Global Ops Strategy Lead

About the role

Our Global Operations department is the strategic engine that unifies a network of over 9,000 employees to deliver life-saving diagnostic solutions. We are committed to scientific excellence and operational resilience, ensuring our global footprint is optimized to meet the evolving needs of patients. The Strategy team serves as the "architect" of our network, providing the thought leadership and analytical rigor necessary to navigate complex global markets and secure our long-term competitive advantage.

In the role as Global Ops Strategy Lead, you hold a high-impact leadership role responsible for the development and governance of our holistic strategy. Your mandate is almost entirely focused on strategic initiatives—such as long-term capacity planning, footprint optimization, and global investment roadmaps—where you act as a visionary partner to the executive team. You provide the critical insights that unify our global functions, ensuring that every asset and investment is positioned to drive maximum enterprise value.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain robust governance frameworks to ensure all footprint decisions, including "Make vs. Buy" and localization transfers, align with guiding principles.
• Develop resilient global strategies by conducting deep internal and external analyses to inform the long-term direction of the network.
• Own the global Long-Term Capacity Planning (LTCP) process to proactively identify bottlenecks and scale the footprint to meet future demand.
• Create a 10-year major investment roadmap (CAPEX) to secure asset strategy and ensure sustainable growth across the organization.
• Drive strategic intelligence and benchmarking initiatives to provide a consistent fact base using industry data to support strategy development and comparisons.
• Lead cross-functional teams across Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and R&D to deliver high-stakes strategic initiatives.
• Establish governing principles for global investment and footprint management, transitioning the organization from siloed models to an integrated global network.
• Orchestrate senior leadership influence to gain consensus from GOLT and GOLT-1 leaders on strategic resource prioritization.
• Bridge the gap between commercial strategy and execution capability, embedding GO's feasibility assessments into the broader corporate strategy.
• Manage high-stakes conflicts, particularly when balancing competing CAPEX demands between divergent global functions.
• Present frequently to senior executive forums, providing high visibility for the health of the global footprint and investment recommendations.
• Serve as a catalyst for capability development by coaching team members in complex business case development and strategic planning.
• Utilize a "Systems Thinking" approach to analyze systemic friction points between Procurement, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain.
• Design enterprise-level architectures to transform the organization into a holistic, future-ready global network.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business or Engineering (required); an MBA or equivalent Master’s degree (highly preferred).
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience with deep operational mastery across Procurement, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain.
• Proven expertise in Enterprise Architecture, specifically the ability to move an organization toward a holistic, integrated global model.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to synthesize large amounts of data into clear, actionable executive messages.
• Thought leadership with a proven ability to use industry best practices to develop recommended solutions for the network.
• Flexibility to handle non-routine strategic questions and support diverse cross-functional projects.
• Authentic and courageous leadership to constructively challenge the status quo and foster an environment of psychological safety.
• Business fluency in English and executive presence required to influence at the highest levels of the organization.

Pay

Where pay transparency applies, details are provided based on the primary posting location. For this role, the primary location is Rotkreuz. If you are interested in additional locations where the role may be available, relevant compensation details will be provided later in the hiring process.