At Bayer we’re visionaries, driven to solve the world’s toughest challenges and striving for a world where ,Health for all, Hunger for none’ is no longer a dream, but a real possibility. We’re doing it with energy, curiosity and sheer dedication, always learning from unique perspectives of those around us, expanding our thinking, growing our capabilities and redefining ‘impossible’. There are so many reasons to join us. If you’re hungry to build a varied and meaningful career in a community of brilliant and diverse minds to make a real difference, there’s only one choice.

SSA Market Access Head 

Main Purpose:

• Lead development and execution of comprehensive market access, pricing, reimbursement and tender strategies across Sub-Saharan Africa with a primary focus on South Africa.
• The role will ensure timely patient access to Bayer’s innovative and specialized products by building compelling value dossiers, negotiating pricing and contracting arrangements, managing public tender processes, and engaging payers, medical schemes, government and clinical stakeholders, while ensuring full regulatory, compliance and alignment with global policy and commercial priorities.
• The role is responsible for providing the sales team with Visionary-Architect-Catalyst-Coach (VACC) leadership while co-developing Market Access strategies together with Product Teams.
• The position ensures effective implementation of go-to-market models, drive sales performance and fosters close cross-collaboration across functions to deliver on Bayer’s ambition of “Health for All, Hunger for None.

Key Tasks & Responsibilities:

Strategy & Planning

• Develop and own the Market Access strategy for SSA with a clear, prioritized execution plan for South Africa (pricing, reimbursement, tendering, HEOR/RWE generation, risk-sharing and access models).
• Translate global launch plans into local access roadmaps (timelines, dossier requirements, pricing submissions, tender calendars, stakeholder engagement plans).

Pricing, SEP & Regulatory Interface

• Own SEP submissions, price change processes and compliance with South African Medicines Pricing Regulations (ensure accurate SEP reporting, reference pricing work and timely submissions).
• Set country pricing strategy consistent with global guidelines while optimizing local access and revenue.

Public Sector Tendering & Government Engagement

• Lead preparation and submission for public sector tenders; design tender-winning strategies (value proposition, pricing, service components, logistics).
• Build and maintain relationships with National & Provincial Department of Health procurement leads and tender committees; anticipate and respond to RFPs.

Payer & Medical Scheme Engagement (Private Sector)

• Engage with medical schemes, administrators and the Council for Medical Schemes to secure private reimbursement pathways, formulary inclusion and appropriate benefit design.
• Develop value communication tailored for payers (budget impact models, cost-effectiveness, patient-level outcomes).

Evidence Generation (HEOR / RWE)

• Commission and oversee health economics and outcomes research, local real-world evidence studies, budget-impact models and clinical-economic dossiers necessary for payers and tenders.
• Partner with Medical Affairs and RWE teams to continually strengthen the local evidence base.

Innovative Access Mechanisms

• Design and operationalize managed entry agreements, risk-sharing, compassionate use / patient access programmes and differential pricing where appropriate.
• Coordinate with Legal, Compliance and Regulatory to ensure approved models meet local rules.

Cross-functional Leadership & Enablement

• Lead a market access team (or matrix resources) and ensure cohesive execution with Commercial, Medical, Regulatory, Supply Chain and Finance.
• Train and enable field commercial teams on access messaging, tender requirements and payer interactions.

Market Intelligence & Policy Monitoring

• Continuously monitor policy (including NHI developments), competitor moves, litigation and pricing investigations; translate implications into strategy and mitigation plans.

Governance & Compliance

• Ensure all access activities comply with Bayer policies, local laws (pricing, competition law), procurement ethics and audit requirements.
• Prepare responses for audits, regulator queries or public investigations.

Key Skills and Competencies:

• Deep knowledge of South African market access mechanisms: SEP, tendering, public procurement, medical schemes and payer decision-making.
• Strong HEOR, RWE and health economic capability — able to commission, interpret and present cost-effectiveness and budget-impact analyses.
• Strategic thinker with demonstrated ability to convert global launches into local access plans and timelines.
• Excellent stakeholder management: payers, government, clinicians and relevant senior stakeholders.
• Comfortable operating in matrix organizations and leading through influence.

Qualifications:

• Education: Advanced degree in Health Economics, Pharmacy, Life Sciences, Health Policy, Business or related field; MBA or postgraduate HEOR/Epidemiology preferred
• Experience: Proven leadership experience of minimum 5 years in pharmaceutical sales, ideally within multinational or complex market environments.
• Deep understanding of the South African and Sub-Saharan healthcare and regulatory landscape
• Strong communication skills
• Proven track of strong leadership 
• Ability to lead in a non-hierarchical way, fostering new ways of working and ability to apply leadership methodologies
• Learning agility

Location:

South Africa : Gauteng : Midrand  

Division:

Pharmaceuticals 

Reference Code:

856906 

Bayer welcomes applications from all individuals, regardless of race, national origin, gender, age, physical characteristics, social origin, disability, union membership, religion, family status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or any unlawful criterion under applicable law. We are committed to treating all applicants fairly and avoiding discrimination.