with Product Management, Upstream Marketing (New Product Development), Medical Affairs, Clinical Affairs, Government Affairs, and Marketing Communications to ensure external insights and engagements are aligned, compliant, and effectively translated into strategy, evidence generation, and execution.

Key Responsibilities:

KOL Strategy & Relationship Management

• Develop and execute a comprehensive KOL engagement strategy across clinical areas, aligned to business, medical, and innovation priorities.
• Identify, segment, and prioritize KOLs and influencers based on clinical expertise, influence, advocacy impact, and geographic relevance.
• Build and maintain long-term, compliant relationships with KOLs in close partnership with Medical Affairs.

Voice of Customer (VOC) & Advisory Engagement

• Design, implement, and manage VOC programs, including advisory boards, panels, interviews, and qualitative research initiatives.
• Synthesize VOC insights into clear, actionable recommendations for Product Management, Upstream Marketing (NPD), and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Ensure VOC activities are structured, repeatable, and embedded into annual planning and lifecycle management processes.

Speaker Programs & Webinar Coordination

• Plan and manage speaker programs in collaboration with Medical Affairs and Marketing Communications, ensuring alignment with educational and strategic objectives.
• Coordinate external webinars and virtual events, including speaker selection, content alignment, logistics, and post-event insights capture.
• Partner with Marketing Communications to ensure consistent messaging, branding, and audience engagement across channels.

Advocacy & External Partnerships

• Support advocacy strategies in collaboration with Government Affairs and Medical Affairs, including engagement with patient advocacy groups, professional societies, and external organizations.
• Track advocacy and policy trends impacting relevant clinical areas and share insights with internal stakeholders.
• Ensure advocacy activities align with broader clinical, medical, and commercial priorities.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as a central liaison across Product Management, Upstream Marketing (NPD), Medical Affairs, Clinical Affairs, Government Affairs, and Marketing Communications.
• Bring the external perspective into product strategy, clinical development, and evidence-generation discussions.
• Coordinate timelines, deliverables, and inputs across functions to ensure cohesive execution.

Governance, Compliance & Best Practices

• Ensure all external engagement activities comply with internal policies, legal, regulatory, and industry guidelines.
• Establish and continuously improve best practices, tools, and templates to drive consistency, quality, and efficiency across KOL, VOC, speaker, and advisory activities.

Qualifications & Experience

• 8–12 years of experience in healthcare, life sciences, medical devices, diagnostics, or pharmaceuticals.
• Demonstrated experience managing KOL engagement, advisory boards, speaker programs, VOC initiatives, or external events.
• Strong understanding of how to partner effectively with Medical Affairs, Clinical Affairs, and commercial teams in a matrixed organization.
• Excellent communication, synthesis, and stakeholder management skills.
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (MBA, MPH, MS, PhD) preferred.

Success in This Role Looks Like

• Strong, compliant KOL and external stakeholder relationships
• High-quality VOC and advisory insights that influence product, clinical, and advocacy decisions
• Well-executed speaker programs and webinars that drive education and engagement
• Clear alignment across Marketing Excellence, Marketing Communications, and cross-functional partners