Corporate Public Affairs Lead

Roche; Welwyn; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Roche UK seeks a senior Public Affairs professional to shape corporate policy, engage with policymakers, thinktanks and patient groups, and drive access improvements across the UK pharma landscape. You will lead strategic interactions and oversee external partnerships to align Roche's narrative with business goals.

The role requires exceptional written and oral communication, deep knowledge of UK healthcare policy, and the ability to operate in a compliance-led environment, working on strategic

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in public affairs within pharma or government.
• Proven track record influencing policy and engaging with government officials.
• Strong knowledge of UK healthcare policy and current affairs.
• Excellent relationship-building with Westminster and Whitehall.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a matrix organisation.
• Excellent written and oral communication, analytical.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to Roche UK's Corporate Public Affairs strategy to align portfolio goals.
• Monitor policy developments at national and international levels affecting Roche's portfolio.
• Leverage senior external networks to identify opportunities and articulate Roche's value.
• Coordinate briefings and meetings for Roche UK's leadership, incl. country visits.
• Lead trade body interactions and support senior leadership ahead of political forums.
• Engage with politicians, policymakers, thinktanks and patient groups.
• Coordinate responses to Government consultations to shape policy positions.
• Advise internal teams and shape strategic decisions.
• Craft persuasive external communications for external stakeholders.

Skills

Public affairs experience

Policy influence

UK healthcare policy

Stakeholder engagement

Government relations

Strategic thinking

Communication skills

Job description

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

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

Are you passionate about influencing policy, building partnerships, and driving meaningful access improvements in healthcare? Come and join our growing Public Affairs team, where we continuously analyse and influence how legislation, regulation, and the political environment impact communities and the pharmaceutical industry. Together, we aim to ensure UK patients have the best access to medicines in Europe.

At Roche UK, we focus our energy and investment in developing tests and treatments that change lives and give us more quality time with the people we love. And, together with others, we’re solving healthcare’s greatest challenges; helping to achieve better results by connecting early diagnosis to targeted treatment and ongoing support.

A key component to our success is our continual focus on the individuals who are affected by the conditions that Roche focuses on, now and in the future. The Public Affairs team is responsible for how Roche shows up with communities of people with lived experience, and the government bodies, policies and systems that shape our environment.

Your Opportunity to Make a Difference

2026/27 will be a year of unprecedented importance for the Roche UK Public Affairs function. With a rapidly evolving political and operational environment, shaped by evolving transatlantic and domestic policy agendas, Corporate Public Affairs will play a decisive and business-critical role in influencing and shaping the external environment to meet Roche UK’s goal of reaching twice as many patients by 2030.

In this role, you will utilise your profound understanding of the UK political system and healthcare policy landscape to identify, shape and execute Roche UK’s Corporate Public Affairs strategy with priority stakeholders. This is a senior, highly visible role that will require a proactive approach to corporate engagement, as well as the ability to manage agency and partner activity.

What You’ll Do:

• Proactively contribute to our enterprise Corporate Public Affairs strategy, synergising therapy area challenges and opportunities into portfolio-wide goals that accelerate business outcomes.

• Monitor and analyse the impact of national and, where required, international policy developments on Roche’s in-line portfolio and future pipeline, including, but not limited to, MFN, VPAG and NICE processes.

• Utilise your network of senior external stakeholders to proactively identify Corporate Public Affairs opportunities to articulate Roche’s value proposition clearly and persuasively.

• Support the Head of Public Affairs in co-ordinating briefing requests and meetings for Roche UK’s senior leadership team, including country visits from Global colleagues, ensuring deployment of a consistent and impactful corporate narrative.

• Lead trade body interactions, including deputising for the Head of Public Affairs in supporting the UK General Manager with briefings and strategic advice as required ahead of senior political forum meetings.

• Regularly lead strategic interactions with politicians, policymakers, thinktanks and patient groups aligned with Roche UK’s Corporate Public Affairs strategy.

• Coordinate responses to Government consultations to articulate policy positions which support Roche’s strategic objectives.

• Act as an internal champion for the Public Affairs team, supporting initiatives to improve understanding and awareness of policy and corporate affairs work.

• Use your persuasive writing skills to craft compelling arguments and proposals to utilise with external stakeholders.

• Apply your strategic insight to achieve long-term goals with professionalism and tact.

• Provide advisory support to internal teams, driving strategic direction and decision‑making.

What You’ll Bring:

• Substantive experience in public affairs within a similar commercial organisation or central Government, with a solid understanding of the policy and access issues facing the UK’s pharmaceutical industry.

• A strong track record of influencing policy developments and successfully engaging with government officials and policymakers on major corporate issues that drive business performance.

• Exceptional knowledge of current affairs pertinent to healthcare and the UK political system, including a solid grounding in UK political processes.

• Exceptional relationship-building capabilities with a strong pre-existing network across Westminster and Whitehall.

• Experience in working collaboratively and solving challenges affecting patients and the healthcare ecosystem, translating business needs and priorities into policy positions.

• Proven ability to effectively manage change, work under pressure, and align decisions with strategic priorities.

• Proven ability to work cross-functionally within a matrix organisation as a self-starter.

• Strong project management skills and proven ability to manage and prioritise multiple competing priorities in a timely manner. Ability to work effectively with agency partners and successfully track and manage associated spend.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills, highly analytical and capable of communicating complex information clearly both inside and outside of our organisation.

• Proven ability to operate within a compliance‑led regulatory environment.

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.

The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees, and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of Roche Products Ltd. At Roche Products we believe diversity drives innovation and we are committed to building a diverse and flexible working environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion or belief, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, disability or age. We recognise the importance of flexible working and will review all applicants’ requests with care. At Roche difference is valued and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer where you are encouraged to bring your whole self to work.