Oncology Business Unit Director Saudi

Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp; Saudi Arabia; On-site; SAR 300,000 - 400,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading pharmaceutical company is seeking an Oncology Business Unit Director in Saudi Arabia. This strategic role involves overseeing the Oncology portfolio, achieving budget targets, and collaborating with various teams. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in healthcare ecosystems, experience with oncologists, and at least six years in people management. This position requires fluency in both English and Arabic, alongside strong business and strategic planning skills.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in Saudi healthcare ecosystem.
• At least 6 years of people management experience.
• Oncology experience and credibility with oncologists.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Oncology portfolio in Saudi Arabia.
• Accountable for achieving annual budget targets.
• Collaborate with global, regional, and local teams.

Skills

Fluency in English and Arabic

Leadership ability

Strong Business Acumen

Strategic planning

Customer Relationship Management

Financial analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree in Life Science/Pharmacy or MBA

Job description

Role Summary

Reporting to the Managing Director for Saudi Arabia, the Oncology Business Unit Director will lead the strategic and operational oversight of OUR COMPANY’S’s Oncology portfolio in Saudi Arabia. This role carries full P&L responsibility and is accountable for driving market access, commercial excellence, and patient‑centric initiatives. The position requires strong collaboration with global, regional, and local teams and active participation in the Saudi leadership team.

Business strategy and execution

• Create and manage strong commercial strategy and execution and achieving annual budget targets, in a highly strategic and competitive therapeutic area.
• Accountable for allocated P&L in terms of sales, and financial planning.
• Achieve targets by prioritizing strong financial performance and successfully delivering on operational commitments including top line revenue growth, market share improvement and increased profits.
• Develop imaginative, broad‑based and non‑traditional approaches to develop Oncology business opportunities using a customer driven, end‑to‑end approach. Flex and adapt rapidly to new situations and continually seek new opportunities.
• Evaluate alternatives, drive change and generate new ideas. Encourage others to generate ideas.
• Lead business initiatives with external stakeholders (Market Access, Business Development, and Policy).
• Develop strategic brand plans and be responsible for category marketing strategy and designing long‑term vision for brands.

Team Leadership

• Serve as a member of the Saudi Arabia Leadership team, role model OUR COMPANY’S’s Ways of Working.
• Engage, motivate and inspire his/her organization (marketing, sales, cross‑functional team members and support functions).
• Set direction for the business and align the team to enthusiastically execute on Oncology strategy.
• Demonstrate ability to lead and influence people and team who are not reporting directly to him/her.

Talent Management and Development

• Attract, retain and develop strong and diverse talents.
• Coach and develop team members creating meaningful developmental assignments and opportunities inclusive of succession planning.
• Foster a high performance psychologically safe culture within the team, managing high performance and addressing underperformance.

Internal and external representation

• Liaise and build strong rapport with the regional 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‑BU resources and regional colleagues.
• Represent OUR COMPANY to external stakeholders promoting OUR COMPANY as a patent centric and preferred partner.
• Build OUR COMPANY’S brand image by engaging with key stakeholders.

Qualifications & experience

• Bachelor’s degree required, advanced degree in Life Science/ Pharmacy Graduate. MBA is preferred.
• Proven experience in Saudi healthcare ecosystem enabling immediate navigation of MOH, NUPCO, clusters, and Vision 2030 expectations is a priority.
• Oncology experience &credibility with oncologists, societies, and internal medical teams.
• Fluency in English and Arabic, spoken and written is a must.
• At least 6 years of people management experience.

Critical Experience

• Leadership of an operating business unit, strong experience managing /driving budget/ resources and profitability.
• Stabilizing the org post‑transition, retaining talent, driving execution.
• Lifecycle management Significant experience in various stages of the product lifecycle (from launch to retirement). (Managing LOEs, line extensions, SC transitions, portfolio sequencing).
• Experience in negotiation of drug approval process, with strong pricing and market access knowledge.
• Successful and diverse experience in Marketing, Sales and People Management.
• Experience communicating internally and externally as Voice of a Region, Brand or Business Unit.
• Experience of engagement with health authorities.

COMPETENCIES

• Strategic agility, thinking and planning.
• Strong Business and Financial Acumen.
• External Market Insights Analysis and Impact.
• Customer Relationship Management.
• Working with cross functional teams.
• Experience of operating in a matrix organization.
• Proven ability in coaching and developing others, and ideally leading both sales and marketing teams.

Behavioral competencies

• High Ethics and Integrity - consistent with our company’s policies and values.
• Strong leadership presence.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Ability to work under stringent timelines in the most effective and efficient manner.
• Strong leadership in managing complex challenges and organizational change.
• Strong focus on diversity & inclusion.

Required Skills

Accountability, Business Decisions, Business Initiatives, Business Strategies, Commercial Excellence, Communication, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Data-Driven Decision Making, Financial Analysis, Management Process, Marketing Strategies, People Management, Product Management, Strategic Planning, Talent Management.