Global Head of Communications, Vaccines

• Grade: LE1.1
• Hiring Manager: Thomas Triomphe
• Location: Lyon, France
• 20 % of travel expected
• Job type: Permanent

About the job

Sanofi Vaccines plays a key role as a public health partner in the fight against both pandemic and endemic infectious diseases worldwide.

Our Team:

The Global Vaccines Communication team contributes to the success of Sanofi vaccines, strengthening and preserving our reputation in the field of prevention and engaging employees and external communities on the value of vaccination. We are impact-focused, results-driven, and we never settle for good enough. 

The Global Vaccines Communications team leads all global business, product, pipeline, and internal communications with the aim of protecting and promoting the global reputation of the Vaccines business. They engage and closely collaborate with Sanofi’s communications team at the corporate level and around the world, ensuring global cohesion and strategic localization.

The Global Head of Vaccines Communications is a critical leadership role, serving in a senior, strategic capacity on both the Vaccines leadership team and the enterprise-wide corporate affairs leadership team. The Global Head of Vaccines Communications will serve as a member of the Vaccines Executive Committee and will report to the Global EVP of Vaccines.

Main responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership

• Design and develop a global, long-term, forward-looking communications strategy that aligns with and helps drive the overall business objectives and the reputation of Sanofi Vaccines.
• Turn the strategy into clearly articulated, actionable communications plans with key deliverables which are monitored and measured for maximum impact.
• Develop an integrated, coordinated approach to communications across the vaccines business globally, ensuring specific support to product divisions and regions while delivering consistency of message and strategic coordinated initiatives that best showcase the company and support commercial success.
• Work in partnership with business and functional leaders to evolve the business and to advise on communications internally and externally designed to successfully (re)position products, launch new innovative vaccines and immunizations, and ensure that Sanofi Vaccines remains a globally inspiring and successful business.
• Act as a true organizational leader, demonstrate an understanding of Sanofi’s underlying business goals and “Play to Win” strategy, providing input beyond core communications competencies.
• Serve as a trusted adviser to the Vaccines Executive Committee.

Communications Expertise

• Lead the communications strategy for all business priorities and initiatives, integrating messaging across all channels and creating momentum through relevant and innovative outreach.
• Define the product communications strategy for the key assets of the Vaccines business and help secure implementation around the world.
• Develop and drive best-in-class reputation management strategies, plans and capabilities to identify and address relevant issues and to protect and enhance the reputation of Sanofi Vaccines.
• Collaborate with our People & Culture team to deliver a compelling series of engagements across the business, designed to educate, inspire, surprise, and delight employees around the world
• Develop and drive a compelling best-in-industry approach to employee communications at the global level, leveraging in-person, digital, and hybrid communications moments across the year
• Ensure a proactive, dynamic, and creative approach to product and brand building and positioning, effectively positioning products and always integrating digital into the approach.
• Provide accountability for issues and crisis management for the Vaccines business, enhancing and protecting the Sanofi brand globally and specifically Vaccines products.

Team Leadership

• Lead, manage and develop the Global Vaccines Communications team, both strategically and operationally, to continue their development and positioning as a trusted business partner for the company.
• Attract, develop, motivate, and retain an outstanding, diverse, high-performing group of communications professionals through effective leadership, recruitment, training, development, and succession planning.
• Through skills and needs assessments, and a culture of active feedback, create an environment that empowers creativity, collaboration, and that never settles for good enough.

About you

Experience:

• Senior leader in global communications / corporate affairs, with proven experience in strategic planning, global communications, management of teams, and strong influencing skills in a global, complex, and highly matrixed environment.
• Prior product launch experience is preferred.
• Previous vaccines/public health experience is not necessary, but an interest in vaccines science, a belief in the value of vaccines, and an understanding of public health is required.

Soft skills:

• Excellent collaboration, negotiation and influencing skills; ability to counsel and interface successfully with senior executives and communications peers; ability to network and work cross-functionally and cross-geographies; a strong focus on measurable impact, results-oriented, can-do attitude; accountability and reliability; ability to manage budget and timelines; team management; strong reactivity and commitment; strong planning and organizational skills.

Technical skills:

• Ability to translate global business goals into global communication objectives; expertise in communication concepts, practices, strategies, and tactics based on understanding of key audiences and corporate objectives; an understanding of earned media engagement and paid social media strategy; excellent English language verbal and written communication skills; experience with external and internal communication; an understanding of employee engagement strategies; a strong understanding of social media platforms, strategies, and formats.

Languages: Fluent English, French is a plus

Pursue progress, discover extraordinary

Better is out there. Better medications, better outcomes, better science. But progress doesn’t happen without people – people from different backgrounds, in different locations, doing different roles, all united by one thing: a desire to make miracles happen. So, let’s be those people.

At Sanofi, we provide equal opportunities to all regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, or gender identity.

Watch our ALL IN video and check out our Diversity Equity and Inclusion actions at sanofi.com!