Chief Operating Officer_All Gender

We are Sanofi. We are an innovative global healthcare company, driven by one purpose: we chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives.

Our teams across the world strive to transform the practice of medicine, turning the impossible into the possible for patients.

We provide potentially life-changing treatments and the protection of life-saving vaccines to millions of people, and affordable access to our medicines in some of the world’s poorest countries.

We are looking for an Executive talent for the Chief Operating Officer - R&D role.

• Location: Europe/US
• Job type: Permanent

About The Job

Sanofi is a global biopharmaceutical leader committed to transforming focused on patients’ needs with a diversified offer of medicines, vaccines, and innovative therapeutics solutions, engaged in the research, development, manufacturing, and marketing of healthcare products. With a century-long legacy, we focus on diverse therapeutic areas, including immuno-inflammation, immuno-oncology, rare diseases and hematology, neurology and vaccines. Sanofi is looking for a Chief Operating Officer to support the transformation of its Pharma Research & Development organization (4B € budget, 9,000+ direct employees).

Reporting to the global Head of R&D and a key member of the R&D advisory board, the R&D Chief Operating Officer works as a strategic partner and advisor to R&D leadership to optimize the organization’s end-to-end functionality across the value chain by continuously seeking opportunities to increase and sustain organizational effectiveness and productivity.

Key Responsibilities

• Setting and driving organizational vision, operations strategy, and capability planning.
• Translating strategy into actionable steps toward enhanced organization effectiveness, implementing organization-wide goal setting and performance monitoring.
• Leading global transformation initiatives.
• Oversight of workforce productivity while contributing to enhance employee experience, ensuring team members can thrive, and organizational goals are met.
• Ensuring compliance (beyond GCP) with national and local business regulations.

Specific Responsibilities

Strategy

• Drive the creation and implementation of the R&D long term business plan and operating model.
• Set transversal goals to improve organizational effectiveness across R&D and with cross-functional stakeholders as required for larger impact.
• Monitor organizational effectiveness KPIs across the R&D by analyzing and interpreting relevant data and metrics, propose corrective measures as necessary on a timely basis, prepare detailed updates and forecasts.
• Oversee R&D activities to ensure that priority objectives are met in an on-time and on-budget fashion; problem-solve solutions with subject matter experts to course correct deviations.
• Lead/support the creation of business cases for major projects or investment.
• Participate in portfolio prioritization activities.
• Contribute to expansion activities (investments, acquisitions, corporate alliances etc.), in case of M&A, lead integration planning and execution.
• Lead the implementation of captive service delivery centers.
• Contribute to reorganization and restructuring activities (downsizing, divestment, site closure) and lead the implementation planning and execution.
• Structure ad-hoc project teams and set up appropriate governance to implement and supervise transformation programs.

Organization Effectiveness Improvement

• Analyze internal operations and ways of working, identify areas and design solutions for process and productivity enhancement.
• Surface pain points, propose solutions and align improvement drivers.
• Analyze organization footprint holistically (financial, capabilities, talent availability, internal & external interdependencies, ecosystem considerations), make recommendations for optimization, and plan accordingly.
• Analyze buy vs. make practices, outsourcing vs. insourcing opportunities across the value chain, and make strategic recommendations.

Process and Operations

• Ensure compliance of R&D operations (beyond GCP, clinical) across all applicable jurisdictions within Sanofi’s global compliance framework.
• Conduct cyclical Risk evaluation, mitigation and monitoring process specifically within Sanofi’s global Risk management framework, with a value-add and outcome-driven approach.
• Establishing strategy for safeguarding R&D assets to ensure sustainability for future R&D growth.

Key Interfaces

• All global R&D functions + business partners (Finance, People & Culture, Comms, Legal & EBI) and other relevant corporate functions (Business Operations, “Drive” Transformation Management Office, Risk, CSR).
• Enterprise wide: Digital, Manufacturing & Supply, Procurement, P2P, Quality, HSE, Risk, Real Estate, Facility Management/workplace experience, Strategy.
• R&D Site and/or Country heads.

Resources

• A team of internal analysts/consultants (5 - TBC).
• Current Operations/Process & Operations team.

About You

• Proven experience in a comparable role, preferably in Pharma, ideally supporting R&D organizations. Understanding of the drug development value chain.
• Previous consulting experience highly appreciated.
• Five or more years of experience in executive leadership roles.
• Proficiency with the practices, policies, and procedures of Pharma industry.
• Ability to work in a matrix organization, in a global and multicultural environment.
• Strong business and financial acumen.
• Ability to think strategically and creatively/out of the box.
• Ability to diagnose problems quickly, foresee potential issues and propose solutions.
• Mastery of process improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean, Agile).
• Digital savvy, knowledgeable about enterprise digital productivity improvement levers.
• Demonstrable competency in strategic planning and driving transformation programs.
• Understanding of business functions such as HR, Finance, Legal, Regulatory, BD, Strategy.
• Outstanding organizational and leadership abilities, with steadfast resolve and personal integrity, ability to manage ambiguity and drive decisions through rigorous, insightful analysis and influential communication and interpersonal skills.
• Willingness and ability to challenge, influence and convince.
• BSc/BA (min) in Business Administration or relevant field; MSc/MBA is an advantage.

Pursue progress, discover extraordinary.

Better is out there. Better medications, better outcomes, better science. But progress doesn’t happen without people – people from different backgrounds, in different locations, doing different roles, all united by one thing: a desire to make miracles happen. So, let’s be those people.

At Sanofi, we provide equal opportunities to all regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, or gender identity.

At Sanofi diversity and inclusion is foundational to how we operate and embedded in our Core Values. We recognize to truly tap into the richness diversity brings we must lead with inclusion and have a workplace where those differences can thrive and be leveraged to empower the lives of our colleagues, patients and customers. We respect and celebrate the diversity of our people, their backgrounds and experiences and provide equal opportunity for all.

As part of its diversity commitment, Sanofi is welcoming and integrating people with disabilities.