Head Business Planning and Operations, Strategy, Portfolio and Hubs (SPH)

About the role

The Head Business Planning and Operations, SPH acts as Chief of Staff to the Head of SPH and ensures that the function operates with clear priorities, disciplined execution and strong decision support.

Responsibilities

• Own the SPH operating rhythm, including leadership-team governance, planning, budget coordination, communications, scorecards, travel/off-site planning, action tracking and continuous improvement across SPH.
• Act as trusted Chief of Staff to the Head of SPH, helping translate functional strategy into clear priorities, operating plans, leadership decisions and disciplined follow-through.
• Act as a key thought partner and “sounding board” to brainstorm ideas, identify solutions and apply knowledge and expertise to problem solve.
• Own the SPH leadership-team operating rhythm, including annual and quarterly planning cycles, Leadership Team agendas, meeting cadence, pre-reads, decision logs, minutes and action tracking, providing regular exposure to strategic discussions and executive decision-making.
• Ensure leadership discussions are decision-oriented by preparing high-quality briefing materials, synthesizing complex input, clarifying options, escalating risks and enabling timely alignment across stakeholders.
• Coordinate SPH planning, budget/resource follow-up and performance transparency, partnering with Finance, HR and relevant functional teams to maintain an integrated view of priorities, resources, commitments and delivery progress, while building strong cross-functional relationships across R&D and enabling functions.
• Maintain SPH scorecards, dashboards and operating reports that provide concise visibility on key initiatives, risks, decisions, dependencies, budget status and agreed follow-up actions.
• Plan and deliver SPH townhalls, leadership sessions, off-sites and key communications, ensuring agendas, storylines, materials and follow-up are purposeful, consistent and aligned with the Head of SPH priorities.
• Drive continuous improvement in SPH ways of working, including simplification of processes, clarification of governance, stronger knowledge management, more effective collaboration routines and adoption of digital and AI-enabled tools.
• Manage cross-functional interfaces with R&D partners, enabling functions, project teams, external vendors and senior stakeholders, ensuring strong collaboration, clear ownership and proactive resolution of operational issues, creating opportunities to develop a broad and influential network across the R&D ecosystem.
• Handle confidential and sensitive materials with sound judgment, compliance awareness and discretion, including leadership matters, organizational topics, budget information and strategic documents.
• Support onboarding, engagement and alignment across the SPH organization by helping connect teams, clarify expectations, reinforce priorities and ensure consistent communication of decisions and next steps, fostering strong relationships and collaboration across a diverse stakeholder community.

Requirements

• Degree in life sciences, medicine, business, economics, engineering or a related field required; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of relevant experience in R&D, life sciences, healthcare, strategy, portfolio management, business operations or R&D transformation.
• Proven experience supporting senior leaders as Chief of Staff, business operations lead, programme lead or similar trusted partner role.
• Strong track record in leadership governance, planning cycles, budget