Associate Director, Global Public Affairs

About AbbVie
AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women's health and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com . Follow @abbvie on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and LinkedIn .

Description:

This position is responsible for leading global-level Public Affairs strategies and tactics to drive AbbVie's leadership in Immunology, spanning all phases of the product life-cycle.

The role reports to the Immunology therapeutic area lead in Global Public Affairs and has accountability for the outcome of communication and patient relations activities for psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease.

The role sits on the therapeutic area and or indication leadership team to contribute to the development of business strategies and acts as a strategic counselor to these teams.

This leader must work collaboratively with AbbVie's Areas and Affiliates, as well as across functions, particularly Marketing, R&D, Medical, Regulatory, Government Affairs, Market Access, HEOR and others, as relevant.

Specific functions performed include strategic stakeholder engagement, patient activation, advocacy, conduct global launch preparedness and oversee affiliate launch readiness. The role also oversees media relations and issues management for the indication and or therapeutic area.

Key Responsibilities Include:

• Maintaining very solid understanding of AbbVie's business model and strategy in the context of market dynamics, and the potential impact of internal and external changes;
• Delivering an integrated Public Affairs strategy for the brand and oversee global and affiliate implementation
• Consistently informing work by a deep knowledge of the healthcare industry and economic environment, key stakeholders, competitive dynamics and legal, regulatory, compliance and policy requirements;
• Understanding AbbVie's science, therapeutic areas, disease states, products and brands;
• Setting clear direction, prioritizing effectively and making informed choices that drive impact, including applying critical thinking by objective analysis and evaluation to develop evidence-based recommendations;
• Influencing decisions as a fully integrated member of the cross-functional team by establishing a clear and vital role on teams, demonstrating credibility and value;
• Using a deep understanding of the needs, perspectives, objectives and influence chains of internal and external stakeholders to guide decisions;
• Effectively planning the key components of a Public Affairs program, estimating resource needs and timing;
• Delivering programs to timelines and budgets, flexibly managing priorities and dealing with contingencies;
• Planning and executing critical data communications announcing the results of pivotal studies at time of disclosure, including presentation and/or publication;
• Taking an active leadership role, involving the right people at the right time, giving clear direction and providing feedback as needed;
• Maximizing impact by socializing programs, measuring change and sharing results;
• Leveraging a deep understanding of internal and external audiences to develop compelling narratives that align to objectives and connect with stakeholders;
• Demonstrating excellence in written and oral communication skills;
• Demonstrating a solid understanding of the paid, earned, shared, and owned (PESO) model along with the use of social and digital media platforms;
• Determining the best channels and strategies to deliver stories and messages, proactively or reactively, based on an understanding of influencers, media and channels;
• Using a deep understanding of our mission, vision and values as well as external context, to advocate for the company's reputation;
• Proactively anticipating potential issues facing the organization and crafting appropriate and effective responses;
• Reacting calmly but quickly to unexpected issues, marshalling the right stakeholders to develop an aligned response;
• Making discerning choices about when and how to speak on behalf of the company or function.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in communications, PR, marketing or related field.
• 7+ years of directly relevant communications experience with international healthcare and/or industry experience required.
• Demonstrated expertise in developing and executing insight-driven, strategic and measurable external public relations programs on behalf of pharmaceutical and/or consumer products.
• Proven track record of working with senior executives and leading teams.
• Strong understanding about the value of public relations and its role in the integrated marketing mix.
• Strong media relations experience and instincts.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams and with multiple internal and external stakeholders; influence/negotiation skills and relationship management capabilities a must.
• Proven experience in issues/crisis management.
• Strong interpersonal skills to quickly build rapport and credibility with AbbVie affiliates and leaders as well as other key internal and external stakeholders.

Significant Work Activities
N/A
Travel
Yes, 25 % of the Time
Job Type
Experienced
Schedule
Full-time
Job Level Code
M
Equal Employment Opportunity
At AbbVie, we value bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds to develop new and innovative solutions for patients. As an equal opportunity employer we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.