Head of Executive Communications

Roche

Basel Onsite Communications

About this role

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

Group Communications (GC) is responsible for creating a lasting positive image of Roche and represents the company's voice on a Group level: We bring clarity to complexity strengthening Roche’s reputation, advancing business outcomes, and inspiring our people to deliver innovation for patients. The External Engagement team works across the entire Roche Group, including the Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics Divisions.

As the Head of Executive Communications, you will report to and work closely with the Global Head of External Engagement, collaborate with the Head of Group Communications and members of the Communications Leadership Team (CLT) to help co-create the communication strategies for Roche’s executives, and to deliver an integrated Executive Communications Strategy for Roche as a whole. You will lead a team of Executive Communicators to develop and execute executive communication strategies, ensuring that our executives have an aligned and impactful voice to external and internal audiences around the globe. To this end, you and your team will work directly with Roche’s executives.

The Head of Executive Communications leads and oversees the team responsible for the development and implementation of internal as well as external communications for Roche’s Executives worldwide. Executives at Roche are defined as the members of the Roche family represented on the Roche Board of Directors, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, members of the Corporate Executive Committee, the Head of Global Product Strategy and the Head of Pharma International.

The Opportunity

In this role, you will make critical contributions to the overall vision, strategy and infrastructure of the team and are a strong team player and collaborator. Your key responsibilities and accountabilities will be to:

Provide direction and leadership to the team of executive communicators, including defining and setting the current and long-term vision, strategy, plans and objective. Recruit, coach and develop your team members, ensuring they fully utilise their potential and stay up to date with key industry trends, such as the usage of digital and AI technologies. Retain talent and set up long term succession plans as well as short and medium term capability and resource plans.
Represent External Engagement on various cross-functional teams and forums; providing communications subject-matter expertise and ongoing consultation on appropriate strategies and tactics.
Help break down silos across business areas and transfer/ leverage topics and learning across Roche.
Work closely with the CLT, especially the communication business partner teams to drive outcomes and vision, and to ensure robust development of industry-leading executive communications plans.
Act as a focal point for executive communications requests. Co-create executive communication strategies, including setting the strategic agenda for speaking engagements for Roche's executives.
Draft speeches, talking points, briefings, video scripts, letters, and internal messages for Roche's executives. Provide rehearsals for speeches and communications training, including Q&As and performance feedback.
Support the Global Head of External Engagement in drafting talking points for executive media interviews.
Contribute to quarterly business results reporting.

Who You Are

We are looking for a collaborative and experienced communications professional with the following qualifications and background:

You bring a relevant degree in Communications or a related field as well as 10+ years of experience in communication with a global scope, preferably collected in the healthcare, biotechnology or related industry. Alternatively, you have PR agency experience supporting pharmaceutical or other healthcare clients.
Ideally, your experience in communication covers a variety of disciplines: public affairs, media relations, issues management and executive communications.
You have excellent leadership skills, bringing extensive people-lead experience with larger-scale teams, developing individual skills and abilities, while driving teams to meet or exceed targets and goals.
Demonstrate significant experience in fast-paced, matrixed, and multicultural environments, backed by robust abilities to develop and manage larger-scale global communications strategies, plans, and activities.
Possess excellent consulting, active listening, and analytical skills to extract information, summarize internal customer needs, and provide targeted insights and recommendations.
Bring strong influencing, negotiation, and partnering skills to build sustainable relationships, drive results through influence without authority, and collaborate effectively in a networked environment.
Have a proven track record of presenting to and coaching senior company executives/audiences, with full fluency in English and German (excellent verbal and written communication)

Ready for the next step? We look forward to hearing from you. Apply now to discover this exciting opportunity!

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.