Director, Government Affairs and Advocacy - Europe and International

We are a specialist pharmaceutical company 100% dedicated to developing medicines to treat and prevent HIV. As the pioneers in HIV innovation, we constantly look to push the boundaries of science to develop medicines that can change lives and give people more choice. Beyond our medicines, we are proud of our deep connection with the HIV community and work with partners to advance research and development, address HIV-related stigma, increase access to our medicines and provide funding and support to local community organisations to support their efforts in the HIV response. We are ViiV Healthcare. Here until HIV and AIDS are not.

We’re looking for a Director to join our Government Affairs, Policy and Access (GAPA) team – leading our work across the Europe and International (E&I) region, with a particular focus on our Brussels, EUR5 markets, Canada and Japan. You’ll work closely with the Head of GAPA and other Directors to evolve and deliver our overarching strategy and advocacy plan – developing impactful regional and global market shaping campaigns; engaging meaningfully with politicians, policy makers, advocacy groups and influencers; and gathering, interpreting and responding to external policy developments. Ultimately, through such work you’ll ensure HIV remains an ongoing priority for healthcare systems, that people and communities impacted by HIV have the support they need to thrive, and that long-acting innovations – specifically ViiV’s – are valued and made widely available regardless of geography. All taking us a step further to ending the pandemic once and for all.

Key responsibilities:

• Cross-team working: work proactively, collaboratively and creatively with others across the GAPA team to evolve the team strategy, support the development of policy positions, evidence and materials, feed into brand plans and build understanding and awareness of the function internally.
• Insights and strategic guidance: leveraging your external network and political acumen, update the team and business on key external developments – offering counsel on their implications and accompanying business recommendations.
• External engagement: map evolving stakeholders and build strong, constructive relationships with priority audiences including EU officials, politicians, policy makers, advocacy organisations, community groups and think tanks.
• Campaigns and advocacy: develop and deliver impactful regional/global market shaping campaigns that support the prioritisation of HIV and uptake of ViiV’s long-acting innovations.
• Local market/affiliate support: serve as the main point of contact for government affairs and policy teams across European and International markets – working collaboratively to understand market-level issues, co-create materials and strategies, and define ‘gold standard’ outcomes for the function.
• Cross-functional initiatives: foster strong relationships across functions and develop joint internal and external initiatives, particularly with Communications, Positive Action, Patient Engagement and Access, and with GSK counterparts.
• Line management and coaching: directly line manage one Manager, alongside supporting and coaching others across the team and wider functions.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for someone proactive, energetic, collaborative, creative, commercially savvy and strategic. Someone with a proven track record of navigating complex political environments across geographies, achieving policy outcomes that support business objectives, and building strong, meaningful relationships and coalitions – internally and externally.

Basic qualifications and experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy, International Relations, Political Science, Economics, Public Health, Life Sciences, Law or a related discipline.
• Significant experience in government affairs, policy and advocacy within the life sciences sector, including in-house experience – achieving policy outcomes that support business objectives.
• Proven experience building and maintaining strong, constructive relationships with senior government officials, policy makers and advocacy organisations – across multiple markets (notably EUR5, especially the UK) and in Brussels.
• Demonstrable experience running and contributing to impactful pan-European/cross-market initiatives and campaigns to drive policy change.
• Cross-functional working experience, particularly with communications, market access and patient engagement.
• First-class written and oral presentation skills, alongside excellent political acumen and insights.

Preferred qualifications and experience

• Advanced degree.
• LOC/affiliate in-market experience, especially the UK.
• Experience across multiple disease areas and products, including launches.
• People management experience – both direct line management and matrix team working.
• Experience working directly in politics or policy with a strong political network and insights.
• Experience delivering training and coaching.

If this role excites you, please apply with your CV and a short cover letter. Tell us why you are a strong fit and how your experience matches the responsibilities and qualifications. We look forward to hearing from you.

What we value in you

You are honest, curious and team-focused. You listen and build trust quickly. You use evidence to shape recommendations and act with transparency. You welcome different perspectives and create an inclusive working space. You are resilient and able to manage competing priorities with calm. You care about making a meaningful impact for patients and wider society.

Skills

• Campaign Development
• Corporate Copywriting
• Data Analytics
• Digital Fluency
• Government Affairs
• Market Shaping
• Public Policies
• Regulatory Awareness
• Reputation Management
• Risk Management
• Stakeholder Management
• Storytelling
• Strategic Planning

At ViiV Healthcare, we will not rest until we leave no person living with HIV behind. Until the 40 million people living with HIV is down to zero, we will continue searching for new ways to limit the impact of HIV. We are the only pharmaceutical company solely focused on combating, preventing, and ultimately eradicating HIV and AIDS. At ViiV Healthcare, we do things differently. Born out of a partnership between GSK and Pfizer in 2009, with Shionogi joining in 2012, we are determined to help end the HIV epidemic. We are guided by our mission to leave no person living with HIV behind and it is this mission that unites our employees located across the globe. We combine expertise in research, manufacturing, policy and more to push the boundaries of what people think is possible in HIV treatment and care. As a result of our connection with GSK, we are able to draw on their proud history and resources. This means that you would receive all the employee benefits offered by GSK.

Living our mission of leaving no person living with HIV behind means keeping inclusion and diversity at the heart of everything we do - from our breakthrough innovation, to our diverse portfolio of medicines as well as the work we do to partner with HIV communities. Having a truly inclusive culture where we’re all able to be ourselves and feel like we belong will make us an even stronger team, better able to perform as a business and deliver on our mission to leave no person living with HIV behind.

ViiV is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), military service or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law.