Associate Director, Research Governance and Operations Lead

Job Description

The Associate Director, Research Governance and Operations Lead is accountable for the implementation and improvement of strategic operations for key leadership and governance forums through which senior Research leadership manages the Research organization and its pipeline of drug discovery programs, ensuring that initiatives and processes are fully aligned and progressing effectively.

In one part of this role, the individual will act as the central point of contact for Research Leadership Team (RLT) meeting planning and management, establishing an operational framework for RLT that facilitates focus on the highest priority areas and effective discussion and decision making. S(he) will lead monitoring, measurement and reporting processes for RLT initiatives and actions.

In the other part of this role, the individual will have oversight and accountability for leading execution and operations for the Research Review Committee (RRC), the Research stage gate portfolio strategy and governance body. S(he) is accountable for definition and management of RRC agendas, managing meeting preparation and materials, driving crisp, high quality discussion and decision making within RRC meetings, and effectively communicating governance committee and portfolio decisions to leaders across the organization (both inside and outside of R&D).  The individual will also be a strategic partner for enhancing and improving the overall Research governance model, and coordinating with Development governance to ensure a consistent and aligned approach to portfolio governance across the entire R&D organization.

What You’ll Do

• End to end ownership of RLT meeting planning and management: create agendas and coordinate briefing materials for RLT meetings, generate minutes and monitor progress against action items.
• In partnership with the Head of RSO, ongoing maturation of the operating model for RLT, enabling focus on the highest priority areas for discussion and decision-making while fostering a strong culture and aligned leadership norms.
• Lead RRC governance forum in line with committee charter and guidelines.  Coordinate meeting agendas and meeting materials, conduct governance meetings and facilitate decisions, and generate governance minutes and documentation for distribution to stakeholders. Provide RRC process oversight to ensure operational effectiveness.
• Ensure a clear understanding in Research of RRC expectations for progression through the governance model and preparation for effective committee interactions.
• Champion the identification and implementation of opportunities to mature and improve the Research governance model and processes.
• Ensure appropriate management, organization, and retention of RLT and RRC archives and documents.

Who You Are

You’re motivated by the opportunity to be in a highly visible, demanding role that shapes how critical portfolio and business decisions are made. You’re not afraid to respectfully hold senior leaders accountable. You’re able to seamlessly integrate a wide spectrum of information to anticipate the business need to address critical topics and plan effectively to enable meaningful discussions and decisions that advance organizational and portfolio goals. You have a strong and proactive customer focus.

Qualifications

Required Skills

• An undergraduate degree is required.
• A minimum of 10 years of biopharma industry experience is required, with 5+ years previous experience in project or program management.
• Strong understanding of both overall drug discovery and preclinical research functions
• Exceptional organizational skills, detail-oriented with a proven ability to balance and advance multiple priorities simultaneously
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including experience generating materials for senior executives
• Self-motivated and flexible with the ability to work effectively in a dynamic, iterative, problem-solving environment
• Demonstrated ability to influence without authority, respectfully challenge assumptions, and facilitate effective decision-making by senior leaders
• Fluent in processes and technology solutions for project management
• Experience in successfully leading process improvement initiatives

Preferred Skills

• MBA or other advanced degree relevant to the role
• PMP certification
• Demonstrated experience in process improvement frameworks such as Lean or Six Sigma

Additional Information

Why Biogen?

We are a global team with a commitment to excellence, and a pioneering spirit. As a mid-sized biotechnology company, we provide the stability and resources of a well-established business while fostering an environment