Santen is a specialized life sciences company with a proud 130-year heritage focused exclusively on ophthalmology. As a Japan-originated, global company with our footprint in over 60 countries, we are dedicated to delivering innovative treatments and digital solutions for eye health and addressing vision-related social issues for people around the world. 

Job’s mission

Santen is seeking a highly experienced Communications Associate Director, who will be responsible for initiating, driving and leading all strategic corporate communications based on the company’s core principles and corporate vision across the EMEA region. The Communications Associate Director will be responsible for internal and external communications, including executive positioning and messaging, corporate branding, issues management, organizational communications and communications governance. The goal of the Communications Associate Director will be to protect and enhance Santen’s corporate reputation for the purpose of increasing brand presence, engaging stakeholders, and driving business objectives in the region.

Santen is engaged in global research and development, manufacturing, and sales and marketing of pharmaceutical products in the field of eye care, supporting the eye health of approximately 50 million people in more than 60 countries and regions worldwide. Through our products and services, our employees provide novel and significant value to patients and society in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of eye diseases. Santen’s strengths are ophthalmic expertise, patient-centric solutions, and a network of national and regional talent, ophthalmic communities and partners. To maximize the value of our contribution to consumers and patients in our prescription pharmaceuticals business, we are currently pursuing transformation based on our Mid-Term Management Plan (MTP2025). 

Reporting to the Head of EMEA, the Communications Associate Director will provide strategic counsel to the Business Head of EMEA, EMEA leadership team, and other business leaders, supporting their efforts to strengthen Santen’s foundation in EMEA by achieving the goals of the MTP2025 and fostering a “One Santen” global team culture. The Communications Associate Director will also closely collaborate with the HQ Corporate Communications team based in Japan to ensure alignment, consistency, and integration of corporate messaging and communication initiatives for internal and external Santen audiences. 

The Communications Associate Director will be based in the Switzerland/ United Kingdom and sit on the EMEA Leadership Form (ELF).

Key activities & Accountabilities

Internal Communications:

• Develop and implement internal communication plans to ensure consistent messaging across all levels of the organization.
• Leverage Business Head and other business leaders in internal communications to cascade strategy and ensure alignment on company direction.
• Create and manage communication channels such as newsletters, intranet, and town hall meetings to foster employee engagement and alignment with company goals for the region.
• Collaborate with various departments to gather information and create engaging content for internal communications in line with business and/or people strategies.
• Monitor and analyze the effectiveness of internal communication initiatives and adjust strategies as needed.

External Communications:

• Develop and execute external communication strategies to enhance the company's brand reputation and visibility in the EMEA region.
• Create compelling content for press releases, media relations, social media, and other external communication channels, aligning with the global corporate communications team as necessary.
• Cultivate media exposure opportunities for executives (including Business Head) to establish thought leadership on eye health by creating compelling narratives that strengthen Santen’s presence among a variety of audiences.
• Develop relationships with media outlets, industry influencers, and stakeholders to secure positive coverage and opportunities for the company.
• Monitor industry trends and competitor activities to identify communication opportunities and risks.

Corporate Branding

• Develop content strategy and create and deploy compelling stories that enhance Santen’s corporate value through a mix of owned, shared, and paid media.
• Establish governance rules and execute digital platform integration for EMEA communication channels (website, internal portal site, and social media) in close alignment with the global corporate communications team.
• Manage corporate branding elements and develop brand building plans to promote and augment awareness and understanding of the corporate brand across EMEA.

Issues Management & Organizational Communications:

• Oversee local crisis-management communication planning, readiness, and response.
• Develop and maintain crisis communication plans to effectively manage communication during challenging situations.
• Serve as the primary spokesperson for the company during crises and coordinate with internal stakeholders to ensure timely and accurate messaging.
• Drive organizational communications, leveraging strategic communications planning and coordination with other corporate functions to drive Santen’s change management and transformation narrative.

Communications Governance

• Develop, update, and communicate policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure proper communication governance across the EMEA organization and enhance the corporate communications function’s organizational capability.

Collaboration and Leadership:

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including marketing, human resources, and executive leadership, to align communication strategies with business goals and people priorities.
• Provide leadership and guidance to relevant stakeholders, senior and junior, for effective change management and alignment of communication strategies for the region.

• Bachelor's degree in communications, marketing, public relations, or a related field.
• Proven experience (min. 8 years) in communications roles, preferably within the EMEA region.
• Strong writing, editing, and presentation skills, with the ability to craft clear and compelling messages for diverse audiences.
• Experience managing media relations, press events, and crisis communication.
• Proficiency in digital communication tools and platforms, including social media management and analytics.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with internal teams and external partners.
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities, with a track record of driving results through innovative communication strategies.
• Fluency in multiple languages is a plus, particularly languages relevant

Grow your career at Santen

A career at Santen is an opportunity to make a difference. Through our long-term vision outlined in Santen 2030, we are committed to be a Social Innovator - addressing the social and economic needs of people with visual impairments. We have team members around the world using their diverse talents to unlock new modalities and drive innovations for patient outcomes, education and treatment. At Santen, we believe in empowering all our team members with flexible ways of working and a highly inclusive work environment.

The Santen Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  We are committed to building diverse teams and ensuring a safe and inclusive physical and virtual workplace for every one of our team members. All employment decisions are based on business needs, role requirements and individual qualifications regardless of race, color, ethnicity, national origin/ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/ expression, age, disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Santen SA, the Netherlands Branch has an exclusive arrangement for recruitment services. External recruiting agencies are kindly requested not to contact us regarding the positions listed here.

If you require any kind of accommodation during our recruitment process, please let the recruiter from our team know.