Business Unit Head Rare Disease - GCC

About This Role

What You'll Do

• Develop and execute the GCC rare disease commercial strategy at the local level, in close alignment with regional and global teams
• Establish and lead high-performing cross-functional in-country teams, ensuring full launch readiness across medical, value & access, sales, and supply
• Drive the successful launch and expansion of therapies across SMA, including SMA HD, as well as ALS and FA
• Lead the development and execution of country-specific account plans to maximize patient access and organizational impact
• Collaborate with regional and global teams to adapt and localize marketing, medical, and value & access strategies to local market needs
• Lead local segmentation and targeting processes, ensuring effective resource allocation and execution
• Define and oversee local sales targets, incentive structures, and performance review processes for commercial teams
• Own full P&L responsibility for the Rare Disease Business Unit, delivering against financial and operational KPIs
• Build the necessary pathways and processes to accelerate approval, access, and reimbursement across GCC markets
• Ensure all launch activities are executed on time, on budget, and in compliance with internal governance and launch excellence frameworks
• Act as a key strategic partner to regional and global teams, providing insights on local market dynamics, opportunities, and challenges
• Establish strong governance and collaboration models with specialty business units to ensure alignment and effective use of shared resources
• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, payers, professional organizations, and patient advocacy groups
• Partner with local and regional functional leaders to design and execute effective stakeholder engagement strategies
• Strengthen and maintain the organization’s reputation within the rare disease community through trusted and compliant engagement

Who You Are

Required Skills

• 10+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical or biotech industry, with a significant number of years in a leadership role
• BSc/BA required (MBA preferred)
• Strong experience in rare diseases or specialty care strongly desired
• Proven track record of leading successful product launches across multiple markets, including pre-launch, launch readiness, and post-launch execution
• Demonstrated leadership experience building and managing high-performing cross-functional teams across multiple countries
• Proven ownership of full P&L, including delivering financial targets and performance management
• Deep expertise in market access, pricing, reimbursement, and healthcare systems within the GCC region
• Strong understanding of Saudi Arabia, with relevant experience working in the market
• Strong experience developing and executing local commercial strategies, including account planning, segmentation, and targeting
• Experience defining sales targets, incentive structures, and performance management frameworks
• Proven ability to drive approval, access, and reimbursement pathways in complex environments
• Experience working in matrix organizations, collaborating with regional and global stakeholders
• Fluent in Arabic and English, with high proficiency in commercial IT systems (e.g., CRM platforms)

Job Level: Management