Flu & COVID Head - UKIE
Location: Reading, United Kingdom
About the job
As Flu & COVID Head UKIE within our Vaccines UKIE MCO team, you will lead the strategic management and performance of the Flu & COVID Vaccines Franchise across the UK and Ireland markets, playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of respiratory vaccine protection.
Working closely with the Vaccines General Manager UKIE and Business Unit Heads of Sales, you will ensure the franchise strategy is clearly defined and effectively executed to deliver strong patient outcomes, excellent customer experience, and sustainable financial performance. You will collaborate extensively with internal stakeholders (Global, Key Markets, Domestic) and external partners (Policy Makers, KOLs, individual HCPs), while acting as a trusted partner to the General Manager and a change agent for our Play to Win culture.
Join the team protecting half a billion lives every year through next-generation science, mRNA innovation, and AI-driven breakthroughs. In Vaccines, you will help advance prevention at scale and shape the future of immunisation globally.
About Sanofi
We’re an R&D-driven, AI-powered biopharma company committed to improving people’s lives and delivering compelling growth. Our deep understanding of the immune system – and innovative pipeline – enables us to invent medicines and vaccines that treat and protect millions of people around the world. Together, we chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives..
Main responsibilities:
- Develop and deliver a comprehensive Flu & COVID Franchise Strategy for the UK and Ireland, aligned with Global direction and local patient, market, and public health requirements.
- Lead the successful launch of Nuvaxovid (recombinant protein COVID-19 vaccine with Matrix-M adjuvant) planned for 2026, ensuring full launch readiness, market access strategy, policy engagement, and commercial execution across the UK.
- Drive continued market share growth of Supemtek and Sanofi’s HD-enhanced flu vaccines through the “Protection Beyond Flu” strategy, expanding penetration of differentiated vaccines and strengthening performance in key segments.
- Lead and develop a small marketing team, coordinating the cross-functional implementation of UKIE Flu & COVID Franchise Strategies over the short and medium term to achieve commercial, budget, and P&L objectives.
- Direct the implementation of sales strategy and field-based execution through the Head of Sales.
- Develop and maintain strong strategic relationships with key vaccines customers, including Policy Makers, KOLs, Patient Associations, and individual HCPs.
- Build effective partnerships with internal stakeholders across Global, Key Markets, and Domestic teams.
- Partner closely with the Head of Vaccines Ireland to ensure the Ireland strategy is defined and successfully implemented.
- Actively contribute to the Vaccines Leadership Team by accelerating Play to Win behaviours, fostering a high-performance mindset, and raising performance expectations.
- Provide effective leadership and people management to unlock team potential, strengthen capabilities, and maximize overall performance.
About you
Main Requirements:
Experience
- Significant experience within the pharmaceutical and/or vaccines industry, with progressive leadership responsibility.
- Demonstrated experience in franchise management, brand strategy, or senior commercial roles within the healthcare sector.
- Proven experience leading product launches and shaping market access strategies.
- Strong track record of building, leading, and managing high-performing teams with clear accountability for results.
- Deep understanding of the UK and Ireland healthcare systems, including immunisation policy and stakeholder landscape.
- Extensive experience across marketing, brand planning and execution, customer engagement, digital engagement, channel management, and omnichannel strategies.
Skills:
- Strategic thinker with strong business acumen and a proven ability to translate strategy into execution.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate across functions, geographies, and cultures.
- Strong leadership capabilities with a collaborative and inclusive leadership style.
- Highly analytical and numerate, with strong organizational and project management skills.
- Ability to prioritize effectively, manage complexity, and work independently with a high level of accountability.
- Excellent negotiation, communication, and presentation skills.
- High levels of drive, passion, and ambition to deliver optimal outcomes for patients, customers, and the business.
.
Languages: Fluent English required.
Why choose us?
- Work at the forefront of AI-driven research, smart manufacturing, and groundbreaking mRNA platforms that are redefining the future of immunology.
- Help protect half a billion people every year, contributing to one of the largest global vaccination efforts in healthcare.
- Develop your career with access to mentoring, international mobility programs, and opportunities to grow across four continents.
- Help shape immunization policy and drive public health outcomes in the UK & Ireland.
- Join a workplace where diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the core, with Employee Resource Groups and leadership programs that celebrate every voice.
Pursue Progress. Discover Extraordinary.
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. You can be one of those people. Chasing change, embracing new ideas and exploring all the opportunities we have to offer. Let’s pursue progress. And let’s discover extraordinary together.
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!
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, ability or gender identity.
Watch our ALL IN video and check out our Diversity Equity and Inclusion actions at sanofi.com!