Senior Director and Head of Lung/GI/GU, Translational Medicine Oncology

We advance science so that we all have more time with the people we love.

The Head of Lung/GI/GU will sit on the Translational Medicine Oncology Leadership team, reporting directly into the Head of Translational Medicine, Oncology. This role provides scientific and strategic leadership and operational oversight for all biomarker work and translational research in lung cancer, GI cancers, and GU cancers across the gRED early stage portfolio and the Roche late stage oncology portfolio. They will oversee a department of ~20 total people, with a span of control over 3-5 leaders of people leaders, responsible to advance research discoveries into novel cancer therapies, discover and develop novel biomarkers and strategies to support clinical trials, and derive new research directions and drug discovery insights from patient samples and data.

This role requires an individual who possesses a cross-enterprise (borderless) mindset with outstanding communication and leadership skills that enable collaboration across the Roche organization and the ability to build and facilitate strong relationships externally.  This individual will work closely with leaders across Research, Early Clinical Development, Computational Sciences, and Development Sciences in gRED, and Product Development, Medical Affairs and Global Product Strategy (GPS) as well as global functions across the Roche organization to contribute to strategies to discover and develop impactful therapies that provide transformative benefit for patients.  

This individual must be a scientific expert and strategic thought leader, who can readily bridge cutting edge translational medicine environments with a fast-paced clinical organization. They will be a scientific expert and key influencer at many governance committees including, but not limited to the Research Review Committee (RRC), Development Review Committee (DRC), late stage therapeutic area committees and Translational Medicine Review Forum (TMRF).  

The Opportunity

• Accountable for the scientific impact and accomplishments for Lung, GI, GU disease from Early Development through approval / Life Cycle planning of a global organization through influential, innovative, inspirational and strategic excellence 

• Expand the translational research strategy in prioritized disease using novel and innovative approaches to identify new mechanisms of response and resistance, combination therapies, biomarkers, patient segments, and/or new targets

• Connect and collaborate with global heads of Research and Clinical Oncology to ensure programs are biologically sound, move the pipeline forward  and are in alignment with diagnostic and biomarker strategies

• Establish and maintain strong external partnerships with key opinion leaders, academic institutions and other external partners and seen as a scientific thought leader in the field of oncology translational research

• Assess and identify the need for adjustments and if needed drive change within Translational Medicine Oncology organization to enhance value creation and generation 

• Act as a thought leader and active member of  the Translational Medicine Oncology leadership team aware of innovative approaches and external competition so that they can influences strategies and guides direction of key initiatives

• Accountable and provides transparency for allocation of Biomarker sub-Team resources for projects and activities to drive prioritization that best benefits our projects and portfolio while balancing capacity resourcing requests 

• Develop internal talent by creating and providing opportunities for scientific, functional and technical leadership, project responsibilities, matrix leadership and people management that meet the needs for now and in the future

• Creates an inclusive and inspiring scientific environment through senior leaders in order to deliver a diverse and highly productive organization that can attract and retain the best talent

• Responsible for prioritize resources to ensure optimal delivery of initiatives within budget and defined timelines

Who you are

• Ph.D., M.D., or M.D. /Ph.D. in Biology, Molecular Biology or related fields with strong experience and expertise in scientific drug development 

• 10+ years of progressive experience in a science based organization leading significant Oncology biomarker and diagnostic efforts. Strong background in cancer biology, cancer genetics and immunology required

• In-depth understanding and recognized scientific leader in drug and biomar