Communication & Patient Advocacy Lead

Roche fosters diversity, equity and inclusion, representing the communities we serve. When dealing with healthcare on a global scale, diversity is an essential ingredient to success. We believe that inclusion is key to understanding people’s varied healthcare needs. Together, we embrace individuality and share a passion for exceptional care. Join Roche, where every voice matters.

The Position

The Communications & Patients Advocacy Lead will develop and implement internal and external communications strategies for Roche Diagnostics Italy to create awareness, drive business performance while strengthening organizational culture and employee engagement.

The Communications & Advocacy Lead will also develop and implement Advocacy patient strategies and engage across and beyond Roche to build integrated internal and external communications strategies and activities, while working cross-functionally to implement best-in-class organizational communications and change management practices.

Main tasks of the position

• Responsible for localization and deployment of corporate communications and engaging cross-functionally across the business leading external communications, public relations and internal employee communications, together with Global / Regional functions.
• Manage the internal and external positioning and overall reputation of DIA products and services and the value these bring to patients, providers and other key stakeholders; Serves as media point of contact for the affiliate, creating press releases, coordinating media interviews and driving external communications across multiple channels.
• Proactively engage and partner with Patient Advocacy Groups (PAGs), NGOs and advocacy leaders to understand and respond to patients' needs. Support business to offer unique patients insights to shape and validate business processes, strategies and decisions.
• Travel % required: 30 %

Qualifications of the position

• Education: bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Journalism, Marketing or related field, or equivalent combination of education and work-related experience, required.
• Professional experience/duration: at least 7 years of related global/regional business experience as an in-house corporate communication consultant, preferably within the Pharma, Diagnostics, Medical Device or Consumer Healthcare industry.
• Specialist knowledge: strong communication and presentation skills, both written and verbal. Very effective at distilling complex and sometimes voluminous content into clear, concise and engaging communications.
• Mandatory fluency in Italian language both written and spoken.

Leadership Skills

You are also responsible for building, and then providing effective line-leadership for a local team. Doing so in a manner that is consistent with the Roche Values and leadership capabilities. You will seek to inspire and lead your local team to create transformative solutions, and to influence their prioritization and uptake in the wider organization, in order to ensure that customer solutions are at the forefront of Communication & Patient Advocacy and deliver its optimal contribution to the Roche Diagnostics Vision.

The Communications & Patient Advocacy Lead is expected to demonstrate the Roche Operating Principles and contribute to the Roche Group. The Roche Operating Principles are:

• Put patients first
• Follow the science
• Act as one team
• Embrace differences
• Accelerate learning
• Simplify radically
• Make impact now
• Think long term

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.

Roche is an Equal Opportunity Employer.