Head of Global Research - Vaccines

Job title: Head of Global Research - Vaccines Research and Development

Location: Waltham, MA

Overview

The Head of Vaccines Research leads the scientific vision and strategy that transforms cutting-edge research into breakthrough vaccines, building a world-class research organization that leverages disease understanding, antigen design, immunology, AI/ML and platform science to deliver transformational vaccines and medicines.

In the context of the R&D evolution, our position is currently in Project Status, where the scope of this position may continue to evolve.

About the Job:

As a senior Leader in the Vaccines GBU and Sanofi:

• Contribute to defining, building and delivering the short, middle and long term vision for the Vaccines GBU and Sanofi

• Engage key external stakeholders and represent Sanofi, the GBU and Vaccines R&D in external forums

• Engage leaders across all departments and levels within Sanofi and represent Vaccines R&D in internal forums

As a senior Leader in Vaccines R&D, contribute to the Vaccines R&D leadership team (VRDLT) vision and dynamic:

• Contribute to defining, building and delivering the short, middle and long-term vision for Vaccines R&D

• Actively partner with your peers within the VRDLT, fostering cross-team collaboration and solving challenges within and outside VRDLT forums

• Bring healthy challenge, taking ownership for proposing and preparing topics  for discussion at VRDLT.

• Contribute to productive discussion at VRDLT, diverging in opinions when helpful, then converging and aligning on a position and sticking to it

• Share information in a regular manner, sharing both good news and bad news in a timely manner and asking for help in an agile mode, including during our agile weekly meetings

• Provide feedback to peers and supervisor

• Engage leaders in Sanofi Pharma R&D and identify value-creating opportunities for scientific collaboration and synergies

• Identify external opportunities (services, collaborations, in-licensing, acquisitions) to strengthen our position and accelerate the delivery of our ambition.

As a people Leader and manager in Vaccines R&D, deliver the activities and team engagement within your function:

• Take accountability for delivering the activities aligned with the defined project and pipeline priorities and the long term vision of the R&D and the vaccines GBU.

• Take accountability for sourcing the priority activities, making trade off when needed, asking for resource when critical path activities are not adequately resourced and releasing/loaning resources when possible.

• Define clear objectives for the team and assess team performance on both deliverables, behaviours and leadership traits

• Continue to raise talent density by developing your people, hiring exceptional new talents and ensuring we have the right people at the right place.

• Engage your overall team, increasing the engagement score of your direct report but also your overall organisation

• Keep transforming whenever needed and contribute to the simplification of the organisation within and outside your perimeter.

• Build robust interfaces with stakeholders and escalating  the challenges when this is not happening

• Take thoughtful risk in a transparent way

• Create the right healthy environment where people can strive based on clear objective and feedback, with  clear sense of urgency and confidence.

As Head of Vaccines Research Department:

• In close collaboration with the Head of Vaccines Research portfolio strategy, design an ambitious vision for vaccines Research and a clear strategy and plan to deliver on it

• Contribute to vaccine paipeline

• Promote a project-centric and value-creating environment where science benefits our projects and pipeline, avoiding the “science for science” mindset.

• Deliver excellence in antigen design and immunology, pioneering new technologies and applying state of the art science and technologies to deliver concrete value for projects at short-,  middle- and long-term.

• Deliver in an agile manner the scientific evidence that answer key scientific questions, discharging risks and advancing our vaccines and technology programs.

• Allocate  resource according to established priorities and escalate potential trade-offs to VRDLT/governance in case of conflicting priorities.

• Continue to promote the innovation in vaccines platforms, including but not limited to mRNA & Adjuvants.