Head of R&D Laboratory & Site Technology

Haleon · Surrey

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Welcome to Haleon. We’re a purpose-driven, world-class consumer company putting everyday health in the hands of millions. In just three years since our launch, we’ve grown, evolved and are now entering an exciting new chapter – one filled with bold ambitions and enormous opportunity.

Our trusted portfolio of brands – including Sensodyne®, Panadol®, Advil®, Voltaren®, Theraflu®, Otrivin®, and Centrum® – lead in resilient and growing categories. What sets us apart is our unique blend of deep human understanding and trusted science.

Now it’s time to fully realise the full potential of our business and our people. We do this through our Win as One strategy. It puts our purpose – to deliver better everyday health with humanity – at the heart of everything we do. It unites us, inspires us, and challenges us to be better every day, driven by our agile, performance-focused culture.

About the role

Reporting to the Head of R&D Digital & Technology and part of the R&D Digital & Technology Leadership Team (RDDTLT), this role is accountable for the technology capabilities that connect R&D laboratory instruments, platforms and workflows to generate the analytical data required for scientific research, product development and transfer to Quality and Supply Chain. In doing so, the role helps Haleon R&D accelerate innovation, drive growth and unlock enterprise value.

R&D relies on analytical data to understand materials and formulations, test hypotheses, assess quality and stability, make development decisions, generate evidence and transfer products toward scale-up. This data is generated across a diverse network of laboratories and pilot plants, with major R&D hubs in Weybridge, UK and Levice, SK, for Global Oral Health R&D; Richmond, US, for Global OTC and Wellness R&D; and Suzhou, China, as a regional R&D facility serving China.

The purpose of this role is to make this environment connected, compliant, reliable and increasingly intelligent, so scientists can generate trusted data efficiently and use it to make better decisions faster. The role brings laboratory platforms, scientific data, instrument connectivity, site technology and operational reliability into one coherent accountability.

The role shapes the future laboratory and analytical-data landscape, translates it into an investable roadmap, oversees delivery through Haleon’s Digital & Technology operating model, and ensures new capabilities are adopted and deliver measurable R&D outcomes.

Success is defined by whether R&D can access trusted analytical data across the product lifecycle, reduce avoidable manual work and fragmentation, improve the speed and quality of scientific decisions, maintain compliance and operational continuity, and establish the foundations for greater automation, advanced analytics and AI.

Key responsibilities

1. Shape the laboratory and analytical-data roadmap

• Define the future-state landscape: Partner with R&D laboratory, research and product-development leaders to define the technology capabilities and strategic building blocks required across laboratories, pilot plants and sites. 
• Make deliberate evolution choices: Determine where Haleon should standardize, simplify, integrate, modernize or retire capabilities, and where differentiated technology could create advantage. Set out the capability gaps, dependencies, sequencing and investment priorities needed to move from the current landscape to the future state. 
• Build toward intelligent laboratories: Ensure the roadmap progressively strengthens the foundations for connected instruments, reusable analytical data, automation, advanced analytics and responsible AI. 

2. Connect laboratory technology and analytical data

• Connect instruments, platforms, workflows and data: Set direction for the laboratory technology ecosystem, including LIMS and ELN, and standardize processes, workflows and data where it creates value, so analytical data is captured with the context, quality, traceability and interoperability required for scientists and product-development teams to find, trust and reuse it across the product lifecycle.
• Protect scientific integrity and compliance: Partner with R&D data owners and D&T Data & AI, Architecture, Security and other relevant functions to ensure laboratory data and technology meet applicable requirements for integrity, reproducibility, security and regulated use.  undefined

3. Deliver and sustain laboratory and site technology capabilities

• Turn the roadmap into coherent investments: Translate strategic capabilities and building blocks into product roadmaps delivered through clearly defined initiatives with explicit outcomes, dependencies, risks, business readiness, expected value and investment requirements, and manage the approved product and service budget to maximize value.
• Lead delivery through the D&T operating model: Work across product, delivery, architecture, engineering, data, operational technology, quality and external partners to ensure approved initiatives deliver the intended capability to the agreed scope, cost, quality and pace. 
• Maintain reliable laboratory operations: Ensure critical laboratory and site technology services are secure, compliant, resilient and supportable, with clear ownership, lifecycle plans, service performance and recovery arrangements. undefined

4. Drive adoption and measurable R&D outcomes

• Embed tech into scientific and product development work: Partner with R&D leaders to make the required changes to processes, skills, roles and ways of working. Use adoption and outcome data to improve, accelerate, reshape or stop work, ensuring investments produce measurable value for R&D.
• Lead through influence and expertise: Represent R&D laboratories and sites in enterprise D&T, shaping products, platforms and standards to reflect R&D’s scientific, operational and compliance needs. Build a high-performing global team and strong network across R&D, D&T and strategic partners, and provide credible thought leadership on the future of laboratories and analytical data.

Qualifications and Experience 

• Master's degree level or equivalent in relevant technology or scientific fields (e.g. Computer Science, MBA, computational sciences), with a deep understanding of research and development processes.  
• Proven R&D Analytics Leadership: Extensive experience in the CPG, consumer healthcare, biopharmaceutical, technology, or biotechnology industry, with a background in senior leadership roles and strong track record in delivering results through analytics, data science or related functions in IT and R&D groups.  
• Bold thinker with the ability to envision the future of data-driven innovation insights and set a compelling strategy.
• Proven experience in transforming organizations or strategies - for example, Experience leading digital transformation and advanced analytics in R&D environments, leading technology innovation at scale, establishing new technology capabilities, or driving business outcomes. 
• Demonstrated experience managing large, global teams (combination of internal, external FTE and outsourced) and multimillion-dollar annual operational and project budgets.
• Exceptional people leadership skills - able to inspire a shared purpose, cultivate talent, and build diverse, high-performing teams across different cultures and geographies.  
• Proven expertise in Research Labs site and technology transformation, experience supporting systems like LIMS, ELN, Empower, Formulation management, PLM, predictive modeling, digital twin /smart lab technologies. 
• Deep knowledge of modern data science, AI/ML, and analytics tools relevant to consumer/CPG/Healthcare/biopharma research. Familiarity with areas such as predictive modeling, computational chemistry/biology, bioinformatics, statistics, and AI-driven consumer and sensory insights. Ability to guide teams in selecting and applying the right technologies and approaches to complex scientific problems. 
• Deep passion for innovation with a demonstrated ability to translate new ideas into action. Ability to set high ambitions, start small, and scale fast in a growth environment, has introduced new technologies or approaches that delivered tangible business outcomes.  
• Brings broad view of external perspective including CPG/Healthcare/biopharma/biotech and R&D landscape, including emerging trends with ability to benchmark Haleon’s digital ambition against direct competition. Fluent in the language of both science and business, an excellent communicator in articulating vision and inspiring/energizing cross-functional teams.  
• Regulated industry experience with GxP Systems and compliance frameworks AI/ML applications for R&D innovation optimization and predictive analytics background, ICH guidelines and FDA/EMA regulatory frameworks knowledge international experience managing global teams and laboratory operations. 

 Job Posting End Date

Equal Opportunities

Haleon are committed to mobilising our purpose in a way that represents the diverse consumers and communities who rely on our brands every day. It guides us in creating an inclusive culture, where different backgrounds and views are valued and respected – all in support of understanding and best serving the needs of our consumers and unleashing the full potential of our people. It’s important to us that Haleon is a place where all our employees feel they truly belong.

During the application process, we may ask you to share some personal information, which is entirely voluntary. This information ensures we meet certain regulatory and reporting obligations and supports the development, refinement, and execution of our inclusion and belonging programmes that are open to all Haleon employees. 

The personal information you provide will be kept confidential, used only for legitimate business purposes, and will never be used in making any employment decisions, including hiring decisions.

Adjustment or Accommodations Request

If you require a reasonable adjustment or accommodation or other assistance to apply for a job at Haleon at any stage of the application process, please let your recruiter know by providing them with a description of specific adjustments you are requesting. We’ll provide all reasonable adjustments to support you throughout the recruitment process and treat all information you provide us in confidence. 

Note to candidates

The Haleon recruitment team will contact you using a Haleon email account (@haleon.com). If you are not sure whether the email you received is from Haleon, please get in touch.

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