Lead Strategic Partnerships

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co.; Glattbrugg; On-site; CHF 213,000 - 292,000; Full time

Job summary

Takeda is seeking a Lead, Strategic Partnerships (Senior Director) to provide enterprise-level leadership for PDT global external partnerships across CMOs, device suppliers and external supply arrangements. You will translate strategies into priorities, governance, investment choices and operating plans, reporting to the Head of External Supply & Strategic Partnerships.

You will lead a global organization, drive portfolio strategy, set governance, and manage executive relationships to protect

Qualifications

• Extensive leadership of external manufacturing, partnerships, and supply-chain functions.
• Experience with governance, negotiations, risk management and strategic execution.

Responsibilities

• Own the Strategic Partnerships portfolio strategy and operating model across external partners.
• Provide direction and governance for external supply operations and partner performance.
• Lead portfolio-level risk management and business continuity planning.
• Develop and lead the Strategic Partnerships organization through senior leaders.
• Represent partnerships in senior governance forums and engage executive partners.

Skills

Strategic Partnerships

Executive leadership

Portfolio management

Contract negotiations

Supply chain

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

MBA / MSc / PhD preferred

Job description

About the role

Join us as our Lead, Strategic Partnerships (Senior Director). In this role you will provide enterprise-level leadership for PDT global external partnerships across Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMOs), device suppliers, Contract Manufacturing Business (CMB) arrangements and other external supply partnerships. You will translate PDT and External Supply & Strategic Partnerships strategies into clear portfolio priorities, partner strategies, governance, investment choices and operating plans. Reporting to the Head of External Supply & Strategic Partnerships, you will lead a global organization and matrixed network across Takeda functions and external partners. The role combines strategic portfolio leadership with commercial stewardship, supply-chain expertise, business development and executive relationship management to protect patient supply and unlock growth.

How you will contribute

• Own the Strategic Partnerships portfolio strategy and operating model across CMOs, device suppliers, CMBs, contract fractionation and other external supply arrangements, defining priorities, governance, decision rights, resources and measurable outcomes.
• Establish and apply PDT criteria for partner designation and segmentation based on strategic importance, supply criticality, value, capability access, risk and relationship complexity, with proportionate governance and executive sponsorship.
• Provide strategic direction and portfolio oversight for CMB and External Supply Operations, while delegating product-, partner- and site-level execution, routine performance management and first-line issue resolution to accountable leaders.
• Own the integrated relationship and performance framework, including executive steering, KPIs, escalation pathways, value capture, recovery and continuous improvement across supply, quality, service, cost, inventory, risk, innovation and contractual performance.
• Ensure planning, inventory, lifecycle changes and launches across external partners support reliable material availability for PDT manufacturing sites and BioLife centers.
• Build and lead the supply-side strategic-partnership and CMB business-development capability, including opportunity intake, diligence, supply economics, partner assessment, business cases, operating-model design, implementation and ongoing governance.
• Lead portfolio-level risk management, scenario planning and business continuity; resolve or escalated material partner, supply, quality, capacity, financial, contractual and regulatory risks with decision-ready recommendations and accountable mitigation plans.
• Own financial planning and value delivery within delegated authority, including external-manufacturing economics, CMB performance, inventory and working capital, productivity, budgets, forecasts, contract commitments and approved business cases.
• Lead and develop the Strategic Partnerships organization through Director-level and other senior leaders, setting clear goals, accountabilities and resource priorities while building succession and capability in commercial management, negotiation, governance and partnership management.
• Represent Strategic Partnerships in senior PDT and Takeda governance forums and engage C-suite external-partner leaders to shape relationships, resolve escalations, negotiate priorities and identify value-creation opportunities.
• Make portfolio decisions within delegated authority and recommend decisions on partner selection, renewal, expansion or exit, capital investment, contractual commitments, network changes and new business models.
• Sponsor innovation in partnership models, contracting, governance, analytics, digital visibility, automation and predictive supply-chain capabilities, scaling successful approaches across the portfolio.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, engineering, life sciences, business, logistics, or a related discipline; an MBA, MSc, PhD, or equivalent advanced degree is preferred.
• At least 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical industry, including significant leadership responsibility across external manufacturing, strategic partnerships, supply chain, technical operations, commercial contracting, and/or business development within a global, regulated environment.
• Proven ability to lead senior professionals and complex global external-partner portfolios, including executive governance, major negotiations, performance improvement, risk management, and the resolution of significant supply, technical, quality, and commercial issues.
• Broad knowledge of CMO and device-partner operations, CMB models, contract fractionation, product lifecycle management, planning and inventory, supplier performance, business continuity, and supply-risk mitigation.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including experience with agreement development and negotiation, business cases, COGS and supply-chain cost drivers, cost accounting, value creation, and risk-adjusted decision-making.
• Ability to understand the plasma value chain and translate manufacturing, collection, quality, regulatory, distribution, commercial, and patient-demand considerations into short-, medium-, and long‑term partnership priorities.
• Experience building or transforming capabilities, operating models, governance structures, and cross-functional ways of working within a global matrix organization.
• Strategic and critical thinking, sound judgment in ambiguous situations, strong executive communication, stakeholder-management and conflict-resolution skills, and the ability to influence senior internal leaders and external executives.
• Patient‑ and customer-centered approach, with a strong commitment to supply reliability, quality, ethical conduct, and responsible decision-making.
• Demonstrated ability to develop diverse senior talent, build high-performing teams, and create sustainable organizational capability.
• Comfortable making complex trade-offs across patient needs, supply continuity, site capacity, inventory, cost, risk, and timing.
• Collaborative leadership style and the ability to work effectively across PDT Supply Chain, Manufacturing, BioLife, Quality, Regulatory, Commercial, Strategy, Business Development, Finance, Procurement, Legal, DD&T, and other Takeda functions.
• Commitment to Takeda’s values, leadership expectations, and high-performance culture.
• Fluent written and spoken English; additional language capability is an advantage.
• The ability to shape external-partner strategy, strengthen resilience across the PDT network, and create the governance, commercial discipline, and organizational capability required to deliver sustainable value.

Locations

Zurich, Switzerland

Base Salary Range: CHF212,500.00 - CHF292,160.00

The estimated salary range reflects an anticipated range for this position. The actual base salary offered may depend on a variety of factors, including the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, specific and unique skills, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job.

Worker Type Employee Worker Sub-Type Regular Time Type Full time

Takeda is an industry-leading, global pharmaceutical company with an unwavering dedication to putting patients at the center of everything we do. We live our values of Takeda-ism - Integrity, Fairness, Honesty, and Perseverance - and are united by our mission to strive towards Better Health and a Brighter Future for people worldwide through leading innovation in medicine. Here, everyone matters and you will be a vital contributor to our inspiring, bold mission. At Takeda, you will make an impact on people’s lives - including your own. Takeda is an equal opportunity employer.