Deputy General Manager or General Manager - Marketing

About Shalina Healthcare:

We are one of the largest, privately owned pharmaceutical businesses across Africa (Global Head Quarters- Dubai, UAE) with recent forays across multiple, new lines of businesses including Diagnostics and Consumer Healthcare.

Over the last 40 years, operating across multiple geographies, we have made it our mission to provide quality medicines to those who need it the most. We manufacture and distribute branded prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceutical and consumer products, across a broad range of therapeutic groups, including anti-malarial, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, respiratory, gastrointestinal, nutrition, oral care, dermatology, sexual well-being, and antiseptic liquids & soaps. Leading brands, great teams and a focus on influencing the well-being of people have made Shalina a household name in Africa.

We have a track record few can match, and our brands are among the most trusted in Africa. We are proud of our history and have big ambitions for the future. Our vision for 2030 is to be the health champion of Sub-Saharan Africa. To achieve this, we are looking for the right people to join us and create a lasting impact not just within our company but on the communities that we serve; people who identify with our Core Values and are as passionate about our Mission as we are.

What you become a part of:

The successful candidate will lead the end-to-end marketing of Shalina's value (legacy) brands across multiple therapy areas. These brands require a strong trade push, high visibility, and excellence in point-of-sale (POS) and in-store activation to drive sustained growth across markets.

This role is central to revitalizing and scaling legacy brands by combining sharp portfolio prioritization, trade-led growth strategies, and best-in-class execution at the last mile.

Reporting to the Head – Marketing (Pharma), this role blends portfolio-level thinking with hands-on execution, requiring strong commercial acumen, deep understanding of trade dynamics, and the ability to drive market-level impact through POS, in-store visibility, and channel activation.

What to expect:

1. Portfolio Leadership & Brand Accountability-

• Own and lead the portfolio of value/ legacy brands across therapy areas.
• Define and manage portfolio architecture, ensuring:
• Clear growth ambition and turnaround strategy for each brand.
• Defined role of each brand within therapy and trade contexts.
• Investment and lifecycle rationale.
• Drive brand prioritization and rationalization, with a strong focus on brands that can win through distribution, visibility, and trade activation.

2. Trade-Led Brand Strategy & POS Excellence-

• Lead brand strategy and execution with a strong emphasis on:
• Trade push and channel activation.
• POS excellence, in-store visibility, and retail activation.
• OTx-driven growth models and consumer conversion at point of sale.
• Rx support where relevant (medico detailing).
• Drive marketing capabilities beyond traditional approaches, including:
• Design and execution of high-impact POS materials and in-shop branding.
• Development of visibility-led growth levers across retail and wholesale channels.
• Packaging innovation to enhance shelf presence and off-take.
• Own execution of relaunches, refreshes, and activation-led growth initiatives for legacy brands.

3. Trade, Channel & Field Force Alignment-

• Ensure strong alignment between:
• Marketing, trade marketing and field force teams.
• Institutional / KAM teams (where applicable).
• Partner with Commercial leadership to ensure:
• Drive sell-out and off-take through retail excellence.
• Ensure last-mile execution of marketing initiatives.
• Build accountability for in-store visibility and activation outcomes.

4. Performance Management & Governance-

• Own marketing performance reviews covering:
• Growth vs AOP.
• ROI on POS spends, trade schemes, and activation programs.
• Execution quality at store level.
• Ensure strong governance across budgets, brand standards and compliance.

Essential qualifications & experience:

• Postgraduate qualification in Management / Marketing / Business (MBA preferred).
• 12-15 years of experience in pharmaceutical marketing.
• Strong exposure to:
• Trade-led marketing and visibility-driven growth models.
• POS, in-store activation, and retail execution excellence.
• Emerging/ frontier markets (Africa preferred).
• Proven ability to drive execution through field and trade channels, not just strategy.

Desired skills & attributes:

• Strong execution orientation with deep understanding of retail and trade dynamics.
• Ability to revive and scale legacy/value brands through activation and visibility.
• Commercially sharp with strong focus on off-take, ROI, and market share growth.
• Hands-on leader who can balance strategy with on-ground execution.
• Strong cross-functional collaborator with ability to influence sales and trade teams.
• Comfortable operating in fast-evolving, high-ownership environments.