Job Description
By clicking the "Apply" button, I understand that my employment application process with Takeda will commence and that the information I provide in my application will be processed in line with Takeda's Privacy Notice and Terms of Use. I further attest that all information I submit in my employment application is true to the best of my knowledge. Job Description About the Role At Takeda, we are guided by our purpose of Better Health for People, Brighter Future for the World and our commitment to patients, our people, and the planet. Leading smooth transitions and integration of labs, systems, processes, and capabilities is essential to maintaining operational continuity and delivering on our commitments to patients, regulators, and partners. We are seeking an Executive Director, Head of Lab Operations to lead and scale global laboratory operations across Takeda's R&D organization. This role is responsible for ensuring that lab environments, processes, and systems are optimized to enable scientific excellence, operational efficiency, and scalability across a complex global footprint. You will operate at the intersection of science, operations, and strategy—driving large-scale operational excellence initiatives, enabling scientists to focus on discovery, and shaping the future of laboratory operations, including preparation for the One Cambridge Campus. What You Will Do As a key leader in the R&D Operational Excellence organization, you will: Lead and oversee global R&D laboratory operations, defining standardized processes, roles, and governance while enabling best practice sharing across regions and appropriate local adaptation. Develop and execute enterprise laboratory operations strategies to centrally scale and optimize services across R&D, increasing productivity and reducing administrative burden on scientific teams. Ensure end-to-end operational support for R&D laboratories, including equipment, space, utilities, purchasing, maintenance, calibration, and materials flow, enabling scientific teams to focus on technical execution. Drive R&D laboratory space and capacity strategy, including long term planning and readiness for the One Cambridge Campus, lab footprint scaling, asset utilization, storage, and materials flow optimization. Coordinate global laboratory operations services and partnerships, serving as a primary interface for vendors and lab users; oversee CAPEX and OPEX, performance metrics, and continuous improvement, including innovation in automation, robotics, AI/data integration, and asset sharing. Serve as the central R&D point of accountability for lab operations, including safety/EHS, procurement, and compliance, with clear escalation and issue resolution mechanisms to protect program timelines and support R&D simplicity goals. What Makes This Role Unique: This role sits at the center of enabling scientific innovation by ensuring that laboratory environments operate efficiently, consistently, and at scale across a complex global footprint. You will: Lead high-visibility, enterprise-critical initiatives that shape the future of Takeda's R&D laboratory operations. Drive large-scale transformation in preparation for the One Cambridge Campus and evolving global lab strategy. Balance the needs of scientists with operational efficiency, enabling productivity while simplifying processes. Serve as a key partner across R&D and with external vendors, influencing how laboratory operations evolve globally. Success in this role requires a leader who can balance strategic vision with operational execution and people leadership, while influencing across a highly matrixed, global organization. What You Bring: Deep experience in pharmaceutical R&D environments, including strong understanding of laboratory operations and processes. Proven experience leading large-scale lab operations, including equipment, facilities, procurement, maintenance, and vendor management. Strong experience driving operational efficiency, process improvement, and implementation of new systems. Experience managing large-scale financial oversight, including CAPEX and OPEX budgets. Strong understanding of safety, compliance, and regulatory considerations within laboratory environments. Ability to think strategically while operating at a practical, execution-focused level, even in ambiguous situations. Leadership & Impact: Demonstrated ability to lead complex global organizations and drive operational and cultural change, both directly and through influence. Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence, align, and inspire across functions, regions, and levels. Proven ability to lead tr