Are you interested in shaping the future of digital behavioral health?

Cognoa is a pediatric behavioral health company developing digital diagnostic and therapeutic products with the goals of enabling earlier and more equitable access to care and improving the lives and outcomes of children and families living with behavioral health conditions, starting with autism.

Digital medicine is a relatively new healthcare and business paradigm. Our team brings together experts in the fields of AI, technology, clinical drug development and commercialization. This new configuration of skills and experiences has led to exciting opportunities and has also generated unique and interesting challenges.

Our headquarters are located in Palo Alto, CA. All positions are hybrid with regional offices located throughout the United States.

This position is based in Washington, DC.

The position of Executive Director of Government Affairs & Policy at Cognoa will involve spearheading the company's public policy initiatives, providing strategic direction and leadership. The role, reporting to the SVP Commercial Operations, will be responsible for developing and implementing strategies, representing Cognoa in engagements with high-level policymakers and regulators, and advising the executive leadership team on key industry and company challenges and opportunities at the federal and state levels.

Located in Washington D.C., this role will collaborate closely with Cognoa's executive leadership, medical affairs, and communication teams to champion the company's federal and state advocacy and public policy efforts. The preferred candidate will work in conjunction with the Market Access, Legal and Regulatory, Medical Affairs, and Data Science departments to advance important company initiatives.

Their primary responsibility is to facilitate patient access to Cognoa's products and pipeline by promoting and implementing policies pertaining to federal public programs such as digital innovation, public health programs, and coverage policies for Medicare and Medicaid, among others. Additionally, they will engage with Members of Congress, state lawmakers, and regulators to educate them on the challenges faced by children with cognitive delays or behavioral health conditions and their families, in order to ensure that the Cognoa team is well-informed and equipped to address their needs.

The individual in this position will play a critical role in enhancing Cognoa's reputation and influence among policymakers by achieving key strategic objectives. This will involve leading the development of partnerships with relevant stakeholders in the policy arena and ensuring that the company is in compliance with all federal and state regulations related to lobbying, political contributions, and disclosure.

Qualifications

• BS or BA degree (MPH/MBA preferred).
• 15 + years of prior experience in government, government affairs, or policy role.
• Experience with Congressional Committees and/or federal agencies, state legislatures, governors and agencies with jurisdiction over healthcare is critical.
• Multiple years of experience working as a lobbyist that includes experience with strategy development and execution.
• Experience managing diverse vendors and consultants.
• Understanding of the approval, coverage and reimbursement processes for prescription diagnostics and therapeutics, and intellectual property laws applicable to digital product development and healthcare.
• Self-starter and team-player able to exercise significant discretion and independent strategic discernment.
• Strong verbal and written communication abilities, including experience with the use of PowerPoint and related tools to make effective presentations.
• Proven ability to build effective relationships with internal and external constituencies and work as part of a cross-functional team advocating on complex health policy issues.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills, with experience running multiple projects and deadlines effectively.
• Corporate experience in healthcare technology, biotechnology or pharmaceutical industries.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead the execution of Cognoa's short- and long-term strategy to elevate the company's credibility and influence among policymakers and regulators.
• Work cross-functionally to identify and develop a proactive public policy agenda and develop and execute alliance strategies designed to advance Cognoa's priorities.
• Engage with key lawmakers, regulators and staff to represent Cognoa and its commitments.
• Serve as a liaison with trade associations, coalitions and partnerships that represent the digital diagnostic and therapeutic industry and advocate for policies that seek to protect patients' access to SaMD innovations.
• Participate in committees, work groups and related activities to advocate for Cognoa priorities and leverage the work of these groups to support Cognoa's policy and advocacy activities.
• Demonstrate strong analytic and research skills, including a familiarity with legislative, regulatory and policy materials, as well as significant experience engaging in the health care policymaking process
• Ability to travel up to 50% domestically.
• Travel to the home office in Palo Alto, CA quarterly (or more frequently, as requested).

Cognoa is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee
organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.