Associate Director, Global Public Affairs

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions 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, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. 

     The Associate Director, International Public Affairs, Immunology is an opportunity to apply communications and engagement strategy skills for the benefit of patients on an international scale. This role serves as the lead communications and advocacy engagement strategist for AbbVie’s international rheumatology organization. This person will collaborate with and lead AbbVie’s in-country communicators in applying an understanding of the company’s brand and pipeline strategies to generate communication platforms that are carried out around the world to drive patient engagement, enhance visibility for AbbVie’s therapeutic area leadership, elevate understanding of differentiation of our pipeline, and protect AbbVie’s reputation. Reporting to the Director of International Public Affairs, Immunology, this person will serve as the strategic communications lead on international brand teams for two on-market medicines and among in-country communicators around the world.

     The successful candidate will have experience working in a matrix organization, managing global public relations agencies, and collaborating with healthcare advocacy groups to drive impact for patients.  This position requires a demonstrated ability to build relationships, engage with geographically diverse teams, execute against a global above-brand strategy with defined brand-level nuances, and set priorities among competing objectives, while working in a fast-paced, but highly rewarding patient-centered environment.  

Responsibilities:

• Develop and apply strong understanding of enterprise businesses and therapeutic area, industry, and external landscape to provide communications strategic counsel to in-country communicators and functional and franchise management teams.
• Foster strong relationships with and provide strategic communications counsel to senior leaders of AbbVie’s international rheumatology business and collaborate with global brand team and cross functional partners to set and achieve brand goals, and communicate progress, changes, and milestones.
• Deliver a cohesive, three-year public affairs and advocacy engagement plan to support AbbVie’s global rheumatology therapeutic area objectives and uphold AbbVie’s reputation by engaging with multiple cross-functional partners to understand diverse functional perspectives, mitigate issues and elevate reputation.
• Lead patient advocacy strategy and collaboration with international rheumatology advocacy groups.
• Oversee the refinement of 2025 annual integrated communications and advocacy engagement plans to support business objectives. Obtain internal stakeholder alignment, management approval, and secure resources to execute future plans. Oversee public relations and creative agency teams in the execution of 2024 tactical program elements and ensure deliverables are on time/on budget.
• Partner with R&D Communications on scientific data disclosures for on-market brands to differentiate AbbVie’s rheumatology brands and to elevate AbbVie’s pipeline among external public stakeholders.
• Lead issues management communications for AbbVie’s international rheumatology franchise and serve as a strategic advisor for in-country communications teams managing local issues.
• Serve as spokesperson for designated brands and the public affairs lead in related international brand teams. Oversee the identification, development, and skill maintenance of internal and third-party spokespeople. Engage and interact with media, thought leaders and key opinion leaders, and advise in-country communications teams as needed on local media engagements.
• Oversee results reporting for the therapeutic area and serve as the accountable lead for results generated within the rheumatology public affairs function.
• Hybrid work model - 3 days in office (Mettawa)/2 days remotely

Significant Work Activities: Continuous sitting for prolonged periods (more than 2 consecutive hours in an 8 hr day) is required

• Required:
  • A minimum of a bachelor’s degree is required (emphasis in communications, marketing, business, public relations, or journalism preferred).
  • A minimum of 8+ years of experience in communications and or marketing, preferred public relations agency or pharmaceutical in-house communications positions with increasing responsibility, or similar roles in regulated industries.
  • 2 years of experience developing and leading multi-year strategic communications plans that are aligned with business objectives
  • Strong critical thinking skills, and a proactive self-starter who can work independently and in teams within a matrix environment
  • Excellent networking and relationship building skills
  • Demonstrated experience planning and executing holistic, integrated marketing communications platforms for international audiences
  • Experience leading geographically diverse teams in executing against common strategies in pursuit of defined goals
  • Demonstrated ability to operate in a matrix environment and serve as the functional representative on multiple teams
  • Ability to travel domestically and internationally
• Preferred:
  • Master’s Degree or other postgraduate work
  • Extensive experience working with Senior Management and Customers
  • Experience managing healthcare advocacy group relationships to collaborate toward shared objectives
  • Experience leading data/science communications for established and emerging scientific areas
  • Demonstrated understanding of the global access and reimbursement environment and experience driving strategies to expand patient access to medicines globally
  • Strong experience applying digital/rich media strategy as a component of broader stakeholder activation campaigns
  • Experience generating insights in social and patient stakeholder research, and applying those insights to drive public affairs strategies on a global scale

Applicable only to applicants applying to a position in any location with pay disclosure requirements under state or local law: ​

• The compensation range described below is the range of possible base pay compensation that the Company believes in good faith it will pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors including geographic location, and we may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future.​

• We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick), medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.​

• This job is eligible to participate in our short-term incentive programs. ​

• This job is eligible to participate in our long-term incentive programs​

Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, incentive, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole and absolute discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole and absolute discretion, consistent with applicable law. ​

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives, serving our community and embracing diversity and inclusion.  It is AbbVie’s policy to employ qualified persons of the greatest ability without discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment because 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, status as a protected veteran, or any other legally protected group status.

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