Strategic Government Affairs Leader

Medtronic; Saudi Arabia; On-site; SAR 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A global healthcare technology firm is seeking a Strategic Government Affairs Manager in Saudi Arabia. This role involves leading government engagement aligned with national priorities and Vision 2030 while advising senior management on the regulatory landscape. The ideal candidate will have substantial experience in public policy or government relations and the ability to build strong relationships with stakeholders at various levels. The position provides competitive compensation and benefits, including an incentive plan.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Flexible benefits package

Short-term incentive plan

Qualifications

• 7–12 years of experience in government affairs or public policy in Saudi Arabia.
• Experience engaging with regulatory authorities and health entities.
• Familiarity with Saudi regulatory processes and Vision 2030.

Responsibilities

• Develop government engagement strategy aligned with corporate goals.
• Build relationships with high-level stakeholders in the public sector.
• Advise senior leadership on regulatory developments affecting business.
• Provide political intelligence for decision-making and stakeholder mapping.

Skills

Stakeholder influence

Communication skills

Strategic thinking

Problem-solving

Fluency in Arabic

Fluency in English

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy

Master’s degree (preferred)

Job description

Overview

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.

A Day in the Life 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

• 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 here.