DePuy Synthes is recruiting for a Director, QARA MEA, Distribution & Ops located in Dubai UAE or Zuchwil Switzerland or Oberdorf Switzerland

Job Overview 

The Director, QARA MEA, provides senior leadership for quality assurance and regulatory affairs across the Middle East and Africa region. This role is accountable for ensuring regulatory compliance, effective quality management system execution, and sustainable market access across a diverse and complex set of markets. 

This position plays a critical role in safeguarding patient safety, enabling compliant growth, and ensuring business continuity across MEA. The role partners closely with Commercial, Operations, Supply Chain, Legal, and Global QARA leaders to manage quality and regulatory risk while supporting product lifecycle excellence. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Lead and execute the Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs strategy across MEA markets in alignment with global QARA objectives and international business priorities. 

• Ensure ongoing compliance with country‑specific regulatory requirements, applicable international standards, internal policies, and DePuy Synthes quality management system requirements. 

• Provide strategic quality and regulatory guidance to support product registrations, renewals, variations, and full lifecycle management across the region. 

• Serve as the senior QARA escalation point for MEA Local Market Support addressing regulatory, quality, and compliance risks. 

• Partner with cross‑functional stakeholders including Commercial, Operations, Supply Chain, Legal, and Global QARA to support product launches, supply continuity, and portfolio optimization. 

• Monitor, interpret, and communicate regulatory, quality, and enforcement trends across MEA, proactively assessing business and patient safety impact. 

• Oversee and lead regulatory inspections, quality audits, and health authority interactions across the region, ensuring timely and effective responses. 

• Drive continuous improvement, harmonization, and simplification of QARA processes across MEA markets. 

• Lead, coach, and develop regional QARA leaders and teams, fostering a strong culture of quality, compliance, accountability, and performance. 

• Define distributor markets and design processes and systems that enable an efficient Distribution Management structure. 

Qualifications 

Education 

• Required: Bachelor’s degree in Regulatory Affairs, Life Sciences, Engineering, or a related discipline. 

• Preferred: Advanced degree or professional certification in Regulatory Affairs, Quality, or a related field. 

Experience and Skills 

Required: 

• 10–12 years of progressive experience in Quality Assurance and/or Regulatory Affairs within medical devices or other highly regulated industries. 

• Strong working knowledge of regulatory requirements, quality system standards, and enforcement practices across MEA markets. 

• Demonstrated experience leading multi‑country or regional QARA portfolios. 

• Proven ability to develop and execute integrated quality and regulatory strategies aligned with business objectives. 

• Experience operating effectively in global, matrixed organizations with senior executive stakeholder engagement. 

• Strong leadership presence, sound judgment, and decision‑making capabilities in complex regulatory environments. 

Preferred: 

• Experience supporting emerging market QARA operating models. 

• Experience working in multinational or matrixed organizations. 

• Direct exposure to regulatory inspections, quality audits, and health authority negotiations. 

• Demonstrated success driving QARA transformation, process improvement, or operating model change. 

• Background in orthopedics, medical devices, or other highly regulated healthcare environments. 

• Regulatory Affairs or Quality certification (e.g., RAC or equivalent). 

Other 

• Language: English required; additional regional languages preferred. 

• Travel: Moderate regional and occasional international travel across MEA markets. 

• Certifications: RAC or equivalent preferred but not required. 

Johnson & Johnson is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by federal, state or local law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Johnson & Johnson is committed to providing an interview process that is inclusive of our applicants’ needs. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation, external applicants please contact us via https://www.jnj.com/contact-us/careers, internal employees contact AskGS to be directed to your accommodation resource.

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