Director, Business Strategy

Brief Description:

The Director, Business Strategy & Operations (BS&O) – Discovery & Research serves as the strategic business partner and Chief of Staff to the Chief Scientific Officers (CSOs) in Neuroscience and Oncology and their respective Discovery and Research Leadership Teams. In this high-impact, cross-functional role, you will orchestrate strategic planning, executive operating rhythms, organizational communications, workforce planning, and continuous improvement across early research and discovery.

Reporting directly to the Head of R&D Business Strategy and Operations, you will partner closely with the HR, Resource Management, and R&D Finance to lead functional workforce planning and manage the overall functional budget. You will also serve as a key operational bridge between functional Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and Resource Management to ensure robust resource data stewardship (including named allocation tools and timecard compliance). Additionally, you will partner with the R&D Chief of Staff and Research Project Management to prepare high-stakes materials for executive, Board, and scientific governance forums, as well as play an active operational role in early-stage business development due diligence and post-deal functional integration.

Essential Functions

1. Chief of Staff & Leadership Cadence

• Serve as trusted advisor, operational sounding board, and Chief of Staff to the CSOs in Neuroscience and Oncology and their Discovery Leadership Teams.
• Architect and facilitate the executive operating rhythm across both therapeutic areas, including leadership team meetings, quarterly business reviews (QBRs), and strategic offsites; track actions, resolve bottlenecks, and ensure strategic follow-through.
• Partner with the R&D Chief of Staff and Research Project Management as needed to prepare executive briefing decks and strategic presentations for Quarterly Executive Reviews, Board of Directors Meetings, and Science Review Committees.
• Collaborate with the R&D Chief of Staff and peer BS&O leaders to cascade enterprise strategies into Discovery and represent the research organization in operational working groups.

2. Workforce Planning & Resource Oversight

• Partner with HR, Resource Management, and Finance to lead comprehensive workforce and capacity planning across Neuroscience and Oncology Discovery to support target identification, validation, lead optimization, and candidate selection.
• Act as functional Lead Data Steward for named allocation tools and timecard coding adherence, ensuring research team data is maintained on time and with high fidelity.
• Partner with Resource Management on algorithm demand modeling: oversee the process between functional SMEs and Resource Management to ensure algorithm demand inputs and underlying assumptions are completed accurately, delivered on schedule, and translated into clear, actionable intelligence for workforce planning.
• Leverage capacity data and named allocations to defend and secure functional headcount and operating resources during annual and long‑range planning (LRP) cycles.

3. Financial Cadence & Budget Stewardship

• Manage and track the overall functional Discovery & Research budget in close collaboration with R&D Finance and functional leadership (OpEx, external discovery CRO contracts, lab services, and headcount).
• Drive the financial operating rhythm across quarterly forecasting, accruals, variance analyses, and annual budget builds with Discovery budget owners across both therapeutic areas.

4. Business Development Diligence & Research Integration

• Lead functional post‑deal integration for newly acquired discovery programs, technology platforms, or research partnerships, ensuring smooth operational onboarding and alignment with internal discovery processes.
• Partner with Corporate Development, Alliance Management, and R&D Integration Leads to safeguard deal value, operational continuity, and research synergy.

5. Goal‑Setting Cadence & Performance Tracking

• Direct the annual and long‑term goal‑setting operating rhythm (OKRs/KPIs) for Discovery & Research, cascading enterprise R&D priorities into clear functional targets.
• Establish metrics and operational dashboards to track research velocity, operational delivery, and organizational health.
• Partner with the R&D Chief of Staff office to report quarterly progress, milestones, and operational mitigation plans to R&D executive leadership.

6. Communications Cadence & Scientific Culture

• Partner with the Corporate and R&D Communications teams to design and execute a comprehensive internal communications strategy for Discovery &