Executive Director, Public Policy & Government Relations Animal Health Europe

Job Description

We are searching for an Executive Director, Public Policy and Government Relations to join our team in Brussels with responsibility for for developing and executing public policy and government relations activities in line with the Europe animal health business. This position will report directly to the Associate Vice President of Global Animal Health Public Policy and Government Relations with a dotted line of reporting into the Senior Vice President for EURAM (Europe, Russia, Africa, Middle East) and will sit on the Leadership Teams of both Animal Health Global Public Policy & Government Relations and the EURAM Commercial regional leadership team (RLT).

The scope of the business portfolio includes all species of livestock, poultry, aquaculture, equine and companion animal across every product portfolio—vaccines, antibiotics, anti-parasiticides, and reproduction. In addition to biopharma, this position will be responsible for overseeing the strategic development of the Technology intelligence product and solutions portfolio, which will include stakeholders outside of the animal health biopharma industry.

This role will oversee the strategic engagement and execution of legislative and regulatory policies at the European Union institutional level . The issue areas will include but are not limited to animal health and welfare, food safety, trade, sustainability, traceability and monitoring and data policy.

Primary Activities

• Partners with the EURAM leadership team and key stakeholders towards building successful business strategies.
• Lead a multi-faceted team that works at the EU Institutional level, within the Brussels-based Embassy community, as well as multi-lateral organizations such as the regional representatives at the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH).
• Engage across the complex animal health eco-system with diverse customer and specie (cattle, swine, aqua, poultry, small animal, equine) strategies across bio-pharma and technology business approaches.
• Lead with a strategic and enterprise-wide mindset by collaborating with other business functions and regions of the business to develop and execute regional strategic priorities in line with enterprise wide business priorities.
• Position the business and advocate on issues related to digital, data and technology including stakeholder analysis, engagement, and management.
• Represent the company in trade associations such as AnimalhealthEurope (AHE), manage the relationships with key customer trade associations within the food/agriculture industry, companion animal, policy/trade associations and business groups.
• Reputation management as One Company including both human and animal health.

• Partner with other animal health policy regional and country leads and multi-lateral colleagues to develop global strategies for execution in Europe region to achieve a business objective or reputational need.
• Prepare regional budget, manage external consultants, and exhibit a high level of financial acumen.
• Management of a team of policy professionals as well as consultants.
• Provide regional input into enterprise-wide strategic activities and priority setting.

• Serve on internal company working groups or projects representing the animal health business or public policy function with an enterprise wide mindset.

To be successful in this role, you will have the following skills:

• Demonstrate a high level of strategic thinking as well as project management simultaneously across multiple levels of government and stakeholder priorities to align with business objectives.
• Understands the animal health business needs and partners across the business to ensure successful business outcomes.
• Ability to manage a high performing team, provide feedback and create development opportunities that align to the businessfor the team members.
• Lead initiatives for diversity and inclusion t to contribute to the company’s s global ESG targets.
• Exhibit leadership style with a high level of collaboration at all levels and across both internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated commitment to science and rules-based policy decision making with an enterprise mindset.
• Contribute strategic thinking and policy acumen to develop enterprise-wide strategy.
• Ability to understand the dynamics of the external environment and translate these into to effective communication on business impact and opportunities.
• Engage and communicate at the highest levels across multiple stakeholder groups, including senior leadership.
• Operate at the highest levels of ethics and compliance.
  

Qualifications

• 10 or more years’experience in Brussels-based public policy and government relations in a trade association, government or business.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• People management experience
• Excellent communication skills in English and French

Preferred

• Advanced degree in animal science, veterinary medicine, technology field or related fields of study.
• Experience working in a large organization within a matrix work environment.
• Knowledge of key public policy issues in food, ag, innovation, digital and companion animal policies
• Speaking any other additional European language would be a plus

Location

Brussels, Belgium

Travel

Up to 50%

Required Skills:

Advocacy Communications, Advocacy Communications, Animal Health Care, Animal Physiology, Communication Coordination, Communication Delivery, Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), Government Relations, Healthcare Policies, International Government Relations, International Trade Policy, Legislative Relations, Multilateral Organizations, Pharmaceutical Biology, Policy Advocacy, Policy Development, Political Forums, Public Policies, Public Speaking, Regulatory Awareness, Regulatory Policies, Stakeholder Analysis, Stakeholder Engagement, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Thinking {+ 2 more}

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

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Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

08/10/2026

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