Compliance Director Europe

Job description

Cytokinetics is a late-stage, specialty cardiovascular biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing first-in-class muscle activators and next-in-class muscle inhibitors as potential treatments for debilitating diseases in which cardiac muscle performance is compromised. As a leader in muscle biology and the mechanics of muscle performance, the company is developing small molecule drug candidates specifically engineered to impact myocardial muscle function and contractility.

At Cytokinetics, each team member plays an integral part in advancing our mission to improve the lives of patients. We are seeking tenacious, compassionate, and collaborative individuals who are driven to make a positive impact.

The Compliance Director, Europe will partner with our Head of Legal & Compliance, Europe to lead compliance support for our European organisation (including Switzerland, Germany, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Italy, France). This individual will be responsible for helping to design, implement, and operationalize a robust European ethics and compliance program in alignment with global standards and local regulatory expectations.

The role is based at the company European headquarter in Zug, Switzerland, and reports to the Head of Legal and Compliance, Europe. The ideal candidate is a proactive, solutions-oriented compliance professional who can operate strategically with senior leadership while rolling up their sleeves to support day-to-day compliance needs. This leader will partner closely with the European leadership team and key stakeholders (Commercial, Medical Affairs, Regulatory, HR, and Legal teams) to foster a culture of integrity and ethical conduct in the region.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Compliance Program Development

• Develop and refine Cytokinetics’ European compliance strategy, aligned with European compliance frameworks and emerging regulatory trends.
• Establish policies, procedures, and processes across the region to ensure compliance with country-specific regulations.
• Serve as a Compliance business partner to regional leadership teams, helping anticipate risks and implement proactive mitigation strategies.
• Act as a trusted advisor to key stakeholders in the region including Commercial and Medical teams to help build their strategies as we prepare for  product launches.

Operational Compliance & Hands-On Execution

• Lead key operational compliance activities, including review and approval of promotional and non-promotional materials, training delivery, monitoring, risk assessments, investigations, and transparency reporting.
• Manage local compliance operations in each region, ensuring consistency while accounting for country-specific requirements.
• Oversee process implementation for third-party due diligence, audits, and vendor compliance.

Governance, Training & Culture Building

• Design and deliver engaging compliance training across functions and countries.
• Provide practical guidance, on relevant Compliance topics including ABAC, Privacy and internal policies, transparency, and evolving regulatory expectations.
• Promote a strong culture of ethics and accountability, serving as a visible compliance champion throughout Europe.
• Drive continuous improvement in compliance systems, monitoring programs, and reporting structures.
• Support global compliance governance forums and contribute to enterprise-wide compliance strategy.
• Support investigations into potential compliance violations and work with Legal and HR on remediation and corrective action

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required, advanced degree in Law, Life Sciences, Business, or related field preferred.10+ years of relevant European Compliance experience within the biopharma industry supporting Commercial and Medical Affairs teams. Law degree is plus.
• Strong knowledge of European and major country-level compliance frameworks and codes, including EFPIA, Loi Bertrand, ABPI and other local relevant anti-bribery/anti-corruption regulations, GDPR and other privacy regulation and guidance.
• Experience working in a fast-paced, evolving environment; launch experience strongly preferred.
• Track record of building compliance programs that balance risk mitigation with business enablement.
• Demonstrated ability to work at both strategic and operational levels.
• Excellent judgment, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to operate independently and influence without authority in a matrixed global organization.
• Ethics & Compliance certification (CCEP, CPA, CIA, etc.) and Privacy certification are a plus.
• Fluent in English; additional European languages (German, French, Spanish) are highly desirable.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including diplomacy and flexibility, and the ability to interface effectively throughout all levels of the organization as well as with external parties, and adaptable to circumstances and variety of cultures.
• Travel (20%)

#LI-HYBRID

Our employees come from different backgrounds, and we celebrate those differences. We are looking for the best candidates for our open roles, but do not expect applicants to meet every qualification in order to be considered. If you are excited about what you could accomplish at Cytokinetics and believe you can add value to our team, we would love to hear from you.

Please review our General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) policy PRIOR to applying.

Our passion is anchored in robust scientific thinking, grounded in integrity and critical thinking. We keep the patient front and center in all we do – all actions and decisions are in service of the patient and their caregivers. We champion integrity, ethics, doing the right thing, and being our best selves.

Fraud Warning: How to Identify Impersonated Cytokinetics Job Postings and Offers

Recently, there have been fraudulent employment offers being sent to candidates on behalf of Cytokinetics. Please be advised that all legitimate offers from Cytokinetics will come directly from our official email domain (Cytokinetics.com) and will only be made after completing a formal interview process.

Here are some ways to check for authenticity:

• We do not conduct job interviews through non-standard text messaging applications
• We will never request personal information such as banking details until after an official offer has been accepted and verified
• We will never request that you purchase equipment or other items when interviewing or hiring
• If you are unsure about the authenticity of an offer, or if you receive any suspicious communication, please contact us directly at [email protected]

Please visit our website at: www.cytokinetics.com

Cytokinetics is an Equal Opportunity Employer