The MENA Cluster Head is the commercial leader for the company’s business in the region, with full accountability for driving sustainable long-term topline and market share growth and profitability in line with the Global Emerging Markets strategy. Reporting to the Vice President – Asia, Middle East & Africa, this role is responsible for setting the local business strategy, optimizing resource allocation, driving the development of critical competitive capabilities, and overseeing financial stewardship to achieve accelerated growth.

At DNA Recruitment, we carefully review all applications and aim to contact every suitable candidate within max. 5 working days. If you don’t hear from us, please consider your application unsuccessful on this occasion.

Responsibilities

• Understand the Market Dynamics, Accessible Channels, and Go to Market.
• Leverage internal market modeling framework to create bottom-up market size assessment.
• Conduct a comprehensive market analysis, identifying key growth opportunities and emerging trends in the region.
• Research and document patient pathways and key patient touch points.
• Understand the consumer need states, category segmentation, and brand implications.
• Establish a robust competitor monitoring system, tracking pricing, marketing activities, and new product launches.
• Formulate Strategy and Align with Distributor Expectations.
• Develop a category growth strategy and vision to maximize revenue. Assess growth areas into new segments, new product launches, market/therapy development, market share gain…etc.
• Map key accounts and segmentation to formulate an optimal route to market model. Identify, track, and screen potential channel partners based on a segmentation plan – depending on portfolio, competencies, and/or geographic segmentation.
• Overlay market dynamics onto the distributor’s commercial structure and ensure growth vision, strategy, and investment plans are aligned and documented in the distribution agreement.
• Develop a network of KOLs to leverage their expertise for product evaluations, training programs, regional workshops, and clinical research initiatives.
• Design ProfEd. goals (workshops, local medical association partnerships, accredited courses) in alignment with overall market development objectives. Define distributor resourcing and deployment requirements.
• Develop and align comprehensive marketing campaigns, driving key marketing objectives around awareness creation and share gain among target audiences.
• Manage Distributor Relationships for High-Performance Execution.
• Conduct comprehensive product training sessions for distributors, in partnership with the company’s training resources. Maintain a periodic training calendar and log, ensuring they are ready to represent the brand in front of customers.
• Ensure availability of all sales and marketing tools and aids. Ensure sales and product information is periodically reviewed for relevance and freshness.
• Promptly respond to distributor queries, such as KOL requirements, sales objections, marketing/clinical needs…etc.
• Understand key growth levers and influence points. Match the distributor’s motivation program to maximize influence.
• Proactively lead a business development planning process that develops mutual performance objectives, financial targets, and critical milestones associated with a productive partnering relationship.
• Plan a comprehensive in-market travel schedule for performance management – segregate activities into those undertaken directly in the market and those undertaken with the distributor in the market.
• Create a mechanism for tracking major tenders and prompt support for submission documentation.
• Work with marketing to develop comprehensive competitor counter-messaging and embed this in ongoing training programs.
• Ensure continuous communication with distributors to follow up launches, relaunches and campaigns.
• Manage On-going Distributor Expectations.
• Periodically review performance and complete implementation of activities, including market performance (total and category), sales performance (YTD vs. LY vs. plan, forward stock cover, key issues, and key actions), marketing performance (actual execution vs. plan, effectiveness evaluation, timing, costs), distribution performance (coverage, inventory), demand generation & SFE (customer feedback, frequency of calls, pricing).
• Review secondary data with integrity from channel distributors to validate channel sell-out and inventory information.
• Perform one yearly compliance refresher training for all distributors.
• Conduct reviews from in-market travel and customer visits – align and document action plans for regular reviews.
• Identify the key communication flow and ensure market/distributor reporting reflects the flow.
• Align with Internal Stakeholders/Ecosystem.
• Communicate with regulations & compliance to ensure a smooth flow of launches, campaigns, and events.
• Work with RAQA on ensuring the market is updated with all registration requirements in operating countries, along with plans to register new products in selected countries of interest.
• Work with RAQA to ensure agreements are amended in accordance with the registered product listing to ensure alignment and approvals.
• Communicate closely with the supply chain to minimize back orders and meet the right shelf life supply expectations.
• Work with finance and legal teams on key transactional documents such as Letters of Credit and tender submission documents.

Requirements

• Significant P&L accountability and direct experience in general management, preferably in the healthcare industry.
• Working knowledge of the region’s economic and political environments, healthcare systems, and regulations. Proven track record in anticipating and effectively translating regulatory or business landscape changes into regional and local commercial strategies.
• Outstanding commercial acumen with a strong entrepreneurial mindset and results focus: identifying and translating ideas into revenue opportunities to deliver sustainable long-term growth in the region.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain effective and productive distributor relationships through contracting excellence and a partnership mindset.
• Experienced in managing a geographically dispersed team to create a high-performance culture, guiding, motivating, and inspiring teams to think outside of the box and create innovative solutions to meet business needs.
• Highly skilled at internal and external relationship building and management, and strong ability to influence senior leadership and diverse stakeholder groups.
• Ability to structure, influence, manage, and coordinate complex projects with multiple stakeholders in a matrix structure.
• Strong work ethic, values, and continuous improvement drive.
• Experience initiating and managing process improvements to customer support processes and procedures.
• Ability to represent the company with regulators and key industry stakeholders and at external industry events, contribute to expert panels and share white papers and best practices.
• Travel Requirements: Frequent travel within the region is required.
• Hybrid working – number of days per week in the office driven by business requirements as the company has a flexible approach to office working.

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