Viatris UK Healthcare

At VIATRIS, we see healthcare not as it is but as it should be. We act courageously and are uniquely positioned to be a source of stability in a world of evolving healthcare needs.

Viatris empowers people worldwide to live healthier at every stage of life.

We do so via: 

Access – Providing high quality trusted medicines regardless of geography or circumstance;
Leadership – Advancing sustainable operations and innovative solutions to improve patient health; and 
Partnership – Leveraging our collective expertise to connect people to products and services. 
 

Our global portfolio includes best-in-class, iconic brand-name products as well as global key brands; generics, including branded and complex generics; and other offerings across a wide range of therapeutic areas. We are committed to helping create healthier communities worldwide through education, outreach and better access to treatment.

For those driven to live their lives with purpose, Viatris helps employees realise their full potential by creating a collaborative culture that fosters courage and resilience. Viatris is more than just a place to work. This is a place to make a difference in the world.

The Role & What You Will Be Doing

The incumbant is responsible for developing and driving best-in-class launch strategies and execution across the organization to ensure successful commercialisation of new products.

This is a strategic, agile, pro-active and execution oriented role and will be accountable for leading  the end-to-end process of bringing new launches to market. Ensuring all new launches land with impact, efficiency, and full cross-functional readiness.

This role is both strategic and operational: it serves as the central orchestrator for cross-functional launch delivery, acting as the key decision-maker in critical moments and providing hands-on leadership to ensure launches go live on time, in full, and in line with business and regulatory expectations. It brings structure, clarity, and momentum to complex programs of work, proactively identifying risks, resolving roadblocks, and influencing timelines as needed.

Leading cross-functionally with Global Product Launch, Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Artwork, Regulatory, Legal, Market Access and Customer Operations teams etc, acting as the critical link between global innovation and local delivery.The role also ensures strong alignment with global and regional teams, serving as the primary local point of contact to coordinate launch planning, manage interdependencies, and reflect country-specific needs within broader strategies.

As a member of the country leadership team, play a key role in shaping broader business strategy and influencing high-level decision-making. The role will include further portfolio development alongside the Country Management team, optimizing our portfolio through boh in-licensing, out-licensing and distribution deals.

Every day, we rise to the challenge to make a difference and here’s how the Head of Launch Excellence & Portfolio Development role will make an impact:

• Own the local product launch roadmap: Lead the planning and execution of all new product launches in the UK, ensuring alignment with global timelines and local priorities.

• Take full ownership of launch execution and readiness: Take accountability for strategy, execution, cross-functional readiness and risk-management ensuring every product launches on time, in full and first to market where applicable.

• Act as the key decision-maker throughout the launch process: Provide clear direction, make timely decisions, and take accountability for go/no-go calls, complex prioritization decisions, and escalation management to drive successful outcomes.

• Embed GTM excellence: Build scalable, repeatable product launch processes and frameworks, continuously improving GTM capabilities across the business.

• Drive strategic alignment: Serve as the local bridge between global and regional product teams and local market stakeholders, ensuring launches reflect both global vision and country-specific needs. This should include the reconciling of timelines and data between the various systems, including the finance records

• Influence cross-functional teams: Orchestrate efforts across Marketing, Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Sales, Finance, Commercial Operations, Legal, Compliance, Market Access and Regional Launch etc to ensure timely and successful launches.

• Prepare and submit business cases and launch documentation: Coordinate the creation and submission of high-quality business cases, launch readiness assessments, and other required documentation to secure internal approvals and enable successful launches.

• Provide project management leadership: Establish and drive structured project plans for each launch, ensuring clear milestones, accountability, and progress tracking across all contributing teams.

• Identify and mitigate risks: Proactively surface potential roadblocks or issues that may impact launch success, and apply structured problem-solving to resolve them early and effectively.

• Communicate proactively to the business: Own launch-related communications to internal stakeholders, including status updates, risk escalations and resolution, and post-launch reporting etc.

• Influence regulatory readiness and policy: Partner closely with legal, public policy, market access and compliance teams to ensure regulatory considerations are embedded early in launch planning. Proactively shape and influence timelines by engaging with internal stakeholders and external regulators (eg. Testing site selection, Regulatory approvals etc). Represent the business in discussions with external regulators when appropriate, advocating for enabling policy environments and product innovation.

• Ensure adherence to policies and procedures: Operate in full compliance with all internal governance frameworks, risk controls, and external requirements (eg. Regulatory, policy etc) throughout the launch lifecycle.

• Measure and optimize: Establish KPIs for launch success, drive pre and post-launch reviews, and iterate on future launches based on data and learnings.

• Represent Product Launches at the leadership level: Provide strategic input to the UK Leadership Team on how product launch and innovation can accelerate business goals and customer outcomes.

• Influence and Leadership : Ensure the team have what is needed to be successful for their deliverable targets and projects related to launches and make recommendations for future requirements. Be a role model for Viatris Culture within the teams they engage with.

• Portfolio Development & Optimisation :

  •  Strategic Product Acquisitions - Partner with country management and other EU peers to scout for new product opportunities that fit the company's strong local commercial platform. Prioritize late-stage, market-ready, or differentiated products that can scale quickly using existing commercial infrastructure.  Support with the evaluation for strategic fit of potential partners, considering market reach, commercial capabilities, and alignment with our product strategy. Support with maintaining a pipeline of high-priority licensing targets aligned with brand and therapy area strategy

  • Partnership and Alliance Management – Support country management with building and maintaining a local and regional network of potential external partners. Work with internal commercial, medical, regulatory, and legal teams to ensure licensing deals align with go-to-market capabilities and strategy.

About Your Skills & Experience

For this role, we’re looking for a candidate who has an effective combination of the following qualifications, skills and experiences:

• Degree qualification in a relevant field is preferred.

• Experience in Product Launch Management and/or any of the Technical Operational elements of product launches (eg. Reg, Quality, PV, Supply Chain etc)

• Understanding of the UK pharmaceutical market, including regulatory landscapes, product lifecycle management, and healthcare systems.

• Proven experience in leading complex, cross-functional programs at local and regional levels.

• Strong and proven project management skillset, with the ability to proactively manage deadlines, prioritization and implementation requirements, both individually and of others involved in the launch process.

• Leadership quality and excellent problem solving ability, with a pro-active approach and a can-do attitude.

• Strong overall communication and influencing skills at all levels, particularly in relation to ensuring successful product launches, and an ability to operate in a fast-paced and complex environment.

• Strong stakeholder management with internal cross functional teams and external customers.

At Viatris, we are dedicated to building a truly diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t fully align with every requirement, we still encourage you to apply. You may just be the right candidate for this or other roles.

What we offer:

• Top Employer Accreditation, demonstrating that we provide excellent people policies and practices

• Competitive compensation package inclusive of annual discretionary bonus

• Focus on career progression with growth and development opportunities

• Hybrid work model

• Emphasis on Health and Wellness programmes

• 100% paid medical insurance and Employee Assistance Programme

• Life cover

• Excellent employer-matched pension scheme with Viatris contributing up to 11%

• 2 paid volunteer days per year

Diversity & Inclusion at Viatris

At Viatris, diversity and inclusion are essential to our mission. The diversity we foster in all aspects of our business can be one of our greatest strengths in redefining healthcare not as it is, but as it should be. If you would like to know more about what diversity, equity and inclusion means to us, please visit https://www.viatris.com/en/Careers/Diversity-and-Inclusion

Sustainability at Viatris

Corporate social responsibility is fundamental to the Viatris mission. We work to advance responsible and sustainable operations and leverage our collective expertise to empower people to live healthier at every stage of life, recognizing that our actions affect the stakeholders and communities we serve. To learn more about our efforts, please visit https://www.viatris.com/en/about-us/corporate-responsibility

At Viatris, we offer competitive salaries, benefits and an inclusive environment where you can use your experiences, perspectives and skills to help make an impact on the lives of others. 

Viatris is an Equal Opportunity Employer.