Head of Global External Affairs, Roche Diagnostics

At Roche you can show up as yourself, embraced for the unique qualities you bring. Our culture encourages personal expression, open dialogue, and genuine connections, where you are valued, accepted and respected for who you are, allowing you to thrive both personally and professionally. This is how we aim to prevent, stop and cure diseases and ensure everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Join Roche, where every voice matters. The Position Operating as the Head of Global External Affairs , you will be a pivotal member of the Quality, Regulatory & External Affairs (QR&E) global leadership team, with a direct reporting line to the Global Head of QR&E for Roche Diagnostics. This role serves as the senior global leader for Roche Diagnostics regarding policy architecture and high-stakes external stakeholder engagement, working closely with our regional and affiliate leaders. Leading dedicated global teams, you will position the organization as the authoritative voice for defining and harmonizing official policy across regulatory policy, healthcare, environmental, trade, and industry domains to drive Roche Diagnostics business priorities on key innovation and markets to serve. Furthermore, you will cultivate strategic alliances to advance these global positions, collaborating in lockstep with regional and country affiliates, Roche/Genetech Pharma and Group (as relevant) to implement a unified policy framework that accelerates enterprise business priorities for Roche Diagnostics. KEY ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES : Central Policy Setting & Governance Lead teams that serve as the central point for setting, maintaining, and governing Roche Diagnostics' official policy positions on critical topics, including: Trade & Industry Policy: Navigating supply chain resilience, tariff/trade agreements, security and defense policies, and broader medtech industry standards. Regulatory Policy: Influencing global IVD/medical device regulations, standards harmonization, pre/post-market pathways, and emerging technology regulations (e.g., AI, software, digital healthcare, RUO, companion diagnostics and LDTs). Healthcare Policy: Shaping diagnostic valuation, funding models, personalized healthcare, and health system transformation. Environmental Policy: Partner with the Diagnostics Product Sustainability and Compliance Team to drive sustainable healthcare initiatives, green manufacturing policies, and circular economy expectations. Develop and cascade a streamlined, simplified matrix of global policy positions designed to give internal and external stakeholders absolute clarity on Roche Diagnostics' stance. Champion enterprise-wide awareness regarding current and prospective healthcare trends influencing the business, while proactively managing high-stakes relationships with prominent global external bodies, including the WHO and OECD. Strategic Partnerships & External Engagement Act as the primary global representative and executive connector for Roche Diagnostics across regulatory entities, multilateral organisations, key external partners, and policy platforms outside the US. Partner closely with External Affairs International, Diagnostics US Government Affairs & Policy, Genentech's Head of US Public Affairs & Market Access, and key members of the Roche Diagnostics Leadership Team to socialize, clarify, and align policy stances, driving a unified "One Roche" approach that optimizes broader enterprise leverage. Create, nurture, and leverage high-impact external affairs partnerships with industry associations, international non-governmental organizations, and patient advocacy coalitions to advance Roche Diagnostics' strategic positions. Direct targeted advocacy strategies to ensure Roche Diagnostics proactively shapes the global policy agenda rather than reacting to it. Regional & Affiliate Alignment Affiliate Enabling: Work closely with regional and country-level teams to translate global policy positions into actionable local strategies, ensuring local execution directly advances global business priorities. Feedback Loop: Establish a robust global-to-local network to aggregate regional market insights, emerging country trends, and policy risks back into the central policy-setting process. Leadership & Culture Evolution Embody Roche's leadership vision as a Visionary (setting clear policy direction), Architect (building agile policy framework mechanisms), Catalyst (forging external alliances and removing local barriers), and Coach (empowering global and regional policy leads). Cross-Functional Integration: Collaborate seamlessly across the broader QR&E function, Diagnostics Division, Diagnostics affiliates, Pharma Division and affiliates, Commercial, Legal, and Corporate Sustainability to ensure enterprise-wide policy cohesion. KNOWLEDGE/ SKILLS/ATTRIBUTES : Advanced degree (Master’s, Ph.D., or JD) in Public Policy, Health Policy, International Relations, Law, Environmental Affairs, or Life Sciences. Minimum 15+ years of global or multi-regional leadership experience in External Affairs, Policy Setting, or Government Relations within the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD), Medical Device, or Pharmaceutical sectors. Proven track record of leading, mentoring, and developing high-performing global teams; skilled at building strong internal policy capabilities, fostering talent growth, and inspiring a collaborative culture within a complex, matrixed organization. Proven experience leading central policy development and successfully building multi-stakeholder partnerships across regulatory, healthcare, environmental, and trade domains. Demonstrated executive presence and media expertise, with a track record of influencing C-level executives, Board members, and key external global stakeholders while serving as an articulate spokesperson on complex policy matters. Exceptional strategic and analytical thinking skills with ability to simplify complex topics. Proven leadership skills,