Strategic Government Affairs Leader

Medtronic plc; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A global healthcare company is seeking a Strategic Government Affairs Leader based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The successful candidate will be responsible for developing and executing robust government engagement strategies aligned with corporate goals and Saudi Vision 2030. Key responsibilities include advisory to senior leadership, stakeholder engagement, and navigating regulatory frameworks. Ideal candidates will have extensive experience in public policy and strong relationship management skills. Bilingual proficiency in Arabic and English is required.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Flexible benefits package

Short-term incentive plan

Qualifications

• 7–12 years of experience in government affairs or public policy.
• Proven experience engaging with regulatory authorities.
• Strong familiarity with Saudi Vision 2030 programs.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a government engagement strategy.
• Build relationships with high-level stakeholders.
• Advise senior leadership on government-related issues.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Government affairs strategy

Regulatory compliance

Bilingual in Arabic and English

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy, Political Science, Law, or Business

Master’s degree

Job description

Strategic Government Affairs Leader page is loaded## Strategic Government Affairs Leaderlocations: Riyadh, Riyadh, Saudi Arabiatime type: Full timeposted on: Posted Todayjob requisition id: R56935At Medtronic you can begin a life-long career of exploration and innovation, while helping champion healthcare access and equity for all. You’ll lead with purpose, breaking down barriers to innovation in a more connected, compassionate world.# **A Day in the Life**At Medtronic you can begin a life-long career of exploration and innovation, while helping champion healthcare access and equity for all. You’ll lead with purpose, breaking down barriers to innovation in a more connected, compassionate world. As a Strategic Government Affairs Manager, you will be responsible for shaping, leading, and executing the company’s government engagement strategy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This role ensures proactive alignment with national priorities, regulatory developments, Vision 2030 initiatives, and key decision-maker expectations across ministries, authorities, and public sector stakeholders. The role functions as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on the political, legislative, and policy environment impacting the business. This flexible role reports to the Head of Middle East and requires willingness to travel up to 30–40%, mainly within Saudi Arabia due to regional healthcare clusters.**Responsibilities may include the following and other duties may be assigned:****Government & Regulatory Strategy*** Develop and execute a comprehensive government engagement strategy aligned with corporate objectives and Saudi Vision 2030, while monitoring regulatory, legislative, and policy developments across key ministries (e.g., Ministry of Health **(MOH)**, Saudi Food and Drug Authority **(SFDA)**, Ministry of Industry **(MIM)**, Ministry of Investment **(MISA)**, National Unified Procurement Company **(NUPCO)**) and advising leadership on risks, opportunities, and policy shifts**Stakeholder Engagement & Representation*** Build and maintain strong relationships with high-level stakeholders—including ministers, regulators, advisors, and government-affiliated institutions—while representing the company in official meetings and forums and coordinating executive-level engagements and advocacy messaging**Policy Advocacy, Regulation & Compliance*** Shape and influence policy positions on key industry topics by leading white papers, position statements, and policy recommendations, partnering with legal and compliance teams to navigate Saudi regulatory requirements, support approvals and licensing, and ensure organizational understanding of public sector governance and decision-making processes**Public Sector Enablement & Political Intelligence*** Enable public sector business opportunities by collaborating with commercial teams on tenders and government programs, providing political and regulatory intelligence to support forecasting, risk mitigation, stakeholder mapping, and strategic decision-making**Internal Leadership & Cross-Functional Governance*** Advise senior leadership on governmental matters while leading internal government affairs governance, including executive briefings, dashboards, messaging, crisis management, and serving as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia subject-matter expert on government-related topics**Required Knowledge and Experience:*** Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy, Political Science, Law, Business, or a related field; a Master’s degree is preferred* 7–12 years of experience in government affairs, public policy, regulatory strategy, or public sector relations within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia* Proven experience engaging with ministries, regulatory authorities, and government-owned health or economic entities* Strong familiarity with Saudi Vision 2030 programs and national transformation initiatives.* Deep understanding of Saudi regulatory, political, and legislative processes* Exceptional relationship-building, communication, negotiation, and stakeholder influence skills at senior levels* Strong strategic thinking, issue management, and problem-solving capabilities, with fluency in both Arabic and English (written and verbal)**Physical Job Requirements** The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this position, but they are not an exhaustive list of all the required responsibilities and skills of this position.# **Benefits & Compensation****Medtronic offers a competitive Salary and flexible Benefits Package** A commitment to our employees lives at the core of our values. We recognize their contributions. They share in the success they help to create. We offer a wide range of benefits, resources, and competitive compensation plans designed to support you at every career and life stage.This position is eligible for a short-term incentive called the Medtronic Incentive Plan (MIP).# **About Medtronic**# We lead global healthcare technology and boldly attack the most challenging health problems facing humanity by searching out and finding solutions. Our Mission — to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life — unites a global team of 95,000+ passionate people. We are engineers at heart— putting ambitious ideas to work to generate real solutions for real people. From the R&D lab, to the factory floor, to the conference room, every one of us experiments, creates, builds, improves and solves. We have the talent, diverse perspectives, and guts to engineer the extraordinary.Learn more about our business, mission, and our commitment to diversity* **Build** a better future, amplifying your impact on the causes that matter to you and the world* **Grow** a career reflective of your passion and abilities* **Connect** to a dynamic and inclusive culture that welcomes the challenge of life-long learningThese commitments set our team apart from the rest:**Experiences that put people first**. Respect for people is the hallmark of our humanity. It fuels our team to positively impact even a single life. And it means we put our people first at Medtronic as well, creating a culture of belonging and always pushing to get you the career-building resources you need.**Life-transforming technologies**. No matter your role, you contribute to technologies that transform lives. What we build empowers patients to live life on their terms.**Better outcomes for our world**. Here, it’s about more than the bottom line. Our Mission to improve human welfare drives us. We advance healthcare, society, and equity with every design, inside and outside our walls.**Insight-driven care**. Fresh viewpoints. Cutting-edge AI, data, and automation. You're shaping the future of healthcare technology and defining the next generation of breakthroughs in careIt is the policy of Medtronic to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, Medtronic will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.For sales reps and other patient facing field employees, going into a healthcare settingis considered an essential function of the job and we expect our employees to comply with all credentialing requirements at the hospitals or clinics they support.This employer participates in the federal E-Verify program to confirm the identity and employment authorization of all newly hired employees. For further information about the E-Verify program, please click .For updates on job applications, please go to the candidate