External Communications Manager

Your chance to join a best in class External Affairs team on a 1-year contract
- Your opportunity to work in a business-critical role that drives impact across the organisation
- Lead the external communications strategy to support our goal of providing Australian patients with access to innovative medicines

The External Affairs team drives engagement with key stakeholders to improve patient access to innovative medicines and vaccines.

**Role Overview**:
Your primary responsibility as the External Communications Manager is to lead the company’s external communications strategy and support the goal of providing Australian patients with timely and affordable access to innovative medicines.

Your ability to shape the external environment to support the company’s market access and public policy objectives is critical to the successful execution of this role. You will advance corporate reputation and support the launch of new products through the development of strategic communications campaigns and tactics.

The External Communication Manager sits within the Market Access and Policy Team and reports to the Head of External Affairs.

**What will you do**:

- You will develop and execute the communication strategies to support
advocacy objectives that advance patient access to medicines.
- You will liaise with national media outlets and journalists as company’s first point of contact for media inquiries and be responsible for developing communications related to new product launches, therapeutic area related campaigns and patient disease awareness, focusing on critical therapeutic areas such as oncology.
- You will be extensively involved in preparing media briefs, talking points, and speeches to support the Country’s Leadership Team.
- You will provide communications advice to the Country Leadership Team and relevant business units and participate as a critical contributor to external affairs and lead the development of integrated communications strategies.
- You will ensure media activities align with local and global code of conduct and compliance expectations and will be responsible for crisis management communications.

**What should you have**:

- You have a formal qualification in communications or a related discipline and experience working within the media environment.
- You have well developed networks within media or government and have an expert-level understanding of the Australian system of government.
- You have prior experience and proven ability to develop and implement communications strategies to support complex advocacy campaigns.
- You are an excellent communicator, have outstanding interpersonal skills, and can work effectively and cohesively within cross-functional teams.

**Who we are**

We are known as Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey, USA in the United States and Canada and MSD everywhere else. For more than a century, we have been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Today, our company continues to be at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions and advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and animals around the world.

**What we look for**

In a world of rapid innovation, we seek brave Inventors who want to make an Impact in all aspects of our business, enabling breakthroughs that will affect generations to come. We encourage you to bring your disruptive thinking, collaborative spirit and diverse perspective to our organization.

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing diverse, talented, and committed people together. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when diverse ideas come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.

**Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully**

**Employee Status**:
Regular

**Relocation**:
No relocation

**VISA Sponsorship**:
**Travel Requirements**:
**Flexible Work Arrangements**:
**Shift**:
**Valid Driving License**:
**Hazardous Material(s)**:
**Number of Openings**:
1
**Requisition ID**:R200077