External Affairs Expert - Business Operations

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The Position

Are you passionate about shaping policy for the life sciences industry in Switzerland? Life sciences is the leading industry sector in Switzerland, contributing about 40% of the country’s export volume. As one of the leading companies in the sector, Roche has an important voice in shaping future policy developments for our industry. This role is a great opportunity for you to contribute to defining and delivering Roche’s contribution for a strong, sustainable and future-proof environment for life science companies in Switzerland.

The External Affairs Expert will be part of the External Affairs Team, Switzerland. The team strives to improve the political, legal and regulatory environment by interacting with a wide variety of collaborators. The individual holding this role will support the development of the Swiss external affairs strategy and the annual priority setting in collaboration with all leaders of Roche’s Swiss entities and international experts. They will keep track of the strategy execution and integrate new trends and political developments in the agenda. The position holder will play a key role in information sharing with internal partners and preparing Senior Leaders for their interactions with Swiss political stakeholders. They will deal with a variety of topics relevant to Roche, ranging from healthcare legislation to trade or environmental policy, in a fast-paced and multicultural environment. The position holder will work with a broad network of internal experts from various functions. The incumbent will also serve as the main contact for the Communications Department for media inquiries related to Swiss policy topics. The role will report to the Head of External Affairs Switzerland.

Your opportunities:

• Based on the strategic priorities of our Swiss entities and input from international experts, support the development and track the execution of the Swiss external affairs strategy for Roche

• Identify critical issues, ensure adequate priority setting as well as tracking of success measures

• Lead Roche’s “Netzwerk Politik Schweiz”, consisting of policy and communications experts from the various Swiss entities, and coordinate the activities of the “Council Politik Schweiz”, consisting of the Heads of Swiss entities and led by the Head of External Affairs for Switzerland

• Track and coordinate representation of Roche in Swiss industry associations, ensure successions in working groups and align relevant engagements of Roche leaders in Switzerland

• Create and share regular updates on relevant Swiss policy developments and Roche policy positions with internal collaborators

• Represent Roche in selected industry association working groups

• Prepare briefings for senior leaders’ interactions with key political stakeholders based on input from experts across the company

• Serve as point of contact for relevant media inquiries

Who you are

You’re someone who wants to influence your own development. You’re looking for a company where you have the opportunity to pursue your interests across functions and geographies. Where a job title is not considered the final definition of who you are, but the starting point.

You have a University degree in Political Sciences, Public Health, Law, Economics, Natural Sciences or related fields. You bring at least 3 years of experience working in government affairs, public affairs, international relations or related functions; pharmaceutical, medical devices or diagnostics industry experience is a plus.

In addition, you bring the following competencies:

• Deep understanding of the Swiss political system and the Swiss healthcare landscape and solid understanding of the pharmaceutical and diagnostics businesses

• Proven record of dealing with complex policy issues and the ability to communicate them clearly

• Strong organizational skills and project management skills

• Strategic thinker with potential to grow that muscle and develop a broad perspective, strong analytical skills, ability to navigate and thrive in complex and fast-paced environments

• Fast learner, able to extract and quickly process key information, summarize key needs or interests of stakeholders, and provide targeted and appropriate insights and recommendations

• Comfortable and proficient in interactions with politicians and senior leaders

• High degree of integrity and professionalism

• Collaborative and team-oriented mindset, strong relationship-building skillsand independent working style

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in German and English, verbal Swiss German and/or French skills are an asset

This position is located in Basel or Rotkreuz, Switzerland.

Who we are

At Roche, more than 100,000 people across 100 countries are pushing back the frontiers of healthcare. Working together, we’ve become one of the world’s leading research-focused healthcare groups. Our success is built on innovation, curiosity and diversity.

Basel is the headquarters of the Roche Group and one of its most important centres of pharmaceutical research. Over 10,700 employees from over 100 countries come together at our Basel/Kaiseraugst site, which is one of Roche`s largest sites. Read more .

Besides extensive development and training opportunities, we offer flexible working options, 18 weeks of maternity leave and 10 weeks of gender independent partnership leave. Our employees also benefit from multiple services on site such as child-care facilities, medical services, restaurants and cafeterias, as well as various employee events.

We believe in the power of diversity and inclusion, and strive to identify and create opportunities that enable all people to bring their unique selves to Roche.