At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead pharmacovigilance operations and ensure compliance across multiple countries.
- Company: Join Opella, a global leader in self-care and health innovation.
- Benefits: Hybrid work model, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team committed to making self-care simple and effective.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on consumer safety and health while leading change.
- Qualifications: Advanced degree in Life Sciences with significant pharmacovigilance experience required.
The predicted salary is between 40500 - 49500 £ per year.
Location: Reading, UK (Hybrid)
Function: Consumer Safety / Pharmacovigilance
You’ve built experience, now use it where bold ideas meet real impact. At Opella, we’re challenging how self-care works for millions of people and need leaders and experts ready to shape what’s next.
The Opportunity
We're looking for an experienced PV Zone Lead WEU & Country Safety Head UK to provide strategic and operational leadership for pharmacovigilance activities across the UK, Spain, Portugal, and Greece/Cyprus. In this highly visible role, you will lead the delivery of a robust and compliant pharmacovigilance system, partnering with local, regional, and global stakeholders to ensure the safe and appropriate use of Opella products. You will act as the key pharmacovigilance representative for Health Authorities, support the QPPV organisation, and champion a culture of compliance, quality, and continuous improvement across the region.
What You'll Do
- Lead Pharmacovigilance Operations across the assigned Western Europe zone, ensuring all local safety activities are delivered in compliance with global standards and local regulations.
- Act as the Primary PV Contact for Health Authorities, supporting inspections, regulatory interactions, safety escalations, and maintaining inspection readiness.
- Oversee Local Safety Surveillance Activities, including case management oversight, signal management support, risk management plans, literature monitoring, and product safety reviews.
- Drive PV Quality & Compliance, maintaining local PV systems, documentation, training programmes, compliance metrics, CAPAs, and audit readiness.
- Support the QPPV and Global Safety Organisation by providing local expertise, safety intelligence, and oversight of pharmacovigilance activities across the zone.
- Manage External Partners and Vendors, ensuring effective oversight of distributors, service providers, safety agreements, and outsourced PV activities.
- Build Strong Cross-Functional Partnerships with Medical, Regulatory, Quality, Legal, Commercial, and Country Leadership teams to embed safety excellence across the business.
About You
- Advanced Degree in Life Sciences, Pharmacy, Medicine, Dentistry, or a related discipline, with significant pharmacovigilance experience.
- Proven experience within the pharmaceutical, consumer healthcare, or related healthcare industry, including responsibility for marketed products.
- Strong knowledge of UK, European, and international pharmacovigilance regulations, including GVP requirements and regulatory expectations.
- Experience leading or supporting Health Authority interactions, inspections, audits, and regulatory compliance activities.
- Demonstrated expertise in pharmacovigilance systems, safety surveillance, risk management, and quality processes.
- Experience managing vendors, distributors, or outsourced partners, ideally across multiple countries or regions.
- Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence across cultures and functions in a complex global environment.
What Makes You Successful
- A strategic thinker who can balance operational excellence with long-term vision.
- Comfortable navigating complexity and ambiguity.
- Passionate about patient and consumer safety.
- A collaborative leader who builds trusted relationships.
- Detail-oriented with a strong compliance mindset.
- Skilled at driving change and continuous improvement.
- Confident operating in an international, matrixed environment.
This is more than the next step in your career, it’s a chance to lead change and help reinvent self-care for the world. If you’re ready to challenge, inspire and deliver impact that matters, we’re ready for you. We are challengers. We are Opella.
About Us:
Opella is the self-care challenger with the purest and third-largest portfolio in the Over The Counter (OTC) & Vitamins, Minerals & Supplements (VMS) market globally. Our mission is to bring health in people’s hands by making self-care as simple as it should be. For half a billion consumers worldwide – and counting.
At the core of this mission is our 100 loved brands, our 11,000-strong global team, our 13 best-in-class manufacturing sites and 4 specialized science and innovation development centers. Headquartered in France, Opella is the proud maker of many of the world’s most loved brands, including Allegra, Buscopan, Doliprane, Dulcolax, Enterogermina, Essentiale and Mucosolvan.
As a globally certified B Corp company, we are active players in the journey towards healthier people and planet. Find out more about our mission at www.opella.com
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Opella values diversity in all its forms and is committed to fostering a workplace where everyone can belong and excel. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds.
Take your next step with Opella and help us make self-care as simple as it should be.
PV Zone Lead WEU (UK, Spain, Portugal, Greece/Cyprus) & Country Safety Head UK employer: Opella Healthcare UK Limited
At Opella, we pride ourselves on being a forward-thinking employer that champions innovation and collaboration in the field of consumer safety and pharmacovigilance. Our hybrid work model in Reading allows for flexibility while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and professional growth, ensuring that our employees are equipped to make a real impact on health and well-being. Join us and be part of a diverse team dedicated to transforming self-care for millions, backed by a commitment to sustainability and community.
Contact Details:
Opella Healthcare UK Limited Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land PV Zone Lead WEU (UK, Spain, Portugal, Greece/Cyprus) & Country Safety Head UK
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We think you need these skills to ace PV Zone Lead WEU (UK, Spain, Portugal, Greece/Cyprus) & Country Safety Head UK
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Relevant Experience:When applying for a role in the pharmaceutical industry, it's crucial to highlight any relevant experience you have. Whether that's internships, lab work, or even related coursework, make sure to weave this into your CV and cover letter. We want to see how your background aligns with the role you're applying for at Opella Healthcare UK Limited!
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Convey Your Passion for the Industry:In your cover letter, express why you are passionate about working in the pharmaceutical sector. Whether it’s your desire to contribute to groundbreaking drug research or improve patient outcomes, let it shine through! At Opella Healthcare UK Limited, we value candidates who are truly enthusiastic about their work—you might just stand out from the crowd.
How to prepare for a job interview at Opella Healthcare UK Limited
✨Understand the Science
Make sure you brush up on key pharmaceutical concepts and recent developments in the industry. You might get asked some technical questions during the interview at Opella Healthcare UK Limited that show your grasp of drug development processes or regulatory requirements, so be ready to discuss them clearly.
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If you have any hands-on experience or internships in a laboratory setting, be sure to highlight these in your responses. Think about the projects you worked on, the methodologies you used, and the impact you made. It's all about telling a story that connects your background to the role you're applying for.
✨Know Their Products
Take some time to familiarise yourself with Opella Healthcare UK Limited’s product range and recent breakthroughs. Understanding their portfolio not only shows your enthusiasm for the role but also allows you to ask insightful questions that demonstrate your interest in actively contributing to their projects.
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In a full-time pharmaceutical role, understanding the regulatory landscape is crucial. Prepare for situational questions that may test your problem-solving skills concerning compliance and safety standards. You could be asked how you'd handle a hypothetical issue regarding a drug’s market release, so think through your approach.
