External Communications Manager, EMEA

Santen is a specialized company with a proud 130-year heritage focused exclusively on eye health. As a Japan-originated, global company with our footprint in over 60 countries and regions, our mission is to provide essential and significant value to patients and society through our products and services created from our expertise in ophthalmology and from the patient’s perspective.

At Santen, you’ll have the opportunity to shape how we communicate our purpose, expertise and impact across more than 50 markets.

Working at the intersection of Communications, Marketing, Medical Affairs and Public Affairs, you will develop integrated communications that increase awareness of eye health, elevate Santen’s reputation and strengthen our share of voice across EMEA.

You will lead proactive media engagement, disease awareness communications and executive visibility, while acting as a strategic communications partner for key EMEA markets. Working closely with country teams and our global Corporate Communications colleagues in Japan, you will help position Santen as a trusted leader in eye health, bringing fresh thinking, cultural sensitivity and a can-do mindset to every challenge.

What you will do

• Develop and execute external communications strategies that strengthen Santen’s reputation and support business priorities across EMEA.

• Lead proactive media engagement across international, regional, national and healthcare trade media to increase visibility and share of voice.

• Develop thought leadership, executive visibility and corporate storytelling programmes that position Santen as a leader in eye health.

• Partner with Marketing, Medical Affairs and Public Affairs to deliver integrated communications around disease awareness campaigns, scientific milestones, congresses and corporate initiatives.

• Act as the communications partner for key EMEA markets, supporting local teams with media engagement, reputation building and external communications.

• Identify opportunities to connect earned, owned and social media to maximise the impact of campaigns and external storytelling.

• Build and manage relationships with communications agencies, media partners and key external stakeholders.

• Monitor the external environment, identify emerging opportunities and support reputation and issues management when required.

• Measure communications performance, media impact and share of voice to continuously improve external communications.

• Collaborate closely with regional and global colleagues to ensure consistent messaging and execution across markets.

What you will bring to the role

• Degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Marketing or a related field.

• 8+ years of experience in external communications, public relations or corporate communications, ideally within healthcare, pharmaceuticals, medical technology or another regulated industry.

• Proven experience developing and executing regional or international communications strategies.

• Strong track record in media relations, including international, business and healthcare trade media.

• Experience supporting communications around scientific congresses, disease awareness initiatives and corporate milestones.

• Excellent writing, editing and storytelling skills with the ability to translate complex scientific topics into engaging communications.

• Strong stakeholder management skills and experience partnering with Marketing, Medical Affairs and Commercial teams.

• Experience managing communications agencies and working across international markets.

• Fluency in English is required. French, Italian or German would be a strong advantage.

What we offer:

• Competitive Salary: A market‑aligned base salary starting from £62 820 – £86 380, depending on experience and location.

Ready to make a difference?

Apply today and help us shape the future of eye health.

Grow your career at Santen
A career at Santen is an opportunity to make a difference. We aspire to contribute to the realization of “Happiness with Vision” by providing eye health products and services to patients, consumers, and medical professionals around the world. Guided by our CORE PRINCIPLE, “Tenki ni sanyo suru”, Santen is engaged in the global research & development, manufacturing, and sales and marketing of pharmaceutical products in ophthalmology. We have team members around the world using their diverse talents to unlock new modalities and drive innovations for patient outcomes, education and treatment. At Santen, we believe in empowering all our team members with flexible ways of working and a highly inclusive work environment.

The Santen Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building diverse teams and ensuring a safe and inclusive physical and virtual workplace for every one of our team members. All employment decisions are based on business needs, role requirements and individual qualifications regardless of race, color, ethnicity, national origin/ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/ expression, age, disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you require any kind of accommodation during our recruitment process, please let the recruiter from our team know.