Director Medical Affairs

About Johnson & Johnson

At Johnson & Johnson, the focus is on health innovation to prevent, treat, and cure complex diseases, develop smarter and less invasive treatments, and provide personal solutions. With expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, the company aims to deliver breakthroughs that impact human health. Johnson & Johnson is committed to its employees, fostering an inclusive work environment that respects diversity and recognizes individual merit.

Role Overview

Johnson & Johnson is seeking a Director Medical Affairs KSA to join the team in Riyadh. This full-time role requires 0-1 years of experience and involves leading the strategic development and execution of Medical Affairs plans. The Director will ensure alignment with regional and global frameworks to enhance product lifecycles, improve patient outcomes, and drive market growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic development and execution of Medical Affairs plans, aligning with regional and global frameworks to enhance product lifecycles, improve patient outcomes, and drive market growth.
• Establish relationships with regulatory agencies, develop talent pipelines, and foster cross-functional collaboration to support strategic business objectives within a dynamic and matrix-driven environment.
• Develop and execute a strategy to ensure local Medical Affairs activities align with regional strategy and global guidance, improving product value and patient well-being.
• Manage the design and implementation of Medical Affairs programs, including identifying critical paths, developing budgets, and tracking all projects.
• Oversee Medical Affairs strategic plans, including data publication, developing science-based interactions with Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), providing medical support for marketing activities (pre-launch, launch, post-launch), and offering cross-departmental support to functions like Market Access & Government Affairs and Communications.
• Balance short-term regional results with long-term strategic choices and use insights to shape the regional agenda.
• Continuously assess systems and processes to identify opportunities for harmonization, simplification, and efficiency.
• Represent Johnson & Johnson externally in the medical affairs domain, forming effective relationships with regulatory agencies, businesses, media, and customers.
• Drive successful execution of key regulatory events, including compliance audits and implementing new or changed requirements.
• Build new relationships with governmental and regulatory agencies, engaging with governments to create joint partnerships for clinical trials and data generation projects.
• Establish strong, collaborative relationships with other Johnson & Johnson leaders, particularly across functions, to leverage capabilities for business needs.
• Lead in a highly matrix environment, collaborating and influencing peers to find mutually beneficial solutions.
• Act as the voice of the market to regional leaders, understanding and appreciating market uniqueness.
• Lead a high-performance team and sustain an impactful culture, holding talent accountable for short-term delivery while preparing the organization for the future.
• Acquire and develop talent to strengthen the future talent pipeline across all leadership levels to support market growth and business needs.
• Cascade the Medical Affairs Strategy for the future, supporting enterprise strategic direction.
• Engage and motivate the team to support a plan to achieve the business vision by driving ownership and accountability throughout the organization.
• Translate global Medical Affairs strategy into local execution, fostering a culture that pursues innovation and new market opportunities while ensuring alignment with the enterprise.

Qualifications and Experience

• Experience working within multinational companies, especially in Emerging Markets, with adherence to high levels of compliance.
• Professional experience from the pharmaceutical business environment at the regional level.
• Strong leadership skills, with the ability to structure and develop a team, retain motivation, and infuse spirit relevant to the company culture, vision, and business strategy.
• Positive attitude towards change and the ability to challenge the status quo.
• Excellent communication skills (oral, business writing, presenting, and listening).
• Proficient English knowledge (spoken and written); native local speaker is a plus.
• Pragmatism, availability, diplomatic, listening, and relationship skills with strong analytical, communication, decision-making, and leadership skills, along with perseverance and project management capability.
• Ability to navigate and produce results in a global, matrix organization, demonstrating strong cross-departmental support and an interdisciplinary approach.
• Ability to lead through volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), particularly in emerging markets.

Work Type

This is a full-time position based in Riyadh.

Application

Candidates interested in this role are encouraged to apply.