Head Market Access

Head of Market Access, Greater Gulf MCO

• Location: Riyadh, KSA/ Dubai, UAE
• 40 % Remote working and 20 % of travel expected
• Job type: Permanent, Full time,

About the job

At Sanofi, we are an innovative global healthcare company united by one mission: chasing the miracles of science to improve people’s lives. Our Specialty Care division is dedicated to addressing the needs of patients with complex conditions, including immunology, rare diseases, blood disorders, neurology, and oncology.

The Head of Market Access will work with Sanofi Greater Gulf leadership to lead and drive Access strategy for the greater Gulf. This role has a strategic importance in Sanofi and is very critical to the success of new asset launch. The role has leadership responsibility within the Market Access function which includes HEVA (Health Economics & Value Assessment), Pricing and NHS Engagement Teams. The role sits with Leadership group of Country Lead Functions.

Main Responsibilities:

Business Partnering and Leadership

• Provide strategic counsel to the business across all portfolio and pipeline medicines to support Sanofi’s market access offering.
• Partner with key stakeholders globally and locally to inform strategic decision making across Sanofi’s launch brands.
• Proactively identify market access opportunities for the organisation through effective planning, horizon scanning and development of financially sound business proposals
• Work cross functionally to input into and shape brand and business planning and ensure all systems and processes are adhered to
• Showcase leadership across the External Affairs function and wider business, demonstrating a deep understanding of the policy environment for life sciences companies operating in the greater gulf, and work cross functionally to develop and deliver robust strategic plans to support achievement of Sanofi greater Gulf business goals.
• Shape and drive the development of new policies and/or changes to current policies where these would benefit Sanofi greater gulf portfolio and pipeline and keep the business updated on policy changes impacting our therapy areas.
• Establish relationships with, or reliable access to, key payor stakeholders and related influence groups that impact access to our portfolio for healthcare providers and patients.
• Ability to develop contacts and relationships throughout key institutions from operational to strategic and executive levels.
• Understand the key players in these organisations and be able to positively drive the business with these players
• Leveraging AI and omnichannel tools to ensure improvement in ways of working and bringing innovation.
• Drive capability building, upskilling initiatives and execution excellence in market access, pricing and health-economics.
• Responsible to lead, direct and coach Market Access department team members
• Responsible for attracting, recruiting, training and retention of talent.
• Ensure that team members are continuously trained, empowered & motivated to meet their objectives & maximize their potential productivity in the correct, compliant manner.
• Actively seek out training & development assignments for individuals who are capable of advancing to more responsible positions in accordance with Sanofi career and talent development programs.
• Responsible for the enhancement of the engagement of team members and collaborate with other departments and Global peers to implement the agreed upon plan of action

Strategic partnerships and delivery of HEOR and HTA strategy

• Develop effective strategic business partnerships with key payers and regulatory bodies involved in HTA and economic evaluations, including SFDA, DOH, MOH KSA, Saudi Council for health insurance, etc. and other stakeholders and related agencies.
• Define and coordinate the implementation of HEOR strategy in order to facilitate/obtain access for strategic brands and new launches
• Lead the team to develop and deliver high quality HTA submission dossiers to key payers and related HTA activities such as advisory boards.
• Organise, attend, and present at Advisory Board meetings to support clinical understanding and inform HTA submissions (including HTA Advisory Boards, Payer Advisory Board, Clinician/Nurse Advisory Boards)
• Map the influencing networks within and between horizon scanning and HTA organisations in a geographic area.
• Develop outcome scenarios for all HTA product specific projects and lead option analysis and decision making.
• Represent greater gulf at public meetings and conferences and feedback key points into the company to support strategic decision making and planning.
• Maintain a forward work planner to ensure that all groups are provided with information at a time relevant to their key decision points.

National and Sub-national Commissioning

• Understand the optimal pricing and market access approach (including clinical evidence versus standard of care, budget impact, Cost Effectiveness, Payer attitudes, Reference Pricing, at national and sub-national levels.
• Support Business Units and Business & Customer Excellence teams with national, regional and hospital level tenders where relevant
• Work closely with internal stakeholders to ensure timely and accurate submission of tender prices in line with the Global pricing policiess.
• Ensure local market access priorities are reflected in cross-functional brand plans
• Proactive horizontal leadership and alignment
• Establish relationships with, or reliable access to, key payor stakeholders and related influence groups that impact access to our portfolio for healthcare providers and patients.
• Ability to develop contacts and relationships throughout key institutions from operational to strategic and executive levels. Understand the key players in these organisations and be able to skilfully influence these players to drive specific business objectives.
• Builds strong relationships with organisation and industry peers to strengthen Greater Gulf image, competitive position and performance.
• Effective stakeholder management with key external partners including but not limited to patient advocacy groups, clinicians, trade association, etc.

Pricing & Commercial Strategy

• Primarily responsible for developing optimal pricing and market access strategies for pipeline products and in-line brands.
• This role will play a key part in developing pre-launch plans and securing resources from Local/Global to support effective preparations for launching new brands.
• Create and/or follow-up Market Access strategies (value propositions, innovative contracting schemes, RWE generation, etc.) in order to accelerate favorable decisions towards Sanofi’s brands.
• Manage Sanofi’s product pricing with Finance team and liaise with Commercial teams for effective planning.
• Work closely with Finance and Commercial Team to ensure correct interpretation and capturing of sub-national discounts in relation to net pricing.
• Review re-pricing / renewal requirements for countries considering price referencing in the region, provide recommendations and agree on decisions to minimize the impact on the region
• Work closely with BUs to agree on the strategies needed to optimize current list prices. Ensure sustainability of long-term pricing strategy for in line products.
• Lead and support negotiations with local authorities pricing proposal to achieve the recommended price level.
• Track and follow-up impact of pricing decisions and continuously adjust in order to maximize business opportunity.
• Develop and implement local SOP to define and coordinate price decisions for Gulf / Levant

Steer Health Economic and Value Assessment analysis

• Lead the team to ensure quality assessment of health economics modelling and broader value assessment of the different products and solutions to drive evidence-led decision-making from recommending bodies to optimize positioning of Sanofi products value proposition with payers and influencers.
• Promote a culture of innovation in HEVA, including a clear view on data sourcing strategy through to best-in-class methodology adoption and development including technology and AI.
• Build Sanofi reputation externally, with payers and influencers, as a best-in-class HEVA practitioners. 

About you

Education: Master level degree e.g. in health economics, pharmacology or similar preferably complemented with an MBA

Technical skills

• Acumen of existing and emerging market access stakeholders and influencers in greater gulf (and understanding of the evolutions/implications for business).
• Understanding of payer value drivers and anticipation of payer objections.
• Experience in development of integrated market access strategies and plans, aimed at delivering the product differentiation most relevant to Sanofi.
• Track record of delivering positive measurable impact on the franchise/brand financials
• Experience of health economics analysis and how the value proposition is delivered to key recommending bodies.
• 15 years of successful pharmaceutical experience including relevant experience of minimum 5 years in Access / health economics / pricing and with minimum of 5 years in people managerial capacity, preferably in Market Access and or related functions.
• Greater Gulf market experience is a plus
• Proficient in written and spoken English, Arabic is an advantage.

Leadership skills

• Strong strategic and leadership skills as well as analytical skills to translate clinical information and messages into access strategies.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work well in a cross-functional team, across functions, countries and cultures.
• Senior leadership experience and at the executive level.
• Strong drive and results-orientation.
• Ability to transform team organization and ways of working and engage teams in transformation.

Soft Skills:

• Strategic Vision: The ability to develop and communicate a clear vision aligning business and goals with patient-centric outcomes.
• Inspirational Leadership: Proven ability to lead and motivate high-performing teams, cultivating an environment of innovation, trust, and accountability.
• Change Leadership: Comfortable leading teams through change and transformation, including adoption of new technologies, digital strategies, and ways of working.
• Relationship Building & Influencing: Skilled at building strong relationships across internal teams and with key external stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, patient advocacy groups, and regulatory bodies.

What We Offer:

• Opportunity for Impact: Join a leading global healthcare company and take a leading role in transforming the lives of MS patients.
• Leadership Growth: Lead an engaged and high-performing team while contributing to the broader strategic direction of Sanofi Specialty Care.
• Innovative and Collaborative Culture: Be part of a forward-thinking, collaborative environment that encourages innovation and continuous learning.
• Competitive Compensation: A comprehensive salary package, benefits, and professional development opportunities.