EAC Lead

Job Description

This role will be based in Kenya

The difference between potential and achievement lies in the spark that fuels innovation and inventiveness; this is the space where our Company has codified its 125-year legacy. Our Company's success is backed by ethical integrity, forward momentum, and an inspiring mission to achieve new milestones in global healthcare.

Reporting directly to the MD, the EAC Lead be responsible for oversight and leadership of all commercial business in EAC, including marketing and sales, compliance, policy, professional relations, and medical/scientific affairs and market access.

Responsibilities include market planning to ensure that commercial/marketing strategy, tactics and infrastructure are in place to successfully achieve Sales, new product launches, operating plans and critical milestones. In addition, you will work closely with multiple cross-functional team members, locally and regionally. You have P&L responsibility and will be a member of the Senior leadership team for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Our Marketing team are passionate about bringing our medicines and vaccines to our customers around the world. Through digital listening and patient analytics, we are able to understand our customers’ needs and strive to provide solutions to meet them.

MAJOR ACTIVITIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead for EAC Countries:

• Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Burundi, Eretria

HPV Public Access

• Drive volume  upside through maximising VCR in existing NIPs
• Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda
• Conclude new NIPs
• South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea
• G9 program transition

HPV Private Market Activation

• Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia

Oncology Expanded Access

• Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia

Transform

• Develop imaginative, broad based and non-traditional approaches to develop business opportunities using a customer driven, end-to-end approach. Flex and adapt rapidly to new situations and continually seek for new opportunities
• Evaluate alternatives, have the constitution for change, and the skills to drive it.
• Drive change and generate new ideas. Encourage others to generate ideas.

Inspire and Develop

• Engage, motivate and inspire his/her organization (marketing, sales and support functions).
• Set direction for the business and align the team to enthusiastically execute on strategy.
• Demonstrate ability to lead and influence people and team who are not reporting directly to him/her.
• Attract, retain and develop strong and diverse talents inclusive of succession planning.

Collaborate

• Liaise and build strong rapport with the local, regional and global organization by integrating the broader organization’s expertise and know-how into the operations and take guidance effectively from and contribute to corporate knowledge resources.
• Collaborate extensively and successfully with peers, cross-Business Unit resources, Regional and HQ colleagues.

Qualifications Skills & Experience Required

EXPERIENCE

• Preferably at least 10 years’ experience within the pharmaceutical
• Leadership of an operating business unit, strong experience managing /driving budget/ resources and profitability
• Experience within Vaccines and/or HIV/ Oncology / Hospital Acute Care
• Preferably Market Access and/or Tender Management
• Commercial launch experience and life cycle management
• Experience in negotiations with Networks and/or commercial channel management
• Successful and diversified experience in Marketing and Sales as well People Management.
• Experience working within the above-mentioned countries is required.

EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s degree required, advanced degree preferred.

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

• External Market Analysis and Impact
• Networking
• Strategic Thinking & Planning
• Marketing Communication
• Financial Acumen
• Customer Relationship Management
• Project Management
• Cross-Functional Capability - Held leadership roles in and/or managed multiple functions, successfully acquiring the appropriate breadth/depth of expertise. Shows strong working knowledge of all functional areas (e.g. supply chain, sales, medical, regulatory affairs, compliance, legal and public relations) in order to provide input into decisions and influence internal stakeholders on issues of common interaction.
• Leveraged and sponsored support functions (including HR, IT, Finance, etc.) while delivering the business
• Field Force Effectiveness Management – Shows solid understanding of strategies, tools, processes and methods that optimize field force effectiveness with a view of maximizing field force capabilities. Manages the interpretation/assessment of market research and business analytics data with a view of further driving brand performance.  Interacts with other sales support groups such as sales training in order to optimize field force selling and coaching skills.
• Leading Self or Others and Department - Assumes overall leadership responsibilities in managing the sales and marketing groups both from a head office and field force perspective. Is considered the role model in developing strong Talents and providing direction to more junior product managers. Executes in conjunction with regional/sales managers in order to meet/exceed operating plan milestones. Drives performance standards, administers the performance management process and utilizes the results as a basis for establishing specific objectives. Recruits talent and gains consensus for hiring. Drives departmental direction through personal efforts through influencing, leveraging, or leading others.

BEHAVIOURALCOMPETENCIES

• Business Acumen
• Hiring and Staffing
• Ethics and Integrity
• Directing others – Energize and inspire others to higher levels of effort and performance. Is good at establishing clear directions; sets stretching objectives; distributes the workload appropriately; lays out work in a well-planned and organized manner; maintains two-way dialogue with others on work and results; brings out the best in people; is a clear communicator.
• Innovation Management – Is good at bringing the creative ideas of others to market; has good judgment about which creative ideas and suggestions will work; has a sense about managing the creative process of others; can facilitate effective brainstorming; can project how potential ideas may play out in the marketplace. Make and own difficult, timely, market leading decisions, even amidst significant uncertainty.
• Organizational Position – has organizational savy; can explain headquarters’ actions to in-country staff; teaches in-country staff and headquarters about each other’s perspectives; knows when to stop on a battle; is an outstanding communicator; works the informal network well; never misses an opportunity to explain or sell a position.

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing diverse, talented, and committed people together. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when diverse ideas come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

Employee Status:

Relocation:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Job Posting End Date:06/24/2024

A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Requisition ID:R296952