Director, Communications, UK Commercial

Director, Communications, UK Commercial   

Join GSK as Director, Communications, UK Commercial (UKC), leading an integrated communications strategy with two clear priorities: strengthening GSK's reputation and demonstrating the impact of our innovation for patients, the NHS and wider society; and engaging employees by connecting them to UKC priorities and business performance.

This highly visible leadership role will shape and deliver UKLT thought leadership and leader profiling, including speaking opportunities, external events and strategic campaigns. You will help senior leaders articulate a clear and differentiated UKC narrative, build trust and ensure GSK's voice is heard across the UK healthcare ecosystem.

You will also lead UKC's internal communications strategy, ensuring our people are informed, engaged and connected to business priorities. Working closely with the UKLT, you will embed a leader-led approach that brings clarity, consistency and authenticity to communications and translates strategic priorities into what they mean for people across UKC.

As a member of the UKC Communications & Government Affairs (CGA) Leadership Team, you will set the strategic direction and overarching narrative for UKC communications. Working across UK Commercial and partnering with global communications colleagues, you will ensure product and therapy-area communications align with this strategy, reinforce shared priorities and contribute to a coherent UKC presence.

This is an exciting time for GSK in the UK, with new Global and UK leadership, ambitious growth plans and a rapidly advancing product pipeline. We are pioneering new approaches in service of patients, the NHS and wider society.

You will set and deliver the overarching UKC communications strategy and narrative, ensuring internal communications, senior leader engagement and external positioning work together to support business performance and better outcomes for patients. Product and therapy-area communications will align to and deliver within this strategic framework.

This role will provide YOU the opportunity to lead key activities to progress YOUR career. These responsibilities include some of the following:

• UKC External Communications Strategy: Set the overarching external communications strategy and narrative for UKC, establishing the priorities, positioning and channel approach that guide product and therapy-area communications. Ensure all activity strengthens GSK's reputation, supports business priorities and positions GSK as a trusted partner across the UK healthcare ecosystem.
• Thought Leadership & Reputation: Identify opportunities to showcase GSK's expertise, innovation and contribution to patients, healthcare system and the UK economy through strategic thought leadership programmes and targeted content that bring our science to life and demonstrate its impact for patients and the healthcare system.
• Editorial Calendar: Create and manage a sustained UKC news flow and editorial calendar that maps global and local events, milestones and leadership opportunities, ensuring product and therapy-area activity aligns with the overarching UKC strategy and maintains visibility of GSK's strategy in action.
• External Events Strategy: Lead the communications approach for external events and policy forums, ensuring GSK is visible where it matters and delivers a consistent, impactful and differentiated presence.
• Media Relations & Issues Management: Develop and implement proactive media engagement strategies whilst providing communications counsel and support during issues and reputational challenges.
• Internal Communications Strategy: Develop and lead UKC's internal communications approach, translating business priorities into clear, relevant and engaging communications that support understanding, alignment and engagement across the organisation.
• Leader-Led Communications: Build leaders' capability and embed a leader-led communications culture that helps employees understand business priorities and change, strengthens trust and creates clear connections between UKC's direction and people's day-to-day work.
• Strategic Counsel: Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, providing expert communications counsel that informs decision making, supports business objectives and strengthens stakeholder engagement.
• Strategic Alignment & Content Excellence: Ensure internal, external, product and therapy-area communications align with the overarching UKC strategy and narrative, while maintaining high editorial standards, compelling storytelling and a consistent GSK voice.
• Insights & Measurement: Leverage insights, analytics and feedback to continually improve communications effectiveness, optimise channel performance and demonstrate impact.
• Agency Leadership: Develop and manage strategic agency partnerships to deliver creative, high-impact communications programmes that enhance reputation and engagement.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• Significant experience in pharmaceutical, healthcare or life sciences communications.
• Proven experience developing and delivering external communications strategies that support organisational objectives and reputation.
• Demonstrated experience in internal communications and employee engagement within a complex organisation.
• Experience advising and supporting senior leaders on communications, thought leadership and external profiling.
• Experience managing media relations, corporate reputation and issues management.
• Strong understanding of the UK healthcare environment and stakeholder landscape, including the NHS.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading communications through organizational change.
• Demonstrated success aligning internal, external, leadership, product and therapy-area communications within a single strategic framework.
• Strong strategic storytelling, content development and editorial expertise across multiple channels and audiences.
• Experience coaching senior leaders on speaking engagements, thought leadership and executive communications.
• Experience developing and managing communications agency partnerships.
• Strong digital communications capability, including social media, analytics and AI.
• Proven ability to use insights and measurement to improve communications effectiveness and demonstrate impact.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to connect communications strategy to business priorities.
• Experience leading or influencing cross-functional teams in a matrix environment.

Closing Date for Applications:  25/09/2026 EOD

Please take a copy of the Job Description, as this will not be available post closure of the advert.

When applying for this role, please use the ‘cover letter’ of the online application or your CV to describe how you meet the competencies for this role, as outlined in the job requirements. The information that you have provided in your cover letter, and CV will be used to assess your application.

GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), military service or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law.

Skills

Content Development, Corporate Copywriting, Data Analytics, Digital Fluency, Government Affairs, Market Shaping, Payer Research, Public Policies, Regulatory Awareness, Reputation Management, Risk Management, Stakeholder Management, Storytelling, Strategic Planning

 

 

Why GSK?

Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together.

GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade, as a successful, growing company where people can thrive.

We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with innovation in specialty medicines and vaccines. We focus on four therapeutic areas: respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV; and infectious diseases – to impact health at scale.

People and patients around the world count on the medicines and vaccines we make, so we’re committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive and focus on what matters most. Our culture of being ambitious for patients, accountable for impact and doing the right thing is the foundation for how, together, we deliver for patients, shareholders and our people.

GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), military service or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law.

We believe in an agile working culture for all our roles. If flexibility is important to you, we encourage you to explore with our hiring team what the opportunities are.

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