Communications & Patient Advocacy Manager

Major accountabilities:

• Coordinate and provide specialist knowledge across all specific area of communications.
• Drive and lead internal employee communications plan through various approved channels.
• Establish, develop, and execute local communication plans in-line with Country, Region and Global strategic goals, and desired market position for key brands.
• Disseminate information to relevant public (marketable customers, regulators, shareholders) through appropriate use of the media and press releases.
• Develop and execute social media strategies and campaigns for corporate and executive channels, including media planning/buying for paid campaigns.
• Managing editorial social calendar and delivering rich content for multiple social media platforms.
• Manage crises and issues communication in close collaboration with the Country Head of Communications & Patient Advocacy.
• Act as a strategic partner to the business and create and support implementation of communications strategies across different therapeutic areas.
• Externally, the role focuses on building strong relationships with patients and patient organizations to improve outcomes, implementing, and localizing global integrated patient-inclusive product communications campaigns for launch and established products, and leveraging corporate initiatives and CSR activities. Simultaneously full preparation for potential crisis & issues should be guaranteed.
• Yearly integrated/aligned plans for brand communications, corporate communications, internal communications, social media, and patient relations.
• Successful implementation of communications plans in close cooperation with key business partners.
• Identification, anticipation, and management of issues by working with appropriate functions and counsel management.
• Establish and drive patient advocacy strategies, manage relationships with local patient organizations or support in initiating establishment of patient organizations.
• Develop and lead disease patient advocacy initiatives aligned and integrated with key business partners (franchises, market access, medical affairs, and development).
• Facilitate/support patient organization events and align expectations with common areas of interest focused on improving patient outcomes through a patient centric approach.
• Ensure consistency of Novartis brand and market position in external communications, by ensuring alignment across the Enterprise and by putting in place necessary communication-control processes
• Measuring the impact of channels and campaigns towards achieving business objectives by using the measurement template.
• Supervise the implementation of assigned project or communications activity.
• Build relationships with and Brand managers/business leads, P&O Partners and /or senior Communications colleagues.
• Manage and liaise with agencies to create engaging multimedia content and community management for all platforms, setting targets, increasing engagement and track KPIs/best practices to secure maximum return on investment, operational excellence and business impact.
• Use and coordinate available communications resources to achieve required results by ensuring effective deployment of project information /materials.
• To ensure compliance in all interaction throughout the organization and maintain regular liaison with the Regional and Local compliance function to ensure that all processes and activities comply with internal and external policies.
• Reporting of technical complaints / adverse events / special case scenarios related to Novartis products within 24 hours of receipt

Ethics and Compliance

• Work within any given legal framework, Novartis Ethics and Compliance policies and ensure those around him/her do the same.
• Work to ensure a diverse and inclusive environment, free from all forms of discrimination and harassment.

Key performance indicators:

Financial and Business Results:

• Novartis International Malaysia continued growth and performance

Strategy/Market Focus:

• Novartis market reputation: surveys, interviews, polls, media
• Quality and quantity of media coverage
• Stakeholder satisfaction with presented information: surveys of relevant media; internal customer satisfaction
• Positive feedback: from patient organization on deliverables through patient relations activities, such as patient advisory board, etc.

Operational Excellence:

• Timeliness and quality of all C&PA initiatives tasked
• Compliance to all internal processes and approvals
• Seamless navigation of internal processes
• Maintenance of key platforms owned and associated with function
• Communication efficiency: cost management; budgetary effectiveness; event cost control
• Management and delivery of projects against business objectives and priorities

People, Capabilities, and Management:

• Strong culture: employee satisfaction/commitment; “best-place-to-work” Communication group talent acquisition and development: hire quality, talent retention and development
• Code of conduct: compliance
• Maturity of business relationship(s)
• Feedback from internal and external stakeholders

Minimum Requirements:

• 5 years combination working experience in agency and a MNC + matrixed organization - preferably with exposure or experience in innovative medicines, pharmaceutical industry.
• Cross Cultural Experience. Collaborating with internal / external stakeholders
• Project Management. Operations Management and Execution.
• Significant experience in pharmaceutical industry communications positions, and excellent understanding of healthcare innovative medicines communication concerns regarding public, media, and employee relations preferred
• Demonstrated ability to influence high level media, patient organizations
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Good team skills: ability to manage and achieve results through influence; credible high performing manager with experience in managing people and projects.

Languages:

• Fluent English. (Spoken and written)
• Malay (Spoken and written)
• Mandarin (Spoken and reading)

Why Novartis: Helping people with disease and their families takes more than innovative science. It takes a community of smart, passionate people like you. Collaborating, supporting and inspiring each other. Combining to achieve breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Ready to create a brighter future together?https://www.novartis.com/about/strategy/people-and-culture

Benefits and rewards: Read our handbook to learn about all the ways we’ll help you thrive personally and professionally: https://www.novartis.com/careers/benefits-rewards

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion:

Novartis is committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams' representative of the patients and communities we serve

Join our Novartis Network: Not the right Novartis role for you? Sign up to our talent community to stay connected and learn about suitable career opportunities as soon as they come up: https://talentnetwork.novartis.com/network