Head, State Government Affairs

Location: Remote

Your talent can bring our science to life!

The Head of State Government Affairs (SGA) will direct and oversee Government Affairs support for the U.S. Commercial business operation. This person will be a strong people leader with a demonstrated history of executing on vision and coaching an inspired team. This individual will have strong skills in analyzing, understanding, and translating complex legislative, regulatory and policy issues to advise on pending legislation, regulations, changes in key government policy and other government affairs matters pertinent to GSK, and will fully appreciate the relationship between enterprise needs and state policy.

The Head of State Government Affairs sits on the U.S. Commercial Government Affairs / Public Policy (GAPP) leadership team. This individual is expected to participate comprehensively in GSK’s state policy agenda, particularly developing strategic goals, providing resource recommendations, helping to grow and leverage the GSK Political Action Committee, and optimizing consultants. This position will focus planning, communicating, advocating, and executing a proactive state government affairs strategy that advances GSK / U.S. Commercial enterprise strategy as it relates to state legislation and policy, and fully recognizes the enterprise implications. This position will also work strategically to defeat or mitigate actions by local state offices and organizations that could negatively affect GSK’s business or patients.

This incumbent will proactively collaborate with internal partners on all aspects of state, alliance, and policy goals and will work closely with market access, medical, business unit, and legal colleagues, among others. This individual will demonstrate an ability to build sustaining, long-term strategic relationships and effectively communicate with internal and external stakeholders to deliver optimal value through strategy, alignment, and execution.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead a team of state lobbyists who Influence state legislation and regulation affecting GSK’s business interests in the following areas: Oncology, Vaccines, Specialty, Respiratory and HIV.
• Develop and maintain a thorough working knowledge of existing state policies affecting GSK across the U.S., including product access and reimbursement, sales and marketing restrictions, and Public Health initiatives.
• Rallies the team around the objective of engaging in legislative coalition-building and perform other functions designed to help ensure a legislative and regulatory environment that recognize and reward the value and importance of innovative medicines.
• Ensures the team is influencing industry trade associations to assure these associations’ priorities include GSK’s priorities.
• Responsible for identifying and establishing cross U.S. Commercial annual legislative and policy objectives in coordination with GAPP leadership.
• Identifies and educates internal GSK stakeholders and, as necessary, creates cross-functional working groups to keep all apprised of the status of the issues as they evolve, to assure that advocacy remains informed by current business strategy.
• Facilitates cross-functional internal stakeholder teams at the enterprise level on SGA policy objectives.
• Collaborates, where appropriate, with Market Access Account Executives and Field Sales staff to implement a seamless cross U.S. Commercial state strategy that promote GSK’s brands and/or issues and/or relationships in the states of identified regions.
• Strategically manages the activities of contract lobbyists or other consultants as required.
• Ensures the team is proactively establishing alliances with patient advocacy groups (PAGS) and health professional organizations, business associations or other groups as appropriate to further GSK’s priorities. Assure transparency and vales-based mechanisms for funding, strategy, and relationship development.
• Participate with matrix teams and task forces, both with GSK business units and with external organizations, to advocate GSK priorities.
• Work with other GAPP colleagues to coordinate efforts and assure consistency in messaging.
• Provides input for memos, educational materials, and presentations, as necessary, for senior leadership.
• Represent the GSK Employees Political Action Committee (PAC).

As a leader you will be accountable for your direct reports.

• Set clear direction for your direct reports aligned with organizational objectives.
• Reprioritize work, as needed. Enable others to do their job well by communicating information and making decisions in a clear, timely manner.
• Develop key performance metrics to ensure they are consistent with the overall plans for the function and that these metrics promote cohesive and integrated planning within the State Advocacy, across Policy, Federal Gov’t Affairs and U.S. Commercial.
• Directs the preparation of the operating budget, focusing on driving value, improving quality, enhancing efficiency, and applying good stewardship to operating costs; Manages budget.
• Achieve results with and through others.
• Establishes and maintains effective communication within the team and across the greater Gov’t Affairs / Public Policy Teams and U.S. Commercial.
• Provide direct reports with appropriate coaching, mentoring and development.
• Demonstrate effective working relationships both within and outside of the team. Actively lead across the business matrix through partnership and collaboration.

Why You?

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree
• 10+ years of experience in government affairs including working in state government, legislature and/or lobbying those entities.
• Up to 50% travel is required within US inclusive of site visits to GSK Hubs (Philadelphia and Washington, DC)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in general business, pharmacy, retail, pharmacy benefit management, insurance, or healthcare issues
• Multi-state experience in healthcare industry, experience with state Medicaid and health insurance programs
• Ability to handle several complex and difficult projects simultaneously and meet deadlines.
• Proven, effective oral and written communication skills and interpersonal skills necessary to interact with a variety of Company management, retained counsel, legislators and other elected/appointed officials, regulators, staff of trade associations and other key stakeholders.
• Ability to manage contract lobbyists.
• Pre-existing relationships with state level legislators and influencers

#LI-GSK

GSK is a global biopharma company with a special purpose – to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together – so we can positively impact the health of billions of people and deliver stronger, more sustainable shareholder returns – as an organisation where people can thrive. Getting ahead means preventing disease as well as treating it, and we aim to impact the health of 2.5 billion people around the world in the next 10 years.

Our success absolutely depends on our people. While getting ahead of disease together is about our ambition for patients and shareholders, it’s also about making GSK a place where people can thrive. We want GSK to be a workplace where everyone can feel a sense of belonging and thrive as set out in our Equal and Inclusive Treatment of Employees policy. We’re committed to being more proactive at all levels so that our workforce reflects the communities we work and hire in, and our GSK leadership reflects our GSK workforce.

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