Head of Digital - Pharmaceutical Technical Development

At Roche, we thrive to deliver more benefits to our patients as part of our 10-year Pharma vision. An integral part to achieving this vision is to deliver new and innovative data analytics solutions to our scientists across Pharma Technical Operations (PT). To do so, we have formed a new organization called PT Digital and Operational Excellence (PTE) with the aspiration to build industry-leading digital and lean operations across functions and our entire PT footprint.

PTE is the organization that catalyzes the global development and execution of PT’s Digital and Operational Excellence strategy to enable PT to realize our performance promises. We build a strong cross-functional and inclusive community, put the power of data into the hands of our people, further develop the Lean and Digital skills across PT, and scale up our Digital and Advanced Analytics solutions, for the benefit of our colleagues and patients.

We aim to activate data citizenship and digital mindset, revolutionize our FAIR data ecosystem and systems landscape, re-design excellent processes, and generate transformative insights. We collaborate closely with global functions to deliver impactful value to our patients.

Main Responsibilities:

We in PTE work in partnership across major global business functions: PT-Quality, PT-Development, PT-Regulatory, PT-Manufacturing, establishing and implementing an overall Digital / Technology strategy and drive the delivery and scale of key data & digital solutions in support of our vision. The Head of Digital, Pharmaceutical Technical Development (PTD) role reports to the Global Head of Digital Strategy and Value Realization and is accountable to defining the digital strategy of the research side of  PTD, leading a global team to architect and implement transformative data/digital solutions, and serving as the ultimate Product/Value Owner to ensure the sustained realization of measurable value aligned with PT’s performance promises. This position will also sit on the PTD Leadership Team. This role includes people leadership of delivery roles, strategic functions, and technical experts, managing direct reports (incl. contractors) and orchestrating a team of professionals contributing through gigs and in various functions.

The Opportunity

This role is responsible for driving the digital digital strategy within PTD through the delivery of key digital initiatives and use cases. The role will partner with customers across Roche Digital Technologies (RDT), pRED and gRED, and PT functions to architect the planning, execution, and sustainment of digital solutions to achieve the PT Digital Aspirations.

• Enterprise vision and strategic leadership
  • Strategy: Define and champion the digital vision and strategy across the research side of PTD, orchestrating alignment and providing leadership to Executive Leadership Teams (PTDLT and PTDx-LT) and global functional heads. Author and secure executive sponsorship for critical, high-impact initiatives that reshape PT's operating model. 
  • Roadmap: Translate strategy into current and into future-state capability blueprints and executive-level executable roadmap. Govern the multi-year portfolio for PTD to ensure resource allocation directly supports the most critical PT business priorities and performance promises.
• Executive influence and Governance
  • Trusted Executive Advisor: Serve as the principal, trusted advisor and expert counsel to functional and site Leadership Teams (LTs). Your mandate is to influence, challenge, and shape their investment decisions toward highest-value lean and digital initiatives that secure target achievement. Applies knowledge of key business and organisation drivers and industry knowledge to develop plans and deliver results in fast-changing businesses and/or regulatory environments.
  • Stakeholder Command & Communication: Lead and execute PTD executive communication strategy, effectively conveying the strategic vision, roadmap progress, and realized business impact of the digital transformation to all internal and external senior stakeholders and partners. Represent the value and Priority of the roadmap use cases to the Digital Innovation Board(DIB) to ensure successful execution. Manages multiple large, potentially diverse teams of leaders and/or senior professional staff; provides input to department or division strategy.
• Digital Transformation and Value Realization
  • Diagnose for Transformation: Lead executive-level diagnostics of complex, multi-functional business processes and value chains to proactively identify and validate disruptive, high-value digital products and transformation opportunities. Looks beyond existing methodologies and own area of expertise to define and resolve complex, operational and organisational problems leveraging resources within or outside the department.
  • Solution & Product Governance: Assume ultimate Product/Value Owner accountability for digital initiatives, catalyzing implementation and governing value capture across the entire lifecycle. This includes instilling a culture of rigorous impact measurement. Guided by Roche functional business and organisation plans, impacts the department or functional results by controlling the resources and policy formation in the area of responsibility.
  • Sustainment & Scale: Mandate and oversee the strategic transition of digital products into industrialized, sustainable operating models, ensuring the receiving organizations are equipped for long-term value delivery and operational excellence.
  • Ecosystem & Partnership Development: Proactively scout, define, and cultivate strategic alliances and partnerships with external technology companies, building a robust ecosystem around core strategic pillars to accelerate PT's digital advantage.
• Organizational Enablement
  • Change & Capability Sponsorship: Sponsor and drive organizational change management and strategic capability-building initiatives (e.g., via AcademyX), ensuring executive adoption and a pervasive digital mindset across the organization.
  • Team & Community Uplift: Lead the development and management of the global PTD digital communities, fostering cross-functional collaboration and knowledge sharing focused on maximizing value realization. The community includes digital & OE site heads from all PTD sites.
  • Executive Oversight: Provide senior oversight for critical activities including PT portfolio management, workforce strategy, data governance, and strategic collaboration with RDT, gRED, and pRED leadership. Negotiates with (Senior) management to influence decisions.

Do you bring experience (15 or more years) in architecting and implementing digital transformations, preferably in the pharma industry and are looking for an impactful role? We are seeking an individual with excellent knowledge of the pharma data ecosystem, informatics systems, tools, and techniques with a focus on the customer. This entails a good understanding of the customers’ business, challenges, and goals in a PTD and operations environment.

Who You Are

We require a proven Executive Leader who operates with profound business acumen and possesses a demonstrated history of shaping enterprise-wide strategy.

This individual must be a recognized practitioner and passionate advocate of the VACC (Visionary, Architect, Coach, Catalyst) executive model, capable of influencing, challenging, and aligning C-suite and senior leadership to secure buy-in for transformative change.

The role demands a rare synthesis of capabilities: strategic foresight, deep operational knowledge, and digital transformation expertise - necessary to architect and govern the future of Pharma Technical Operations in PTD.

Further competences and qualifications:

• BS/MS in Science or Engineering Field with a minimum of 15+ years of progressive leadership and relevant industry experience.
• 10+ years of experience leading and scaling global, matrixed organizations. Must possess exceptional executive presence, analytical, and written/verbal communication skills.
• Experience in systems/data management and informatics strategy development and executionable to influence senior leaders (such as PTLT-1) in a complex environment regarding digital technologies to achieving results in line with the PT performance promises
• Substantive and successful track record of leading disruptive change and governing complex, transformative initiatives at scale.
• Proven skill in building, guiding, and inspiring high-performing teams and architecting productive, high-stakes cross-functional collaborations.
• Apply lean operations and state-of-the-art digital concepts; effectively commanding multiple, interdependent, enterprise-critical projects
• Unwavering focus on delivering measurable results and proactively identifying disruptive solutions through advanced strategic thinking.
• Experience in managing budget and governing strategic vendor and partner relationships.

Relocation benefits are not available for this posting.

The expected salary range for this position based on the primary location of CA is $203,100 to $377,100. Actual pay will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factors permitted by law.  A discretionary annual bonus may be available based on individual and Company performance.  This position also qualifies for the benefits detailed at the link provided below.

Benefits

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