Senior Director, Strategic Operations & Enablement and DQS Site Lead
Takeda · Warsaw
Job Description
About the role:
The Senior Director, Strategic Operations & Enablement and DQS Site Lead is a senior leadership role within Research & Development Data & Quantitative Sciences (DQS), reporting to the Global Head of DQS Strategy & Operations. The role is responsible for establishing, scaling, and leading the DQS organization as part of Takeda's globally integrated, multi-hub Global Capability Model (GCM).
The position serves as the DQS site leader within Poland and is accountable for workforce strategy, organizational effectiveness, capability development, strategic operations, leadership of change management, and site leadership. The role ensures successful integration of DQS Poland into the global DQS organization while enabling sustainable growth, talent development, delivery excellence, and long-term workforce scalability.
Specific areas of accountability include:
- Leading the establishment, growth, and operational maturity of DQS capabilities within the Poland hub with strong consideration for innovation opportunities and pipeline delivery.
- Developing and executing workforce strategies, recruitment plans, onboarding approaches, training programs, and capability development frameworks that support sustainable organizational growth.
- Serving as the primary DQS representative within the Poland Global Capability Center (GCC) and partnering with hub leadership, enterprise functions, and global stakeholders.
- Driving strategic initiatives, organizational effectiveness programs, and transformation efforts that advance DQS and R&D priorities.
- Enabling effective integration, collaboration, and execution across DQS functions and global hub locations in support of Takeda's multi-hub operating model.
- Provides site leadership and administrative people leadership for DQS employees located within Poland while functional direction and technical oversight remain with global DQS capability leaders.
How you will contribute:
You will lead the growth and day-to-day site leadership of Data and Quantitative Sciences in Poland as part of Takeda’s globally connected, multi-hub operating model. This senior leadership role will help build, scale, and strengthen the Poland hub while supporting workforce strategy, organizational effectiveness, capability development, and strategic operations. You will serve as the main Data and Quantitative Sciences leader in Poland and help ensure strong alignment between local needs and global priorities. You will also support change efforts, talent growth, and long-term workforce sustainability.
- Delivery & Business Accountabilities
- Leads the establishment, growth, and ongoing operation of DQS capabilities within the Poland hub.
- Serves as the primary DQS site leader in Poland and represents DQS in Poland GCC leadership forums, governance activities, workforce discussions, and enterprise initiatives.
- Partners with Poland GCC leadership and enterprise stakeholders on workforce growth, infrastructure planning, organizational readiness, and change management activities.
- Develops and executes workforce planning strategies aligned to DQS capability priorities and long-term business needs.
- Partners with Human Resources and Talent Acquisition to define recruitment strategies, hiring plans, and workforce expansion priorities.
- Supports candidate evaluation, recruitment, hiring, and workforce onboarding activities across DQS functions.
- Establishes and oversees onboarding frameworks that accelerate workforce integration, productivity, engagement, and adoption of DQS ways of working.
- Ensures employees receive appropriate training, learning opportunities, and professional development support to build functional and leadership capabilities.
- Builds sustainable talent pipelines, leadership development programs, succession plans, and organizational capabilities that support long-term scalability.
- Oversees workforce readiness, organizational health, resource utilization, and operational effectiveness across DQS Poland.
- Supports delivery excellence through coordination with global DQS capability leaders and monitoring of workforce capacity, productivity, and operational performance.
- Drives continuous improvement initiatives related to innovation that enhance operational efficiency, workforce experience, quality, and organizational effectiveness.
- Identifies workforce, operational, organizational, and delivery risks and develops mitigation plans in partnership with DQS and enterprise stakeholders.
- Leads strategic projects, transformation initiatives, develops innovation business case opportunities, and special assignments supporting DQS Strategy & Operations and broader R&D objectives.
- Partners closely with DQS functions/leaders to enable effective workforce scaling and capability growth.
- Supports implementation of globally defined DQS operating models, governance frameworks, capability strategies, and organizational priorities.
- Drives collaboration, knowledge sharing, workforce connectivity, and integrated execution across Bengaluru, Łódź, Cambridge, and other DQS locations.
- Fosters an inclusive, high-performing culture aligned with Takeda values and leadership expectations.
- Develops local leadership capability and organizational bench strength to support future workforce growth and long-term sustainability.
- LEADERSHIP
- Serves as the senior DQS leader within Poland and provides visible leadership across the site.
- Translates DQS priorities into scalable workforce, organizational, and operational solutions.
- Builds and sustains a high-performing, engaged, collaborative, and inclusive workforce.
- Develops future leaders through coaching, mentoring, talent development, and succession planning.
- Creates alignment across global stakeholders while fostering strong cross-functional partnerships and organizational connectivity.
- Leads through influence and drives execution across a complex global matrix environment.
- TECHNICAL / FUNCTIONAL EXPERTISE
- Strong understanding of pharmaceutical and biotechnology R&D organizations, operating models, and development processes.
- Experience leading global delivery organizations, Global Capability Centers (GCCs), centers of excellence, shared services organizations, or large-scale operational functions.
- Deep expertise in workforce planning, business operations, organizational effectiveness, talent management, operational governance, and business operations.
- Experience supporting workforce scale-up, capability development, organizational transformation, and strategic change initiatives.
- Understanding of data-driven and AI-enabled decision making or related R&D disciplines.
- Demonstrated experience operating effectively within complex, highly matrixed global organizations.
- INNOVATION
- Develops Identifies opportunities to improve workforce effectiveness, onboarding, training, organizational scalability, and operational performance.
- Promotes innovative approaches to talent acquisition, employee development, capability building, and organizational growth.
- Supports development of new ways of working that strengthen Takeda's multi-hub R&D operating model and long-term workforce sustainability.
- COMPLEXITY
- Operates across a highly matrixed environment involving multiple DQS functions, R&D stakeholders, GCC leadership teams, and enterprise partners.
- Demonstrates understanding that technical expertise will be provided by the DQS functional area experts and that reporting lines are more administrative in nature.
- Balances workforce growth, talent development, operational execution, business operations, strategic initiatives, and organizational effectiveness simultaneously.
- Supports a strategically important growth hub while ensuring alignment with global capability strategies and operating models.
- Requires significant influence across organizations, geographies, cultures, and leadership levels without direct authority in many situations.
- DECISION-MAKING & AUTONOMY
- Through direct connection with the Cambridge hub, be accountable for DQS Poland workforce planning, hiring priorities, capability development, onboarding, training, and organizational effectiveness.
- Exercises independent judgment regarding workforce investments, talent strategies, organizational development activities, and operational execution.
- Makes recommendations regarding capability growth, organizational design, location strategy, workforce scaling, and strategic initiative prioritization.
- Advises DQS leadership regarding workforce readiness, talent risks, organizational capabilities, operational maturity, and future growth opportunities.
Minimum Requirements/Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in a scientific, technical, healthcare, business operations, or related field.
- More than 10 years of leadership experience in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, healthcare, technology, analytics, or a related field.
- Strong experience leading large organizations, Global Capability Centers, centers of excellence, global delivery organizations, or similar operating environments.
- Experience leading workforce growth, talent development, transformation efforts, and strategic initiatives.
- Strong ability to work across global matrix organizations and build working relationships across teams.
- Strong experience in workforce planning, business operations, organizational effectiveness, talent management, and operational governance.
Preferred
- Advanced degree such as a Master of Business Administration, Master of Science, Doctor of Pharmacy, Doctor of Philosophy, or equivalent is preferred.
- Experience establishing or scaling Global Capability Centers or global delivery hubs is preferred.
- Experience supporting artificial intelligence, data science, analytics, quantitative sciences, or digital capabilities is preferred.
- Experience in a global pharmaceutical research and development environment is preferred.
- Experience supporting multi-hub or globally distributed operating models is preferred.
- You bring disciplined execution, strategic thinking, and a focus on continuous improvement.
Travel requirements: Approximately 5 to 10 percent travel.
More about us:
At Takeda, we are transforming patient care through the development of novel specialty pharmaceuticals and best in class patient support programs. Takeda is a patient-focused company that will inspire and empower you to grow through life-changing work.
Certified as a Global Top Employer, Takeda offers stimulating careers, encourages innovation, and strives for excellence in everything we do. We foster an inclusive, collaborative workplace, in which our teams are united by an unwavering commitment to deliver Better Health and a Brighter Future to people around the world.
This position is currently classified as "hybrid" following Takeda's Hybrid and Remote Work policy.
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