Corporate Affairs Manager, Middle East & Africa

Haleon Group; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 800 000 - 1 200 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global health company is seeking a Corporate Affairs Manager in Johannesburg, South Africa. This role involves developing a corporate affairs strategy, managing communications, and driving stakeholder engagement across the African continent. Ideal candidates will have over 8 years of experience in corporate affairs, preferably in the FMCG sector, and strong stakeholder management skills.

Benefits

Agile working culture

Diversity and inclusion programs

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in a corporate affairs role, preferably in FMCG.
• Experience in healthcare or pharma is a plus.
• Strong stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a corporate affairs strategy for Africa.
• Manage internal and external communications.
• Drive ESG commitments and social impact programs.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Crisis communications

Public relations

Relationship building

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Communications or related field

Job description

About the role

Haleon is seeking a dynamic and experienced Corporate Affairs Manager to join our growing team in Africa, with primary focus on South Africa.

In this role, you will play a critical role in shaping and executing our corporate affairs strategy across the African continent, helping us build brand reputation, drive stakeholder engagement, and achieve our business goals.

The role will be based out of South Africa (Johannesburg), with frequent travel across key African markets.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a comprehensive corporate affairs strategy for Africa region to support business objectives and optimise opportunities in the external environment, building networks of key external stakeholders (media, policy makers, industry groups, patient advocacy groups, NGOs) to shape and support relevant public policy agendas.
• Position Haleon as a leading voice in the African healthcare industry, managing both internal and external communications, identifying key issues and opportunities, and developing proactive messaging to mitigate risks and enhance reputation.
• Champion and drive the design and implementation of programs to deliver on our ESG commitments with a focus on social impact.
• Partner with wider BU teams to build integrated communication campaigns that educate consumers, media and policy makers and drive condition awareness to ultimately drive category growth and brand penetration.
• Work effectively with external partners (comms / PR / GA agencies) and internal stakeholders (Legal, HR, Regulatory, Commercial) to deliver against the strategy.
• Represent the company on industry trade associations and build trade association strategy across key markets (South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria).
• Monitor external environment, track policy and consumer trends, spot risks and opportunities for business; deliver coherent environmental analysis to help shape corporate affairs plans and strategies.
• Build sustained and productive engagement programmes, as well as executive profiling programmes that support and promote Haleon's leadership.
• Identify, manage and support local issues which may impact Haleon's reputation, developing proactive and reactive messaging to mitigate potential issues.
• Provide strategic counsel to marketing teams on issues with potential to negatively impact the reputation of our brands.
• Support cross MEA BU Corporate Affairs initiatives.
• Stay up to date on industry trends and best practices to continuously improve the communication strategy.

Desired Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required, preferably in Communications, Public Relations, or a related field.
• A specialization in Public Policy is a strong plus.
• 8+ years of experience in a similar corporate affairs role with a global FMCG.
• Experience in healthcare / pharma will be a plus, but not essential.
• Experience in issues management and crisis communications.
• Proven ability to develop trust-based relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders such as professional bodies, national governments, and advocacy groups.
• Strong stakeholder management and excellent people leadership skills, with the ability to influence effectively.

Preferred

• Ability to work in a fast-paced and growing environment.
• The ability to work across multiple areas and demonstrate good agility.
• A positive, can-do attitude and a real team player.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

At Haleon, we embrace our diverse workforce by creating an inclusive environment that celebrates our unique perspectives, generates curiosity to create unmatched understanding of each other, and promotes fair and equitable outcomes for everyone.

We're striving to create a climate where we celebrate our diversity in all forms by treating each other with respect, listening to different viewpoints, supporting our communities, and creating a workplace where your authentic self belongs and thrives.

We believe in an agile working culture for all our roles.

If flexibility is important to you, we encourage you to explore with our hiring team what the opportunities are.