Description

Product Communications Director, ViiV Healthcare

12 Month Fixed Term Contract

ViiV Healthcare is a global specialist HIV company, 100% focused on developing and delivering innovative medicines to treat and prevent HIV. With a broad portfolio of licensed medicines and a strong commitment to supporting communities affected by HIV, we are on a mission to leave no person living with HIV behind. We have dedicated ViiV Healthcare teams in 15 countries and operate in more than 50 countries around the world through GSK.

The Product Communications Director is responsible for leading internal and external communications to support ViiV's portfolio of medicines and to enable our global business success. The role acts as communications business partner to the SVP of Global Commercial Strategy and is a member of the Global Commercial Strategy Leadership Team. The role is accountable for creating and executing aligned strategic product communications plans, leading the Product Communications team, managing agencies and developing campaigns and engaging content related to disease awareness and key product milestones as well as issues management.

This is a senior level role requiring a high level of credibility, and strong interpersonal skills in supporting the implementation of internal and external communications initiatives. The role requires an ability to simultaneously manage complex, concurrent projects whilst identifying and focusing on key priorities given the breadth of the communications remit, and the unpredictable nature of day-to-day issues arising within a global business environment.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead the design, planning and delivery of internal and external strategic communications plans that support our innovative product portfolio, aligned to the overall commercial and medical strategy.
• Deliver strategic communications campaigns and engaging content (including approval and dissemination of press releases, statements, Q&A, social media posts etc) to support global communications activities and local markets to ensure consistent and successful implementation of the disease area / product communication strategy, facilitating adaptation and localisation where appropriate.
• Deliver appropriate internal communications activities to support the global product portfolio of products, ensuring a regular internal newsflow of product news and updates, engaging colleagues and building confidence in our competitive portfolio.
• Anticipate and prepare for product-related issues to enable rapid and appropriate response, including leading the development of proactive and reactive communications materials.
• Generate and leverage meaningful metrics and insights to inform our approach.
• Partner closely with communications colleagues across our local market network to support delivery of local communications plans in support of our product portfolio.
• Lead a small team of talented product communications colleagues and maintain efficient and effective working with our network of agency partners.
• Lead with agility and be able to adapt quickly to support the evolving business needs as required.

Why You

Basic Qualifications:

• Strong and recent experience working in pharmaceuticals or healthcare sector communications (in-house or agency), ideally with product communications experience in the HIV / infectious disease therapy area.
• Comprehensive understanding of the global regulatory environment and context, risks, challenges and opportunities, the broader healthcare environment.
• Strong business acumen and understanding of the commercial environment.
• Issues management expertise.
• Strong project management skills.
• Experience in delivering communications campaigns at global and country-level.
• Strong experience of leading the development, implementation and measurement of communications strategies and tactics that support commercial objectives.
• Track record of providing strategic communications counsel to senior leadership.
• Ability to build and maintain strong, effective relationships with stakeholders across different functions and across different cultures and countries.
• ViiV operates within highly regulated environment, therefore a clear understanding of the healthcare industry, including the relevant regulations and codes of conduct and how they govern communications, is essential.

Preferred Knowledge and Skills:

• Proven communications expertise and experience of developing, implementing and measuring external communications strategies and tactics that support commercial objectives within a large global organisation.
• Extensive experience of working in healthcare product communications, with marketed product communications experience.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills and ability to develop engaging content including narratives, presentations, speeches and video scripts for senior leaders.
• A strong understanding of the media and experience of media relations.
• A high level of credibility and strong interpersonal skills to be able to influence senior stakeholders within the business.
• Must enjoy working in a highly matrixed team and be comfortable managing ambiguity and multiple priorities and have the ability to prioritise workload in an unpredictable environment with high personal accountability.

Accountability:

• Accountable to Head of Global Communications.
• Will work closely with the Global Commercial Strategy and Product teams.
• Will need to maintain strong peer relationships with Commercial, HR, Communications, and business leaders across ViiV Healthcare.

Interested in Joining the Team?

Please apply via our online portal providing your CV and Cover Letter.
(Please take a personal copy of the Job Description, as this will not be available online post closure of the advert)

#LI-ViiV

Closing Date: 22nd December 2023

ViiV Healthcare is a company 100% focused on HIV that is majority owned by GSK, a global biopharma organization. As an employee of ViiV, you are part of a team united by a clear mission to leave no person living with HIV behind. Additionally, through our shareholder relationship with GSK, you have access to a range of shared benefits and career development opportunities.

At ViiV Healthcare, we will not rest until we leave no person living with HIV behind. Until the 38 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 diverse team and 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.

We believe in an agile working culture for all our roles. If flexibility is important to you, we encourage you to explore with our hiring team what the opportunities are.

Should you require any adjustments to our process to assist you in demonstrating your strengths and capabilities contact us on or Please note should your enquiry not relate to adjustments, we will not be able to support you through these channels

As you apply, we will ask you to share some personal information which is entirely voluntary. We want to have an opportunity to consider a diverse pool of qualified candidates and this information will assist us in meeting that objective and in understanding how well we are doing against our inclusion and diversity ambitions. We would really appreciate it if you could take a few moments to complete it. Rest assured, Hiring Managers do not have access to this information and we will treat your information confidentially.

Important notice to Employment businesses/ Agencies

ViiV Healthcare does not accept referrals from employment businesses and/or employment agencies in respect of the vacancies posted on this site. All employment businesses/agencies are required to contact ViiV Healthcare's commercial and general procurement/human resources department to obtain prior written authorization before referring any candidates to ViiV Healthcare. The obtaining of prior written authorization is a condition precedent to any agreement (verbal or written) between the employment business/ agency and ViiV Healthcare. In the absence of such written authorization being obtained any actions undertaken by the employment business/agency shall be deemed to have been performed without the consent or contractual agreement of ViiV Healthcare. ViiV Healthcare shall therefore not be liable for any fees arising from such actions or any fees arising from any referrals by employment businesses/agencies in respect of the vacancies posted on this site.