Astellas Pharma Posted September 23, 2026

Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist (Cape Town) (Johannesburg, GP, ZA, 2008)

Johannesburg, South Africa Type not listed
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Astellas Pharma is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

About Astellas

Astellas is a global life sciences company committed to turning innovative science into VALUE for patients. We provide transformative therapies in disease areas that include oncology, ophthalmology, urology, immunology and women's health. Through our research and development programs, we are pioneering new healthcare solutions for diseases with high unmet medical need. Learn more at Astellas.com .

Are you driven to make a real difference in the lives of patients?

We're seeking passionate individuals who thrive in dynamic environments, embrace new ideas, and aren't afraid to take intelligent risks. People who act with unwavering integrity and are deeply committed to making a tangible impact.

Location and Working Environment

This is a permanent, full-time position.

This position is 100% field based opportunity.

The encumbent must reside in the Cape Town area.

Purpose and Scope

Drive growth of Astellas product with an initial focus on menopause to spearhead the introduction of our first in class product.

Responsible for driving sales growth and market share expansion within assigned territory, while embodying the cultural pillars of being competitive, ambitious, and accountable.

Foster collaboration with internal stakeholders, including marketing, medical affairs, and market access teams, to support product launch activity.

Professionally represent Astellas in the field and ensure high levels of visibility and customer satisfaction in territory.

Role and Responsibilities

Engage with healthcare professionals to increase brand awareness and build relationships.

Women’s Health customers include but are not limited to the following: Gynaecologists, Obstetricians, Endocrinologists, Fertility Specialists, General Practitioners, and Pharmacists.

Sales strategy execution.

Conduct comprehensive customer profiling to identify key influencers and decision-makers within target accounts, tailoring sales messages and solutions to address their specific needs and preferences.

Patient Pathway Optimisation: Drive product adoption through scientific engagement with healthcare professionals and proactive management of the prescription-to-dispensing pathway, including pharmacist education and collaboration to support product availability, dispensing, and patient access.

Identification of growth opportunities in territory to drive achievement of territory sales targets.

As required, conduct round table meetings, CME's and tactics that will drive growth in your area.

Conduct frequent and high-quality analysis of territory.

Managing customer interactions in-line with regional planning to ensure high impact sales calls.

Maintain superior product and disease knowledge.

Collaborate with and work effectively with cross functional brand teams and other professional selling representatives.

Conduct all activities in an ethical and compliant manner.

Continue: Role and Responsibilities

Sharing of key insights with wider brand team on a regular basis.

Regional travel is a requirement.

Open to future expansion into state sector and working in other therapeutic areas as required by business needs

Willing to work additional hours and/or travel as reasonably required by the business.

Ensure compliance with company pharmacovigilance (PV) policies and regulatory requirements by promptly identifying and reporting all adverse events, product quality complaints, and special situations related to company products to the Local PV Contact / PV Unit within required timelines.

Maintain awareness of pharmacovigilance procedures by completing periodic Product Safety Awareness trainings, as required by Astellas policies.

Required Qualifications

The incumbent should at minimum have a tertiary qualification.

Valid driver's licence.

Pharma sector sales experience in the Cape Town region.

Experience in specialised selling.

Skilled at hosting effective small group meetings and larger speaker meetings (CPD Accredited).

Appreciation of relevant Compliance and Regulatory legislation, application and forthcoming changes.

Preferred Qualifications

Knowledge and experience in the Women’s health therapeutic area preferable.

Experience with new launches an added advantage.

Private-sector experience engaging with customers which include but not limited to: Gynaecologists, Obstetricians, Endocrinologists, Fertility Specialists, General Practitioners, and Pharmacists.

Conducting effective Doctor Detailing experience.

A proven track record in sales and selling skills, i.e. Solid experience in similar role.

What awaits you at Astellas?

Global collaboration: Become part of a connected global business of like-minded life science leaders, all dedicated to improving patients' lives worldwide.

Real-world patient impact: Contribute to transformative therapies that reach patients around the world, knowing your work makes a difference every day.

Relentless Innovation: Join a company at the forefront of scientific breakthroughs, where you'll have the opportunity to shape the future of healthcare.

A Culture of Growth: Chart your own course within a supportive environment that values your contributions, champions your development, and empowers you to pursue your passions.

Our Organisational Values and Behaviours

Integrity

Innovation

Impact

One Astellas

Accountability

Courage

Sense of Urgency

Outcome Focus

Skills and Capabilities

Organizational Focus

Communications

Business Acumen

Teamwork

Benefits

Careers | Astellas

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Beware of recruitment scams impersonating Astellas recruiters or representatives. Authentic communication will only originate from an official Astellas LinkedIn profile or a verified company email address. If you encounter a fake profile or anything suspicious, report it promptly to LinkedIn's support team through LinkedIn Help.

#LI-Cape Town

#LI-Hybrid

#LI-EN1

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Job details

Seniority
Not listed
Function
Sales
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Johannesburg, South Africa
Employment type
Not listed

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Sales role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 3111 comparable Sales roles across 195 biopharma companies.

3111Comparable roles tracked
2907Currently active
195Companies hiring similar roles
75Countries represented

Salary context

734 of 3111 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function. This posting doesn't list a seniority level, so peers aren't narrowed by seniority either -- the range below may span more levels than usual.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · Inside Sales Representative · Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. $48,000/yr – $72,000/yr
Highest disclosed · Executive Director, National Sales Leader, Ophthalmology · Merck $255,800/yr – $402,700/yr
Peer group range $60,000 – $329,250 (median $145,550)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 3111 comparable roles

United States1655
China435
Germany86
India84
Poland78
Vietnam60

+ 69 more countries

Seniority mix

1267 of 3111 peers have a known seniority level

Manager719
Senior427
Director69
Associate Director20
Intern/Fellow/Postdoc12
Associate10
Executive/VP5
Senior Director4
Principal1

Therapeutic area mix

842 of 3111 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology289
Cardiovascular / CVRM137
Neuroscience107
Dermatology & Aesthetics90
Immunology63
Rare Disease58
Respiratory40
Vaccines & Infectious Disease38
Gastroenterology14
Ophthalmology6

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

40%similar
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Sterkfontein DMA, GP, South Africa
Same function Same country
40%similar
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Johannesburg, GP, South Africa Manager
Same function Same country
40%similar
Bayer Midrand, South Africa
Same function Same country
40%similar
Sanofi Aventis South Africa (Pty) Ltd Midrand, South Africa
Same function Same country
40%similar
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Johannesburg, GP, South Africa Manager
Same function Same country
25%similar
Gilead Sciences Europe Ltd. Romania – Bucharest, Romania Manager
Same function

Matched on job function only -- seniority, specialty, and location weren't confirmed as aligned.

Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

40%
Professional Sales Rep - JHB Westrand
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories · Sterkfontein DMA, GP, South Africa · Seniority not listed
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
40%
Customer Experience Partner - Immunology/Rare Disease (Fixed Term Contract)
Sanofi Aventis South Africa (Pty) Ltd · Midrand, South Africa · Seniority not listed
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
25%
Sr. Therapeutic Specialist, HIV Treatment -- Washington/Alaska/Montana
Gilead Sciences, Inc. · Field, United States · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
25%
Therapeutic Specialist Virology / Region Central - Tel Aviv, Jerusalem
Gilead Sciences Israel Ltd · Jerusalem, Israel · Seniority not listed
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.