Head of Diagnostics Communications

Job content

The Position

Head of Diagnostics Communications

The Role

This is a Senior Executive Leadership position reporting to the Head of Roche Group Communications and acting as the Communications Business Partner to the CEO of the Roche Diagnostics Division. This critical position has a global scope, leading a team of around 90 communications professionals around the world.

This position includes the overall responsibility for the strategic leadership of the Communications function of the Roche Diagnostics Division - the world’s largest diagnostics company. You will be a member of the Communications Leadership Team and the Diagnostics Leadership Team.

Diagnostics Communications is the largest Communications function within Group Communications. Together with the Diagnostics Communications Leadership team, you will utilise your extensive leadership, business and communications experience to shape communications activities across the Diagnostic Division, driving and informing the communications strategy of the Roche Group and its Affiliates.

The Organisation

As the global leader in diagnostics (circa 37,000 employees and CHF17bn revenue), we develop and integrate diagnostic solutions that address the challenges of today and anticipate the needs of tomorrow. In more than 100 countries, we offer the industry’s most comprehensive in vitro diagnostics solutions, covering molecular diagnostics, clinical chemistry and immunoassays, tissue diagnostics, point of care testing, patient self-testing, next-generation sequencing, and laboratory automation and IT, and decision support solutions.

Our Group Communications (GC) organisation is responsible for creating and maintaining a lasting positive reputation of Roche and is representing the company’s voice on a Group level. We communicate about Roche’s strategy, its products and how we deliver on our purpose of “Doing now what patients need next” to Roche colleagues and external audiences. We drive integrated and global campaigns, content about our products and provide platforms for our stakeholders as well as affiliates to engage with audiences. We contribute to building trust of key stakeholders, to managing Roche’s brand and reputation and to building a favourable environment for our business. We aspire to be: innovative; forward-looking; creative; courageous; representing a strong, integrated corporate brand and audience experience. We work in a diverse environment where people can thrive, learn new skills, create great things and have fun together.

Our communications North Star is ambitious and simple: We inspire the world about Roche’s contribution to peoples’ health.

Key Responsibilities

• As a member of the Communications Leadership Team (CLT) and in partnership with your CLT colleagues, you have a shared leadership responsibility and accountability for the development and implementation of the Roche Communications strategy, campaigns and tactics
• Provide strategic leadership to the Global Diagnostics Communications function, responsible for the global communications strategy for the Diagnostics organisation
• Bring your deep communications expertise and extensive experience as a senior executive to enhance and elevate the senior leadership teams you are a part of and lead
• As a member of the Diagnostics Leadership Team, you have a shared leadership responsibility and accountability for the Diagnostics division whilst acting as a strategic partner to senior executives, leading on critical enterprise matters and activities relating to Diagnostics communications.
• With the Diagnostics Communication team, Diagnostics leaders and other stakeholders, you will develop, shape and implement impactful communications strategies that engage internal and external audiences around our purpose, strategy and impact on healthcare
• Ensures Roche, Diagnostics and the Diagnostics Leadership Team are flawlessly represented in all functional communications strategies, plans and messaging/communications.
• Accountable for Diagnostics communications for all continents where Diagnostics has operations.
  
  

Who you are

• You have demonstrated that your experience and impact as a leader and communicator will enable you to be successful in leading a large global communications team of 90 people in a large, industry-leading matrixed organisation
• An experienced communicator with breadth and depth of expertise and a seasoned people leader and leader of leaders
• Servant and creative senior executive leader, motivated by our shared purpose, providing vision, inspiration and catalyzing the organization to deliver communications excellence and value.
• Ability to coach a team of high performing employees, enabling performance that delivers collective value beyond their individual contributions.
• Able to build and lead diverse teams, develop talent and create a culture that is transparent and values-driven to accelerate the personal growth of employees
• Able to build trusted relationships through authenticity, accountability, and respect
• Actively role model and enable the Roche Leadership Commitment and Roche Operating Principles throughout your organisation
• Demonstrated global and cross-functional leadership through effective influencing, collaboration and cultural awareness both internally and externally
• Demonstrated innovative, forward-thinking and strategic agility to build a vision for the organization
• Solution-driven and courageous; empowering decision maker
  
  

Candidate Profile

You have a university degree as well as significant experience in strategic communications in a fast paced environment. You possess excellent interpersonal skills and are comfortable working in a matrixed and multicultural environment. Additionally you bring the following skills and competencies:

• 10+ years of experience in communication preferably gained in the healthcare, diagnostics or related industry, or PR agency experience supporting diagnostics or other healthcare clients
• 5 or more years’ leadership experience as a people leader. Experience leading other leaders preferred
• Experience in a variety of communications disciplines such as public affairs, media relations, issues management and product communications
• International or global work experience
• Demonstrates abilities to develop and manage large-scale global communications strategies, plans, activities and teams
• Outstanding strategic agility: outstanding grasp of the healthcare industry and regularly applies such to create robust and innovative strategies
• Outstanding consulting skills: active listening skills, ability to extract and quickly process key information, summarise key needs or interests of internal customers, and provide targeted and appropriate insights and recommendations
• Excellent executive impact: Ability to present with integrity and presence as a spokesperson, communicator, mediator and presenter
• Excellent change management skills and a proven track record of effectively driving organisational transformation and innovation
• Outstanding interpersonal & partnering skills: proven track record of building strong and sustainable relationships with internal and external partners/stakeholders and experience working effectively in a networked, matrix environment
• Track record of presenting to and coaching senior company executives/audiences and contributing to influencing their decision-making
• Fluency in English (verbal and written); German an advantage
  
  

Roche embraces diversity and equal opportunity in a serious way. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

We also embrace diversity in leadership styles and are convinced that diversity in culture, academic background, gender and ethnicity are a catalyst for success and innovation.

Roche is an equal opportunity employer.

Who we are

At Roche, more than 100,000 people across 100 countries are pushing back the frontiers of healthcare. Working together, we’ve become one of the world’s leading research-focused healthcare groups. Our success is built on innovation, curiosity and diversity.

Basel is the headquarters of the Roche Group and one of its most important centres of pharmaceutical research. Over 10,700 employees from over 100 countries come together at our Basel/Kaiseraugst site, which is one of Roche`s largest sites. Read more.

Besides extensive development and training opportunities, we offer flexible working options, 18 weeks of maternity leave and 10 weeks of gender independent partnership leave. Our employees also benefit from multiple services on site such as child-care facilities, medical services, restaurants and cafeterias, as well as various employee events.

We believe in the power of diversity and inclusion, and strive to identify and create opportunities that enable all people to bring their unique selves to Roche.

Roche is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Job Level:

Executive (SVP/GM)