External Affairs Lead, Southern African Network

At Roche you can show up as yourself, embraced for the unique qualities you bring. Our culture encourages personal expression, open dialogue, and genuine connections,  where you are valued, accepted and respected for who you are, allowing you to thrive both personally and professionally. This is how we aim to prevent, stop and cure diseases and ensure everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Join Roche, where every voice matters.

The Position

As the External Affairs Lead for the Southern African Network, you design and implement strategic stakeholder engagement plans that build sustainable partnerships, shape healthcare policy, and expand patient access to cutting-edge diagnostics across the region. You lead an impactful function, serving as a critical bridge between our scientific innovations and the public and private healthcare ecosystems.

Key Responsibilities:

- Drive Access & Stakeholder Engagement Strategy: Design and lead a comprehensive Stakeholder Engagement Strategy for Roche Southern Africa, ensuring alignment with our long-term African continent vision.
- Cultivate Strategic Networks: Map, develop, and maintain deep relationships with national and provincial governments, NGOs, public health organizations, and Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) to position our strategic diagnostic portfolios.
- Advocate for Systemic Change: Engage key decision-makers and build networks to provide evidence-based policy inputs, actively facilitating healthcare policy amendments that improve patient journeys.
- Co-Create Innovative Access Solutions: Partner with Healthcare Access and Quality & Regulatory (QARA) teams to analyze public and private healthcare environments, pilot innovative access solutions, and maps patient journeys.
- Empower and Lead Teams: Resource, mentor, and inspire a high-performing team, fostering an environment of continuous learning, strategic agility, and accountability.
- Ensure Compliance and Excellence: Champion full regulatory policy compliance and quality standards (including ISO 13485) by leveraging emerging policy models to accelerate product availability for patients.

Who You Are

You are a visionary, collaborative leader who thrives on building meaningful connections and navigating complex healthcare landscapes. You possess the strategic agility to transform challenges into healthcare access opportunities, backed by excellent communication and relationship-management skills.

Qualifications & Experience:
- Education: A University Degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant scientific, medical, or healthcare field (extensive professional experience in the field at a similar level will also be considered).
- Industry Track Record: Minimum of 10 years of experience in health sciences, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, or a related sector, with a proven track record across policy design, market access, and government affairs.
- Leadership Experience: At least 8 years of management experience, including a minimum of 3 years of direct people leadership and team development.
- Regional Landscape Knowledge: Broad understanding of the regulatory environment and healthcare systems across Southern Africa.
- Mobility: Ability to travel both nationally and internationally to engage with regional and global stakeholders.

Let’s build a workplace that prioritises your wellbeing.

Who we are

A healthier future drives us to innovate. Together, more than 100’000 employees across the globe are dedicated to advance science, ensuring everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Our efforts result in more than 26 million people treated with our medicines and over 30 billion tests conducted using our Diagnostics products. We empower each other to explore new possibilities, foster creativity, and keep our ambitions high, so we can deliver life-changing healthcare solutions that make a global impact.

Let’s build a healthier future, together.

Roche is an Equal Opportunity Employer.