Regional Managing Director — Specialty-Medicines Portfolio

The mandate

A specialty-medicines portfolio may receive regional approval within a narrow window, but country readiness is uneven. Some affiliates have mature payer and diagnostic pathways; others assume global teams will solve local evidence, supply and capability late. The board has created an urgent new Regional Managing Director seat to convert one launch strategy into executable country choices.

Approximately 1,125 employees and material partners span medical, market access, commercial, regulatory, supply and enabling teams from Basel across the wider region. The Managing Director owns regional P&L, countries, launch readiness, capital, leadership and performance, reporting to the Group board and Group Chief Executive. Regulatory, medical and safety authority remains appropriately independent.

The first task is a country readiness truth. Approval probability alone does not establish launchability. Diagnostic capacity, specialist centres, payer route, price sequence, product supply, medical education and patient support differ. The Regional Managing Director will set evidence-based readiness levels and stop affiliates from marking milestones complete through presentation rather than operation.

Country sequence should reflect patient and value opportunity. An early launch with poor access or incomplete centres may consume supply and reputation. Delaying every smaller market until the largest is ready may deny patients unnecessarily. The leader will recommend waves using regulatory, access, supply, capability and reference-pricing effects.

Payer engagement needs a coherent value story with local evidence. Country teams will adapt within approved scientific and economic boundaries. The Regional Managing Director will ensure assumptions about comparators, eligible populations and budget impact are current. Commitments to outcomes or discounts require data and operating capability.

Medical readiness includes specialist identification, disease education, evidence response and appropriate field boundaries. The leader will not pressure medical colleagues to support commercial timing. Instead, cross-functional plans should expose what legitimate scientific exchange and evidence preparation must occur before launch.

Supply allocation will be governed by real access and patient need. Forecasts are likely to be uncertain, with small high-value populations and potential diagnostic delays. The region will use transparent allocation, buffer and expiry rules. Country optimism or influence cannot override documented readiness and continuity.

Patient-support programmes require design before demand. Eligibility, consent, vendor, adverse-event intake, data, continuity and exit must be governed. The Regional Managing Director will ensure programmes solve a real pathway problem and do not become promotional substitutes or unmanageable commitments.

Commercial capability will be staged. Field, account, access and service roles should build against approval and payer triggers, with training and certification. Partners may provide reach where permanent infrastructure is uneconomic. Contracts need conduct, data, quality and exit provisions.

Investment choices will be regional. Affiliates submit events, digital, data and service requests that exceed the envelope. The leader will fund the few capabilities most likely to improve appropriate access or launch execution and stop duplicated local development. Common platforms should not erase necessary language and system differences.

Daily launch governance will focus on decisions and dependencies. Country leaders own readiness and escalate blocked items. Regional functions enable and challenge, not take over. The Managing Director will personally resolve cross-country supply, reference-price, centre and capability conflicts.

Downside plans are required. Delayed approval, restricted label, payer refusal or supply constraint should trigger pre-agreed actions on workforce, spend and sequencing. Countries must understand which commitments are reversible. Planning only for success increases both cost and disruption.

The role will build one regional leadership culture while retaining country accountability. Leaders should share adverse information early, lend scarce expertise and accept transparent capital choices. Hoarding knowledge or inflating readiness to protect investment will have consequence.

What you will own

• Regional P&L, country leadership and launch sequence.
• Market readiness, payer and access strategy.
• Medical-commercial operating boundaries.
• Supply allocation and demand scenarios.
• Patient-support and partner governance.
• Capability build, capital and downside plans.
• Board launch assurance and regional decisions.
• Leadership and succession.

The first 12 months

Within 45 days, test country readiness, identify false-complete milestones and resolve immediate supply or access dependencies. Recommend the regional wave sequence.

By month six, certify launch teams, complete payer and patient-support readiness and stage capital against regulatory triggers. Run restricted-label and delayed-approval simulations.

At twelve months, achieve 95% evidenced completion of priority launch gates, secure access decisions within plan in at least 80% of first-wave markets and keep launch investment within 5% of the trigger-based envelope. No country should launch without qualified supply, adverse-event intake and accountable patient-support continuity.

What the board will examine

• Country readiness evidenced beyond milestone colour.
• Launch sequence reflecting access and reference effects.
• Supply allocated by patient need and readiness.
• Medical independence protected during urgency.
• Spend changing when approval scenarios change.
• Country leaders owning rather than outsourcing readiness.

The person

You bring 28+ years in pharmaceuticals and recent regional president, managing director or portfolio P&L authority in specialty medicines. Your record includes launches across several European or international markets, payer access, supply allocation and country leadership.

Candidates should show a market they delayed despite approval and a smaller country they accelerated because patient and pathway evidence justified it. The permanent role is onsite in Basel with extensive regional travel.

Compensation and terms

Base compensation is CHF 500,000–700,000 plus annual incentive and long-term participation linked to launch readiness, access, supply, regional value and leadership. The permanent onsite Basel appointment reports to the Group board and Group Chief Executive. The urgent new role precedes active country launch decisions.

Confidentiality

The enterprise, asset, label, markets, payers, supply, patient programmes and readiness evidence remain confidential. Further material follows conflicts and signed confidentiality. Applicants must not contact affiliates, clinicians or payers to identify the client.