Country Head Medical Affairs

**Summary**:
The Country Medical Affairs Head is the lead country medical representative, responsible for adopting and executing the near
- and long-term medical strategy coming from Global/International, forging bold strategic partnership with the healthcare communities and governmental entities. Manage and develop the overall performance of the medical unit in country. Drive best-in-class launch preparedness and launch execution (incl. ensuring precision medicine availability at launch and overcoming local data gaps for HA Submission - when applicable) As a core member of the South African IM Leadership Team this person is accountable for the creation of the functional medical strategy for the country and ensures its execution, by leading all clinical and medical aspects of in-country activities and all associated resourcing and performance aspects.

**About the Role**:
**Major accountabilities**:
**Strategy and Strategic **advice**:

- Raises country medical and clinical interests into global and regional strategy and prelaunch planning, starting at DDP by providing timely and strategic feedback to GPTs. This shapes the development program earlier and ensures IDPs include integrated (Integrated Evidence Plans [IEPs]), diverse data available at launch to support own local reimbursement and clinical implementation.
- In line with the evolving healthcare ecosystem, proactively and strategically builds and strengthens partnerships beyond the traditional healthcare professionals and organizations. Identifies opportunities for joint value creation deploying new engagement models of broader reach.
- Oversees that all local studies are developed and timely executed based on country evidence gaps. Accountable to ensure adherence to all governance, compliance, quality, and safety measures in accordance with local standards in implementation. Ensures effective communication plans in place for external stakeholder education and advocacy.
- Ensures Implementation Science plans in place early and holistically to systematically shape health policy and practice guidelines converging clinical innovations and treatments into better standards of care via better disease management. Depth of insight and understanding of local Healthcare ecosystem and contextual system challenges to ensure early reimbursement and patient adherence.
- Establishes a clinical excellence and treat to target mindset across the healthcare system through medical education activities including preceptorships, clinical excellence collaborations (e.g. heart failure or breast cancer clinics) and continuous medical education-style events.
- Role models ethical standards and contribute proactively to a credible image for Novartis in the country. Represent Novartis at key external governmental, scientific, clinical and medical events to educate, advocate and support innovation and evidence-based research.

**Stakeholder **Engagement**:

- Engages with key patient associations, academic societies, patients, payers and reimbursement bodies as well as the relevant healthcare systems, to harness opportunities and share ownership in transforming the clinical practice with optimal access and better outcomes for real world patients.
- Builds and facilitates close cross-functional equal partner collaboration with key internal stakeholders, co-creating and leading where necessary. Function as the key medical interface to Country President, Value & Access, TA Heads and BE&E Heads or similar position, GDD representatives, Public Affairs, and compliance teams as well as related Regional teams. In partnership with country Regulatory Affairs, develops and manages long-term relationships with local Regulatory agencies and relevant medical societies.
- Reactively supports HCP requests for deep clinical and scientific discussion around our therapy areas and products at all stages of the product lifecycle.
- Ensures BeSure approval for events/materials/initiatives used by the commercial, medical, access and TMO organization. Collaborates to upgrade capability of investigators, Ethics Committees etc.

**Capability Building and Internal** A**lignment**:

- Encourages earlier (starting at DDP) initiation of innovative integrated evidence generation strategies, novel research activities, and local collaborative and impactful partnership engagements. Supports utility of RWE innovative study designs and exploratory trials (where applicable) across TAs to accelerate patient access; oversight of Managed Access Programs (MAPs), IITs etc.
- In close collaboration with Global Drug Development (GDD), cultivates strategic and effective co-creation and collaboration plans, for allocation and execution of clinical trials within the country, as necessary. Incorporates local portfolio prioritization to shape GDD trial strategies and resource allocation. (only applicable for key markets).
- Encourages utility of more innovative digital technologies for more meaningful and impactful engagemen