Head of Corporate Affairs, AZ UK

ASTRAZENECA UK LIMITED; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading biopharmaceutical company in the UK seeks a Head of Corporate Affairs to shape enterprise corporate affairs strategy. The role involves leading senior engagements with NHS, government, and media, ensuring effective communication, and maintaining high ethical standards. Candidates should have extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry and a strong understanding of the NHS landscape.

Benefits

Diverse career opportunities

Impactful work in healthcare

Support for professional development

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in communications and/or corporate affairs.
• Extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry or highly regulated field.
• Strong understanding of ABPI Code and maintaining ethical high standards.

Responsibilities

• Ensure effective Corporate Affairs capability in AZUK.
• Lead engagements with NHS, government, and regulatory officials.
• Respond to major corporate issues impacting the organization.

Skills

Influencing policy making

Understanding of NHS landscape

Expertise in corporate communications

Ability to work cross-functionally

Team management experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Job description

Overview

Are you ready to lead and innovate in a dynamic environment? As the Head of Corporate Affairs, AZ UK, you will be a senior leader shaping our enterprise corporate affairs strategy. As a member of the AZUK Senior Leadership Team, and a key collaborator in the UK Government Affairs team, you will play a pivotal role at the intersection of business performance and public trust—ensuring an effective Corporate Affairs capability across AZUK while owning the most senior engagements with NHS, government, regulatory officials, and UK health media. In this role, you will lead AstraZeneca's response to and shaping of major corporate issues, translating therapy area challenges and opportunities into clear corporate affairs goals that accelerate business outcomes. You will ensure the AZUK narrative is relevant, understood, and consistently utilized across the business; uphold our commitment to producing high-quality health information for patients and the public; and keep the organization informed of critical national NHS changes to enable timely, strategic decision-making.

Accountabilities

• Ensure there is an effective Corporate Affairs capability in AZUK.
• Own the most senior engagements with senior NHS, government, and regulatory officials.
• Lead AstraZeneca in responding to and shaping major corporate issues.
• Translate therapy area challenges and opportunities into corporate affairs goals that drive business performance.
• Ensure the AZUK narrative is relevant, understood, and consistently utilized across the business.
• Uphold the organization’s commitment to the production of high-quality health information for patients and the general public.
• Keep the business informed of critical changes taking place in the NHS at a national level.
• Oversee relationships with UK media, with a focus on health specific media.
• Performance-manage senior Corporate Affairs professionals to ensure the function continues to operate smoothly.
• Offer appropriate training and development opportunities to build a pipeline of talented professionals capable of filling future vacancies.
• Support cross-functional efforts on a range of business agendas as an enterprise senior leadership team member.
• Lead trade body interactions, including through joint working with the Country President.
• Ensure all Corporate Affairs activity adheres to the ABPI Code of Practice.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
• Extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry or other highly regulated field.
• 10+ years’ experience in one or more areas of communications and/or corporate affairs.
• Proven ability to influence policy making, and strong understanding of NHS landscape.
• Understanding of media, especially new media including social networks.
• Expertise in one or more areas of internal or external corporate communications.Team management and leadership experience.
• Ability to work cross-functionally within a matrix organization.
• Ability to work with senior executive team members.
• Strong understanding of ABPI Code and proven ability to maintain ethical high standards.

Desired Skills and Experience

• Experience of working within the healthcare system, government, or media role.
• Strong understanding of access to medicines policies and trends.
• Strong network of national policy, media, and NHS contacts.
• Proven ability to manage crisis communications.

Benefits

AstraZeneca offers an environment where you can thrive on energy and pace, contributing to life-saving medicines that shape the future. With an expanding Biopharmaceuticals pipeline, we share learnings as we bring products to market together. Here, you can build a diverse career with opportunities to switch lanes easily, all while making a meaningful impact on patients' lives. At AstraZeneca, we believe in the potential of our people, and we’ll develop you beyond what you thought possible.

Our Mission

• Accelerating the position of the UK as a global centre of excellence in life sciences.
• Redefining healthcare through fast and equitable access to the most effective medicines, high quality care.
• Delivering balanced leadership that prioritises healthy people, society and planet.

Location

Our head office in Pancras Square offers us the strongest possible platform to transform the lives of patients, as the country's leading biopharmaceutical company. It brings AstraZeneca UK closer to our customers, partners and collaborators in the UK's healthcare environment, as well as develop greater collaboration with the wider AstraZeneca footprint. Ready to make a difference? Apply now to join AstraZeneca's journey in shaping the future of healthcare!