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At our organisation, we are unified around our purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than a century, we’ve been at the forefront of research, bringing forward medicines, vaccines and innovative health solutions for the world’s most challenging diseases.
We are officially certified by the Top Employer Institute and been awarded the exclusive Top Employer United Kingdom Certification for the fourth year running.
Job Description
Our Human Health Division maintains a “patient first, profits later” ideology. The organisation is comprised of sales, marketing, market access, digital analytics and commercial professionals who are passionate about their role in bringing our medicines to our customers worldwide.
Our team, within the Corporate Affairs Department provides strategic and tactical communications and policy leadership and support to our UK business. Our work is focused on engaging with a wide range of stakeholders and audiences from politicians and government officials, to policy influencers and the media, through to our UK employees. We are therefore seen as a critical hub for our business, often working cross-functionally and in partnership with other parts of the business.
In joining our team, you would have the opportunity to learn from a well- respected team with diverse skills, expertise and career backgrounds. This role would suit a candidate who thrives on working in a fast-paced environment, enjoys working as a team player and who is interested in developing a career in communications and policy.
Our Department Covers
- Corporate policy and government relations including political engagement and pharmaceutical industry relations
- Therapy policy and communications – supporting our main priority disease areas for medicines and vaccines
- Social media, leading communications across our website and channels, and internal comms
To make sure you get experience across all communication disciplines and functions, you will have a chance to work with each team, through a rotation across the year. This will give you experience and insight into a broad range of communication disciplines and projects, as well as how a major pharmaceutical and healthcare company operates.
You will be given opportunities to be part of key specialist or project teams as well as the opportunity to lead and deliver on your own initiatives. The experience will therefore provide a blend of project leadership, tactical implementation and professional and personal learning opportunities.
As well as ‘on the job’ learning and coaching, the successful student will be encouraged to have a mentor within the business (not their manager) who can provide insight and advice. Further internal and external training courses may be provided, with approval from the Corporate Affairs Director.
Duties
These are just some examples of activities or initiatives you could get involved with during your time with our Corporate Affairs team.
Corporate Policy and Government Affairs
- Monitoring, research and development of briefings for senior leaders on a range of political and policy topics relating to life sciences
- Supporting the team in providing political and policy counsel across the business
- Supporting the management of key stakeholder relationships including mapping of stakeholders, coordination of meetings, and development of briefing materials for senior colleagues
- Supporting in the development of external and internal briefing materials
- Providing general day-to-day and administrative support to the team, including event management
Therapy Area Policy and Communications
- Monitoring media and health policy developments relating specifically to disease areas / products our organisation focuses on
- Developing briefings for the business on trends in media and policy behaviour relating to key disease areas / products / issues
- Assisting with the development press & social media materials & assets for a range of external stakeholders
- Researching, mapping and planning stakeholder engagement opportunities
- Collaborating closely with stakeholders such as patient organisations on educational initiatives
Social Media and Internal Comms
- Contributing to the development of our digital communications
- Maintaining and updating the our organisation’s UK internet site and employee intranet
- Developing and writing our internal digital newsletter
Technical Specifications
- You will be looking to complete a 12-month student internship in your third or penultimate year of study of your undergraduate degree, returning to your course at the end of the internship
- Studying a degree in Social Sciences, Life Sciences, Media, History or English may be an advantage (or equivalent qualification)
- An awareness of and interest in the UK healthcare environment
- Demonstrates proficiency in project management, organisation and administration
- IT literate including proficiency in PowerPoint and Excel
Qualities we look for
- Communicates, participates and collaborates as one team; winning and losing together
- Focuses on what matters the most to create the greatest value for human and animal patients
- Acts with urgency, rigor and determination to enable us to continue to deliver our medicines and vaccines around the world
- Intellectually curious, adapts and has a commitment to never give up, whether we succeed or fail
- Aligns with and fosters a culture of diversity and inclusion; being part of an inclusive environment where everyone is able to contribute their best ideas
- Encourages curiosity, voices their opinions and engages in healthy debate to improve ideas and decisions to achieve better outcomes
