Technical Veterinarian - Ruminants at MSD

Job Description

• Reporting to the Business Unit Manager for Ruminants, the Technical Veterinarian for Ruminants would provide in-market technical support for ruminant (with a focus on the dairy portfolio) products within the Republic of South Africa. You will support marketing and sales efforts in sales through commercial and technical initiatives, promotion of our range of ruminant products and services, and the co-ordination and running of training to internal and external customers. You would also be responsible for building the image of our company as a technical reference company in ruminants in the region, through relationship management of Key Opinion Leaders and Key Account customers. In addition, you would generate local data through regular field feedback and monitor local product sampling initiatives and field trials while ensuring that the highest level of technical support is provided to our customers in the region.

Role and Responsibilities
Technical Support:

• Deliver the highest level of technical expertise, service and support to our company’s sales in South Africa, ensuring that those activities are within the overall species strategy and regional corporate objectives.
• Work with the Regional Sales & Marketing Managers to design a technical support plan in order to deliver on the desired sales targets.
• Interact with our distributor’s salesforce and our customers at a technical level to ensure the optimal use of our products to meet the customer needs.
• Perform farm visits, risk analyses, farm audits and initiate a farm improvement action plan based on analyzed KPIs.
• Gather new information related to possible new product development, new scientific findings related to our product lines and competitors.
• Organize and monitor field trials and feedback to regional and global colleagues as appropriate.
• Develop and maintain effective relationships with key accounts, veterinarians, veterinary staff and other key industry influencers.
• Develop technical marketing materials and review materials for external release to ensure compliance requirements are met.
• Distributor Training.
• Establish a technical training program for each sales team in order to train them on the effective use of technical data during their sales calls/visits.
• Develop and present technical presentations internally to sales and marketing staff as well as externally to KOL’s, end-user customers and distributors.
• Organize local seminars, roadshows and lectures in conjunction with the distributor salesforce.
• KOL Management.
• Act as a liaison between prominent researchers in university, government and KOLs in private settings to inform, update and consult with them about our company’s products and services

Qualifications

• Degree in Veterinary Science/Medicine
• Strong basic knowledge in large animal health medicine 
• Minimum 3 years’ experience as a vet practitioner or as a technical manager in the animal health pharmaceutical industry
• 3-5 years commercial experience in Pharma industry; not necessarily be spent entirely within animal health industry
• Experience in the Republic of South Africa is an advantage
• Wide-ranging and sound communication skills for report writing, summarizing, negotiation and presenting
• Fluency in English and Afrikaans is essential
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills
• Approximately 70-80% travel in-region with overseas travel as required
• Strong computer skills in Excel and PPT