Job Description
The Director, Strategic Planning & Operations is a pivotal role within the Medical Excellence & Operations team within Global Medical Affairs. This role is responsible for overseeing 3 medical business unit specific Strategic Planning roles (CNS, Nephrology & Immunology, and Rare Disease), as well as one strategic planning role for external engagement. This role will seek to shape and implement best practices, ensure efficient processes, and support the delivery of high-quality medical plans. This role ensures alignment between scientific strategy, clinical development, and commercial objectives, and serves as a key partner in shaping the medical vision throughout the asset lifecycle. This role reports directly into the Executive Director, Medical Excellence and Operations.
Job Description
Key Responsibilities Include:
Strategic Planning and Governance
- Lead the annual and multi-year Global and US Medical Affairs Strategic Planning process, overseeing the development, integration, and communication of high-quality Medical Plans across multiple therapeutic areas
- Establish and maintain governance standards, templates, and planning tools to ensure consistency, quality, compliance, and strategic alignment with corporate objectives across CNS, Nephrology & Immunology, and Rare Disease, as well as external engagement
- Facilitate portfolio-level strategic alignment and prioritization discussions with key cross-functional stakeholders including R&D, & U.S/Global Commercial teams to ensure a unified approach to asset advancement and lifecycle management.
- Driving strategic alignment by partnering with U.S & Global asset planning teams to enhance collaboration across Otsuka
- Consider technology and AI to support workflow improvement
- Serve as a key point of contact for senior leadership, providing updates, insights, and recommendations on strategic planning activities.
Team Leadership and Development
- Build and lead a high-performing team of Associate Directors responsible for Strategic Planning and operational excellence across the portfolio
- Ensure functional excellence and guide the translation of global medical strategy into actionable, measurable execution plans
- Establish and reinforce program management standards across therapeutic areas through staff development and oversight
Cross-TA Integration and Portfolio Management
- Serve as a strategic advisor to senior leadership on medical affairs priorities, risks, and opportunities within each therapeutic area
- Serve as the central point of contact for integrating strategic plans and championing planning best practices across all disparate therapeutic areas
- Challenging asset teams to set clear KPIs to monitor progress against budget and adjust tactics throughout the year as business needs evolve
- Lead the review and aggregation of portfolio-level Medical Insights, partnering with Finance and Operations on consolidated budget and resource forecasting
- Oversee the creation and implementation of multi-year strategic roadmaps tailored to each therapeutic area
Budget Management
- Oversee budgets for global medical operations initiatives
- Ensure cost-effective utilization of resources while maintaining high-quality outputs across all regions
- Serve as a strategic thought partner who confidently challenges investment decisions, ensuring alignment with broader organizational strategy and long-term value creation
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement of fiscal stewardship within the US and global team
Qualifications
Education and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in a scientific or clinical discipline preferred
- Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, with at least 8 years in Medical Affairs
- Minimum of 8 years of demonstrated experience in a strategic planning, portfolio management, or equivalent senior leadership role
- Proven experience managing, mentoring, and leading a team of direct reports within a strategic or cross-functional setting
- Extensive experience in developing and implementing Global Medical Affairs strategic plans for multiple therapeutic areas or across a portfolio
- Deep knowledge of the drug development lifecycle, evidence generation, and regulatory requirements
Skills and Competencies:
- Exceptional ability to lead and motivate a diverse team, delegate effectively, and drive organizational change
- Technical knowledge in Veeva CRM, Veeva Vault, KOL Mapping Systems, etc.
- Superior Strategic Thinking and Planning skills, with the ability to manage complexity and translate vision into concrete, actionable steps
- Outstanding business acumen, with the ability to articulate the strategic value of Medical Affairs activities to leadership
- Proficiency in project management tools and strategic planning platforms
- Excellent communication, presentation, and Stakeholder Management skills, capable of influencing senior leaders across R&D, Commercial, and Finance
- Expert-level understanding of corporate governance, compliance standards, and the regulatory environment impacting global medical planning
- Proven organizational and Portfolio Management capabilities to handle multiple therapeutic plans and competing priorities simultaneously
Job Tags