Head of Global External Affairs, Roche Diagnostics

F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 350,000 - 432,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation benefits

Discretionary annual bonus

Job summary

Roche Diagnostics in Washington, DC is seeking a Head of Global External Affairs to lead policy architecture and high-stakes external engagement, reporting to the Global Head of QR&E. You will shape global policy positions and coordinate with regional leaders to advance Roche's strategic priorities.

The role requires 15+ years of global leadership in External Affairs, an advanced degree, and a proven ability to build multi-stakeholder partnerships, influence executives, and translate global

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Public Policy, Health Policy, International Relations, Law, Environmental Affairs, or Life Sciences.
• Minimum 15+ years of global or multi-regional leadership experience in External Affairs, Policy Setting, or Government Relations within the IVD/Medical Device/Pharmaceutical sectors.
• Proven track record of leading, mentoring, and developing high-performing global teams; strong policy capabilities and collaborative culture.
• Proven experience leading central policy development and building multi-stakeholder partnerships.
• Demonstrated executive presence and media expertise with experience influencing C-level executives and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Central Policy Setting: lead teams for global policy positions on trade, regulatory, healthcare and environmental topics.
• Strategic Partnerships: represent Roche Diagnostics with regulatory entities, international organisations and policy platforms.
• Regional Alignment: translate global policy into local strategies with regional teams.
• Leadership & Culture: embody Roche's Visionary, Architect, Catalyst and Coach roles across functions.

Skills

Global leadership

Policy development

Stakeholder engagement

Executive communication

Team building

Education

Advanced degree (Master’s, Ph.D., or JD)

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 Operating as the Head of Global External Affairs, you will be a pivotal member of the Quality, Regulatory & External Affairs (QR&E) global leadership team, with a direct reporting line to the Global Head of QR&E for Roche Diagnostics. This role serves as the senior global leader for Roche Diagnostics regarding policy architecture and high-stakes external stakeholder engagement, working closely with our regional and affiliate leaders.

KEY ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Central Policy Setting & Governance Lead teams that serve as the central point for setting, maintaining, and governing Roche Diagnostics' official policy positions on critical topics, including: Trade & Industry Policy: Navigating supply chain resilience, tariff/trade agreements, security and defense policies, and broader medtech industry standards. Regulatory Policy: Influencing global IVD/medical device regulations, standards harmonization, pre/post-market pathways, and emerging technology regulations (e.g., AI, software, digital healthcare, RUO, companion diagnostics and LDTs). Healthcare Policy: Shaping diagnostic valuation, funding models, personalized healthcare, and health system transformation. Environmental Policy: Partner with the Diagnostics Product Sustainability and Compliance Team to drive sustainable healthcare initiatives, green manufacturing policies, and circular economy expectations. Develop and cascade a streamlined, simplified matrix of global policy positions designed to give internal and external stakeholders absolute clarity on Roche Diagnostics' stance. Champion enterprise-wide awareness regarding current and prospective healthcare trends influencing the business, while proactively managing high-stakes relationships with prominent global external bodies, including the WHO and OECD.

Strategic Partnerships & External Engagement

Act as the primary global representative and executive connector for Roche Diagnostics across regulatory entities, multilateral organisations, key external partners, and policy platforms outside the US. Partner closely with External Affairs International, Diagnostics US Government Affairs & Policy, Genentech's Head of US Public Affairs & Market Access, and key members of the Roche Diagnostics Leadership Team to socialize, clarify, and align policy stances, driving a unified "One Roche" approach that optimizes broader enterprise leverage. Create, nurture, and leverage high-impact external affairs partnerships with industry associations, international non-governmental organizations, and patient advocacy coalitions to advance Roche Diagnostics' strategic positions. Direct targeted advocacy strategies to ensure Roche Diagnostics proactively shapes the global policy agenda rather than reacting to it.

Regional & Affiliate Alignment

Work closely with regional and country-level teams to translate global policy positions into actionable local strategies, ensuring local execution directly advances global business priorities. Establish a robust global-to-local network to aggregate regional market insights, emerging country trends, and policy risks back into the central policy-setting process.

Leadership & Culture Evolution

Embody Roche's leadership vision as a Visionary (setting clear policy direction), Architect (building agile policy framework mechanisms), Catalyst (forging external alliances and removing local barriers), and Coach (empowering global and regional policy leads). Collaborate seamlessly across the broader QR&E function, Diagnostics Division, Diagnostics affiliates, Pharma Division and affiliates, Commercial, Legal, and Corporate Sustainability to ensure enterprise-wide policy cohesion.

KNOWLEDGE / SKILLS / ATTRIBUTES

Advanced degree (Master’s, Ph.D., or JD) in Public Policy, Health Policy, International Relations, Law, Environmental Affairs, or Life Sciences.

Minimum 15+ years of global or multi-regional leadership experience in External Affairs, Policy Setting, or Government Relations within the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD), Medical Device, or Pharmaceutical sectors.

Proven track record of leading, mentoring, and developing high-performing global teams; skilled at building strong internal policy capabilities, fostering talent growth, and inspiring a collaborative culture within a complex, matrixed organization.

Proven experience leading central policy development and successfully building multi-stakeholder partnerships across regulatory, healthcare, environmental, and trade domains.

Demonstrated executive presence and media expertise, with a track record of influencing C-level executives, Board members, and key external global stakeholders while serving as an articulate spokesperson on complex policy matters.

Exceptional strategic and analytical thinking skills with ability to simplify complex topics.

Proven leadership skills, including the ability to lead in a complex and matrixed environment, building coalitions and advising senior executives.

The ideal candidate brings: Exceptional ability to distill complex, multi-faceted issues (regulatory, environmental, trade) into simple, compelling, and unified policy stances. Outstanding track record acting as the principal spokesperson and negotiator with high-level external partners and public authorities. Strong capability to influence, align, and partner with regional and local country affiliates without direct hierarchical authority, uniting them around common business goals. Ability to balance long-term global policy shaping with the near-term commercial needs of regional business units.

Location

The primary location is Washington, D.C, with additional major DIA sites in Branchburg, NJ; Indianapolis, IN; Pleasanton, CA; Santa Clara, CA; Tucson, AZ; Basel and Rotkreuz (Switzerland); and Mannheim and Penzberg (Germany). Relocation benefits are available for this role.

Salary

The expected salary range for this position based on the primary location of Washington, D.C is $349,605.00 and $431,865.00. Actual pay will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factors permitted by law. A discretionary annual bonus may be available based on individual and Company performance.

Benefits

Benefits Where pay transparency applies, details are provided based on the primary posting location. For this role, the primary location is Washington DC. If you are interested in additional locations where the role may be available, we will provide the relevant compensation details later in the hiring process. This position also qualifies for the benefits detailed at the link provided below.

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. Roche is an equal opportunity employer. It is our policy and practice to employ, promote, and otherwise treat any and all employees and applicants on the basis of merit, qualifications, and competence. The company's policy prohibits unlawful discrimination, including but not limited to, discrimination on the basis of Protected Veteran status, individuals with disabilities status, and consistent with all federal, state, or local laws.

We believe it’s urgent to deliver medical solutions right now – even as we develop innovations for the future. We are passionate about transforming patients’ lives. We are courageous in both decision and action. And we believe that good business means a better world. That is why we come to work each day. We commit ourselves to scientific rigor, unassailable ethics, and access to medical innovations for all. We do this today to build a better tomorrow. We are proud of who we are, what we do, and how we do it. We are many, working as one across functions, across companies, and across the world. We are Roche.