ROLE SUMMARY
The Category Lead, Oncology & Rare Disease – Middle East is a strategic member of the Middle East Leadership Team, accountable for the portfolio’s end-to-end strategy, performance and long-term value across the cluster.
The role translates enterprise and regional priorities into differentiated portfolio, launch and market strategies that balance near-term performance with sustainable growth and patient impact. It sets clear priorities across in-line brands, Growth Knots and breakthrough launches, enabling disciplined investment, resource allocation and execution across diverse Middle East healthcare systems.
Working across Commercial, Medical, Access & Value, Regulatory, Policy & Public Affairs, Supply, Finance, Legal and Compliance—as well as regional and global teams—the role creates the conditions for launch excellence, expanded patient access and sustainable portfolio growth. It also builds a high-performing marketing organization and strengthens category leadership, customer engagement and execution capabilities across the cluster.
CORE ACCOUNTABILITIES
1. CATEGORY STRATEGY & PORTFOLIO LEADERSHIP
- Translate the Middle East Oncology and Rare Disease strategy into clear portfolio, brand, market and customer priorities aligned with the cluster operating plan and growth agenda.
- Lead end-to-end portfolio planning across in-line brands, new indications, pipeline assets and future launches, balancing current performance with long-term category value.
- Shape differentiated strategies that reflect local disease burden, clinical pathways, diagnostic requirements, patient needs, access conditions and competitive dynamics.
- Establish category governance, operating rhythms and performance reviews that connect enterprise and regional strategy with market execution.
- Make disciplined portfolio trade-offs and direct resources toward the highest-value opportunities for patients and the business.
2. BUSINESS & P&L LEADERSHIP
- Own category performance, providing clear direction on revenue, profitability, market share, investment and resource deployment.
- Lead annual operating and long-range planning for the Oncology and Rare Disease portfolio, ensuring robust assumptions, scenarios, risk assessment and growth choices.
- Prioritize approved marketing and commercial investments across brands, launches and markets, reallocating resources to the highest-impact opportunities.
- Monitor performance and intervene early when launch, demand, access, supply or execution risks threaten category objectives.
- Use performance data, market intelligence and customer insights to accelerate decisions and strengthen execution.
3. LAUNCH & LIFECYCLE EXCELLENCE
- Lead integrated launch strategy and readiness for new products, indications and presentations across Middle East markets.
- Define launch ambition, sequencing, market archetypes, customer strategy, investment requirements and critical success factors.
- Build integrated launch plans across Regulatory, Medical, Access & Value, Policy & Public Affairs, Supply, Marketing, Sales and customer engagement.
- Track readiness and post-launch performance through clear milestones and governance, accelerating decisions and removing execution barriers.
- Optimize lifecycle strategies for in-line assets to sustain growth, expand patient reach and maximize portfolio value.
4. PATIENT JOURNEY, DIAGNOSTICS & ECOSYSTEM DEVELOPMENT
- Identify barriers across awareness, diagnosis, referral, treatment initiation, monitoring and continuity of care.
- Translate patient and healthcare-system insights into compliant, cross-functional priorities and solutions.
- Sponsor initiatives that strengthen diagnostic pathways, specialist networks and coordinated care.
- Ensure category strategies reflect the needs of patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals and health-system stakeholders.
- Define measurable outcomes for priority patient-journey and ecosystem initiatives.
5. MARKET SHAPING & PATIENT ACCESS
- Partner with Access & Value, Medical, Policy & Public Affairs and other functions to address pricing, reimbursement, diagnostic and system barriers.
- Shape differentiated access strategies for Oncology and Rare Disease assets, including high-unmet-need and specialized-care pathways.
- Embed access assumptions, payer insights and market-shaping priorities into portfolio, launch and operating plans.
- Sponsor priority external initiatives that enable timely and sustainable patient access within approved responsibilities.
- Anticipate policy, funding and healthcare-system changes, translating them into portfolio risks and opportunities.
6. CUSTOMER & EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDER LEADERSHIP
- Maintain a strong external orientation and ensure customer, patient and healthcare-system insights shape category strategy and execution.
- Sponsor priority relationships with healthcare leaders, institutions, professional organizations and other relevant stakeholders within approved engagement responsibilities.
- Represent the category with credibility, scientific fluency and executive presence.
- Coordinate external engagement across functions to ensure a consistent Pfizer position.
- Protect Pfizer’s reputation through responsible, transparent and compliant engagement.
7. CROSS-FUNCTIONAL & MARKET LEADERSHIP
- Lead category teams across functions and markets, clarifying accountabilities, removing barriers and enabling coordinated, patient-centered execution.
- Partner with market and sales leaders to translate category strategy into executable local plans with clear ownership and performance expectations.
- Align with Medical on evidence generation, scientific engagement and education priorities that support portfolio and launch needs.
- Collaborate with Access & Value, Regulatory, Supply and Finance to anticipate approval, demand, allocation, access and investment risks.
- Partner with regional and global category teams to ensure Middle East needs and opportunities are reflected in portfolio strategies and enterprise decisions.
8. ORGANIZATION & PEOPLE LEADERSHIP
- Build a high-performing, inclusive Oncology and Rare Disease organization with strong capabilities in portfolio strategy, launch excellence, insight generation and matrix leadership.
- Attract, coach, develop and retain talent through meaningful experiences, candid feedback, succession planning and exposure to enterprise priorities.
- Create clarity, accountability and collaboration across marketing, customer-facing teams, markets and functions.
- Strengthen category, brand and launch capabilities across the Middle East cluster.
- Foster a culture of courage, excellence, equity and joy, underpinned by high standards of ethics, compliance, inclusion and responsible leadership.
DECISION RIGHTS
- Set the strategic direction and portfolio priorities for the Middle East Oncology and Rare Disease category within approved enterprise and cluster governance.
- Recommend category operating-plan assumptions and allocate approved marketing resources across brands, launches and markets.
- Approve category brand plans, launch strategies, readiness governance and success measures.
- Prioritize patient-journey, diagnostic, access and market-shaping opportunities for senior sponsorship and cross-functional investment.
- Hold the category organization and cross-functional teams accountable for execution quality, compliance, performance and patient-centered delivery.
- Escalate material portfolio, launch, access, supply and investment decisions through the appropriate governance forums.
CAPABILITIES & QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences, Pharmacy, Medicine, Business or a related field; an MBA or equivalent advanced degree is preferred.
- At least 10 years of pharmaceutical or healthcare experience, including substantial commercial leadership responsibility.
- Demonstrated success leading complex portfolios, major launches and cross-functional teams in a matrix environment.
- Experience in Oncology, Rare Disease, Specialty Care or another complex specialty portfolio is strongly preferred.
- Strong commercial and financial acumen, including P&L management, forecasting, investment decisions and portfolio prioritization.
- Deep understanding of specialized clinical pathways, diagnostics, patient journeys and complex access environments.
- Proven people leadership, with direct accountability for talent development, succession and team performance.
- Ability to integrate Commercial, Medical, Access & Value, Regulatory, Supply, Finance, Legal, Compliance and regional or global perspectives into practical business decisions.
- Strong external orientation and the ability to convert customer, patient, competitor and health-system insights into action.
- Enterprise mindset and the ability to influence senior stakeholders across cultures, markets, functions and organizational levels.
- Excellent analytical, strategic, communication and executive-presentation skills.
- Fluent English is required; Arabic language capability is an advantage.
- Uncompromising standards of ethics, compliance, governance and responsible stakeholder engagement.
CRITICAL LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORS
Connects portfolio, market, patient and enterprise priorities to create sustainable value across the cluster.
Balances evidence, access, investment, supply, customer needs and business value across brands, launches and markets.
Sets clear launch ambition, mobilizes cross-functional teams and removes barriers to execution.
Builds strong marketers and matrix leaders while fostering clarity, accountability and collaboration.
KEY ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
- Middle East Cluster Lead and Middle East Leadership Team
- Market, sales and commercial leaders across Middle East markets
- Medical, Access & Value, Regulatory, Policy & Public Affairs, Supply, Finance, Legal, Compliance and People Experience
- Regional and global Oncology, Rare Disease, Category and Commercial teams
- Marketing, customer-facing and launch teams across the Middle East
- Healthcare professionals, healthcare leaders, payers, institutions, professional organizations and relevant health-system stakeholders, within approved engagement responsibilities
SUPERVISION & OPERATING MODEL
Direct reports: Middle East Oncology and Rare Disease marketing organization, accountable for portfolio and brand strategy, launch leadership and market execution. Relevant customer-facing and field leadership teams may operate through direct, indirect or matrix reporting arrangements.
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with travel across Middle East markets as business needs require.
Development Note:. Final job level, portfolio scope, reporting line, location and number of direct reports remain subject to approved organization design and job evaluation.
Pfizer Gulf is an equal-opportunity employer, and we are proud of our commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive candidate pool to support and empower our workforce.
We strive to ensure that our people are heard, seen and cared for by creating an environment that fosters inclusion and inspires colleagues to speak up to promote an engaging and inclusive culture where they can thrive.
Our diverse workforce represents the patients we serve and the communities in which we operate.
We look forward to reviewing your application and thank you for your interest.
To learn more about acceptable and prohibited uses of AI during the recruitment process, please review our candidate AI-use guidelines available on Pfizer Careers.
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