Job Detail

Commercial Operations Country & Cluster Lead, International

Req ID: 15222
Job Category: Commercial Operations
Location: Zurich, Zurich
Posting Date: January 29, 2019

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International Commercial Operations Country & Cluster Lead

Reports to:    Regional Lead, Commercial Operations International

Location:       Zurich

Position Summary

The International Commercial Operations Country & Cluster Lead will be a pivotal role, working with the Business Analysts in the countries to ensure the optimum level of Partnership can be provided to Country Heads of Sales & Marketing across the International region.  Given the diversity of cultures and the mix of individual countries vs clusters this will both a broad understanding of the market situations and an ability to effectively build a wide network.  The incumbent should naturally have a strong understanding of Commercial Operations and what excellence looks like for an International organization.  They will also need to be an effective leader, generating an environment that encourages people to strive to improve in order to be the best partner for their local business.

The Commercial Operations Country & Cluster Lead will be responsible for:

• Liaising with local country Business Analysts and their stakeholders to understand needs from a commercial operations perspective, including tools, systems, processes and analytics


• Collaborating with the local Business Analysts ensuring effective implementation of Commercial Operations Strategies and initiatives and will be the subject matter expert for operational excellence


• Partnering with regional and global commercial operations colleagues to understand guidance & ensure appropriate solutions.


• The Commercial Operations Country & Cluster Lead will report to the Regional Leader, Commercial Operations, International

Principal Responsibilities

• Provide strong leadership and functional support to Business Analysts to support them in fulfilling their role and their continued development.


• Ensure desired capabilities for local country Business Analysts is established and any gaps vs desired capabilities are identified, in collaboration with Country Head of Sales & Marketing


• Ensure programs are in place to enable the Business Analysts to increase their skill base and gain required capabilities


• Establish effective ways to share best practice across the team and establish this behaviour


• Partner with the business analysts to ensure clear understanding of the local market and hence the needs, from a Commercial Operations perspective, to support the country success.


• Ensure clear communication of local country needs to the regional and global Commercial Operation Teams with clear prioritization of needs. Highlight critical gaps and needs


• Ensure clear understanding by the Business Analysts of the Global and Regional Commercial Operations Priorities, Initiatives and Roadmap.


• Contribute to the continuing evolution of the business information / CRM-systems platform and the effective utilization of these.


• Partner with the Business Analysts to support them in implementing Commercial Operations Activities consistently and effectively in their countries/clusters.  Be guided by Operational Excellence and work in partnership with Sales Strategy, Marketing Excellence and International Marketing to achieve this.  This should include SFE metrics, Cycle Planning, Sales Incentives


• Work with colleagues in Commercial Insights, Sales & Marketing Operations to ensure relevant KPIs are in place and are being tracked effectively across the region.  Support meaningful decision making based on the KPIs


• In collaboration with Regional and Global Commercial Operations Team, establish all the necessary dashboards to monitor performance KPIs for all the products across the Region and their effective usage.


• Work closely with Country Leadership & Business Analysts to implement new initiatives, where relevant, e.g. Key Account Management, Digital Detailing with relevant processes and measurement.


• Be the expert on all Commercial Operations Topics and hence a trusted partner for the Country Leadership Teams as well as the Business Analysts.


• Act as a strategic knowledge partner. Offer strategic insights based on in depth analysis, communicate these clearly, and ensure that these drive business decisions.


• Build a strong partnership with Commercial Insights colleagues to ensure insightful analyses and regular presentations / reports, to stakeholders  highlighting integrated insights combining data from multiple sources, highlighting trends and variances for all the International markets 

• Be an expert on all compliance related topics impacting Commercial Operations activities and support implementation and updating of documents and processes.  Ensure appropriate training and implementation locally.


• Support business analysts in generation of an annual situational analysis per product/indication and work in partnership with all the other relevant departments within Commercial Operations regionally to ensure a high quality International Situation Analysis

• Respond with high quality to ad hoc project requests with a sense of urgency and fully addressing the needs of stakeholders


• The incumbent may be asked to perform other function-related activities in addition to the above mentioned responsibilities as reasonably required by business needs.

Qualifications

• 10+ years Commercial Operations or similar experience in bio-pharmaceutical industry


• Experience in leading SFE projects and delivering Commercial insights


• Demonstrated strategic partnership with local country and/or regional leadership teams


• Excellent interpersonal skills with a track record of effectiveness as a team player and project leader who can build strong professional relationships and gets results


• Experience as a team leader


• Strong experience leveraging quantitative techniques and statistical analyses to support and guide operational decisions


• Self-starter who demonstrates energy and enthusiasm, bringing a positive can-do approach to all challenges


• Strong communication skills  including insights presentations to senior management


• Experience leading teams and working with cross functional teams in a matrix organization

•     Demonstrated knowledge of secondary data sources relevant to pharmaceutical industry

•     Experience with quantitative techniques and statistical analyses

•     Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint

•     Experience using technology to work efficiently with datasets such as scripting and statistical software packages is a plus

  •     Solid conceptual thinking – ability to analyze large amounts of information and extract insights

•     Demonstrated critical thinking and analytical skills.  Ability to work with complex data sets, formulate an analysis plan to derive insights

•     Excellent project management skills and ability to manage multiple projects at any given point in time

•     Flexibility and ability to adapt to changing conditions

•     Detail-oriented

•     Fluency in English both written and oral mandatory, fluency in other languages is a plus

Education

Bachelor’s degree required, MBA preferred

Competencies

Functional/Technical:

• Leadership


• Problem solving


• Cross functional relationships


• Project management


• Analytical Skills

  Behavioral:

• Business Acumen


• Dealing with Ambiguity


• Process Management


• Managing Through Systems


• Conflict Management


• Organizational Agility


• Customer Focus


• Negotiating

As a leading employer in our industry, Alexion is proud to offer a highly competitive package of base and incentive compensation as well as a comprehensive benefits program designed to support the health, wellness and financial security of our employees and their families. Benefits include group medical, vision and dental coverage, group and supplemental life insurance, 401(k) with company match, tuition reimbursement, relocation assistance and much more. To learn more about Alexion, please visit www.alexionpharma.com or download our App for iPhones and Blackberries.

Alexion is an Equal Opportunity /Affirmative action employer   

Some opportunities happen only once in a lifetime – like a job where you have the extraordinary opportunity to change lives. At Alexion, such opportunities arise through our unwavering mission to serve patients and families affected by rare diseases. These patients are our guiding star, and we act with integrity, urgency, and discipline because we know their lives are at stake.

Alexion is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on serving patients and families affected by rare diseases through the discovery, development and commercialization of life-changing therapies. As the global leader in complement biology and inhibition for more than 20 years, Alexion has developed and commercializes the first and only approved complement inhibitor to treat patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), and anti-acetylcholine receptor (AchR) antibody-positive generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG). Alexion also has two highly innovative enzyme replacement therapies for patients with life-threatening and ultra-rare metabolic disorders, hypophosphatasia (HPP) and lysosomal acid lipase deficiency (LAL-D). In addition, the company is developing two late-stage therapies, a second complement inhibitor and a copper-binding agent for Wilson disease. Alexion focuses its research efforts on novel molecules and targets in the complement cascade and its development efforts on the core therapeutic areas of hematology, nephrology, neurology, and metabolic disorders. Alexion has been named to the Forbes list of the World's Most Innovative Companies seven years in a row and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts' Innovation District. The company also has offices around the globe and serves patients in more than 50 countries.

Alexion's aspiration is to be the most rewarding place to work, where people are empowered to make a difference and where diversity of backgrounds and ideas is encouraged. We are looking for talented individuals who share our passion and commitment to change the lives of patients with rare diseases. We hope you will consider joining our team. Further information about Alexion can be found at: www.alexion.com.