External Affairs Placement

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About MSD

MSD is a global health care leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines and animal health products. The difference between potential and achievement lies in the spark that fuels innovation and inventiveness; this is the space where MSD has codified its 125-year legacy. MSD’s success is backed by ethical integrity, forward momentum, and an inspiring mission to achieve new milestones in global healthcare.

MSD is on a quest for cures and is committed to being the world’s premier, most research-intensive biopharmaceutical company. Today, we’re doubling down on this goal. MRL is a true scientific research facility of tomorrow, and will take MSD’s leading discovery capabilities and world-class small molecule and biologics R&D expertise to create breakthrough science that radically changes the way we approach serious diseases.

External Affairs Placement

So why think about joining our External Affairs (Communications & Policy) team for your placement year?

Our External Affairs department is based at our headquarters in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire. Our team provides strategic and tactical communications & policy leadership and support to our UK business. Our work is focused on engaging with a wide range of range of stakeholders and audiences from politicians and government officials, to policy influencers and the media, through to our UK employees. We are therefore seen as a critical hub for our business, often working cross-functionally and in partnership with other parts of the business.

In joining our team, you would have the opportunity to learn from a well- respected team with diverse skills, expertise and career backgrounds. This role would suit a candidate who thrives on working in a fast paced environment, enjoys working as a team player and who is interested in developing a career in communications and policy.

So what do we do?

The External Affairs department covers three main teams:

• Strategic communications which includes corporate, employee, social media and issues communications
• Therapy policy & communications – supporting our main priority disease areas such as oncology, hepatitis C, diabetes, antibiotics, HIV, Alzheimers disease
• Corporate policy & Government relations including political engagement, pharmaceutical industry relations

What could you gain from this placement?

To make sure you get experience across all communication disciplines and functions, you will have a chance to work with each team, through a rotation across the year. This will give you experience and insight into a broad range of communication disciplines and projects, as well as how a major pharmaceutical and healthcare company operates. You will be given opportunities to be part of key specialist or project teams as well as the opportunity to lead and deliver on your own initiatives. The experience will therefore provide a blend of project leadership, tactical implementation and professional and personal learning opportunities.

What might I be doing over the year?

These are just some examples of activities or initiatives you could get involved with during your time with our External Affairs team:

Strategic Communications

• Development of creative and impactful corporate materials
• Maintaining and updating the MSD UK internet site
• Supporting social media channels & campaigns including content development and execution
• Assisting with responses to external enquiries, including issues management
• Monitoring corporate media, the environmental and issues
• Helping to drive forward our corporate reputation programme
• Development of videos to support the business or department including using the AV studio
• Assisting with the development of creative and engaging internal communications materials
• Maintaining and updating the MSD employee intranet
• Assisting with logistics for employee communications events
• Developing and writing for the Weekly Roundup – our internal digital newsletter

Therapy area policy and communications

• Monitoring media and health policy developments relating specifically to MSD disease areas / products
• Developing briefings for the business on trends in media and policy behaviour relating to key disease areas / products / issues
• Assisting with the development press & social media materials & assets for a range of external stakeholders
• Researching, mapping and planning stakeholder engagement opportunities
• Collaborating closely with stakeholders such as patient organisations on educational initiatives

Corporate Policy & Government Affairs

• Monitoring, research and development of briefings for senior leaders on a range of political and policy topics relating to life sciences
• Assisting the Director of Policy, Communications and Government Relations and the Policy Team in providing political and policy counsel across the business and the External Affairs team
• Supporting the management of key stakeholder relationships including mapping of stakeholders, coordination of meetings, and development of briefing materials for senior colleagues
• Assisting in the development of external and internal briefing materials
• Organising visits from global leaders visiting the UK
• Providing general day-to-day and administrative support to the Policy Team including event management

What additional learning and training opportunities do you offer?

As well as ‘on the job’ learning and coaching, the successful student will be encouraged to have a mentor within the business (not their manager) who can provide insight and advice.

Further internal and external training courses may be provided, with approval from the External Affairs Director. (e.g. IT skills, Project Management, courses provided by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), Healthcare Communications Association, Wellards, Westminster Forum etc.)

So what we are looking for from you:

Capabilities and skills:

• Ability to communicate accurately both verbally and in writing
• Good project manager, organiser and administrator
• Team player, with the ability to liaise and collaborate with colleagues across cross-functional teams to overcome obstacles
• Numerate with good analytical skills
• Strong sense of urgency, takes initiative to do things without being asked
• Has a can do attitude, anticipates problems and proposes solutions, approaches work challenges creatively with fresh ideas
• The ability to listen, learn quickly and adapt
• IT literate including proficient in Powerpoint and Excel
• An awareness of and interest in the UK healthcare environment
• Confidence and willingness to get involved in a fast-moving environment, often interacting with senior leaders .
• Integrity and ability to operate in line with MSD’s policies, procedures & compliance standards.

Education and Experience

• Working towards a minimum of a 2:1 degree
• Social Science, Life Sciences, Media or English may be an advantage
• Entering your third or penultimate year of study, returning to your degree course at the end of the placement

Next Steps

• Stage 1 - Fill in our online application form and submit your CV
• Stage 2 - If successful at Stage 1, you will be invited to take part in some online testing 
• Stage 3 - If successful at Stage 2, you will be invited for either a face to face interview or an Assessment Centre, where you will have the opportunity to gain a better insight into MSD. Either w/c 4th or 11th December

Successful applicants will have the opportunity to meet fellow students before commencing the placement and will partake in a handover period at the beginning of their placement with the current student.

Your role at MSD is integral to helping the world meet new breakthroughs that affect generations to come, and we’re counting on your skills and inventiveness to help make meaningful contributions to global medical advancement. At MSD, we’re inventing for life.

How to apply

To apply for this role and to find out more, please click on the apply button below.

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