Technology & Innovation Lead, Process Equipment DS (f/m/d)

Takeda; Opfikon; On-site; CHF 159,000 - 219,000; Full time

Job summary

Takeda, Zurich, Switzerland, seeks a senior technical leader to champion the transformation of process and manufacturing technologies for the Drug Substance network. You will set directions, build visions, and enable scalable execution across multiple sites while ensuring regulatory, quality, and safety compliance.

You will drive digitalization and advanced manufacturing practices, develop global technology frameworks, and foster knowledge sharing across culturally diverse teams to support a

Qualifications

• Technical, scientific or engineering degree with extensive experience in biopharmaceutical engineering.
• Experience developing and implementing global equipment standards, engineering strategies and lifecycle management across multi-site networks.

Responsibilities

• Lead technology visions and roadmaps for DS equipment technologies to accelerate innovation and network performance.
• Define technical strategies and governance of global engineering standards across the DS network.
• Collaborate with international stakeholders to harmonize practices, standards, and deployment of technology platforms across sites.

Job description

Job Description

About the role

• Champion the transformation of process and manufacturing technologies for Takeda’s Drug Substance (DS) network by setting technical direction, building technology visions and strategies, and enabling scalable execution.
• Provide specialist process, plant and reliability engineering expertise to ensure safe, environmentally sustainable, reliable, cost-effective, and scalable technical solutions for DS manufacturing plants.
• Translate site and network needs into harmonized best practices, standards, and roadmaps, ensuring solutions meet Regulatory, Quality, Capacity, and EHS requirements.
• Accelerate innovation by combining industry benchmarking/scouting with structured deployment approaches aligned to modern digitalization/Pharma 4.0 expectations (data-driven decisions, connectivity, security, and maturity).
• Drive alignment of engineering technologies and standards across a global manufacturing network, ensuring consistency while balancing regional and site-specific requirements.
• Foster collaboration and knowledge exchange across geographically dispersed and culturally diverse teams to support a unified global technology strategy.

How you will contribute

• Lead, coordinate, and develop technology visions, strategies, and execution roadmaps for DS equipment technologies to accelerate innovation programs and improve network performance.
• Provide inputs for and/or own parts of the innovation roadmap for process engineering strategies; ensure DS technology choices are benchmarked against peers and best-known methods.
• Actively scout technology and participate in industry conferences/forums to identify emerging solutions and translate them into deployable, value-based initiatives.
• Drive DS technology strategies that leverage digitalization for faster decision-making and improved control over operations, quality, and compliance while recognizing increased connectedness.
• Drive awareness of advanced manufacturing expectations and evolving global guidance as relevant to DS equipment strategies and future platform decisions.
• Lead DS process engineering contributions by defining technical strategies and providing critical DS manufacturing support across multiple sites (matrix).
• Lead evaluation of existing processes/equipment and define improvements to yield, efficiency, robustness and operability while maintaining acceptable quality.
• Establish/lead technology groups and Communities of Practice (CoPs) to harmonize engineering technologies across sites and ensure sharing and application of best practices and expertise.
• Own/author standards, guidelines, templates for DS process equipment technologies; drive consistent interpretation and application across the network.
• Establish sustained, collaborative communication with the process engineering community to understand site needs, installed standards, rationales, and local constraints.
• Develop & nurture core competencies of site SMEs to build enduring technical capability and knowledge continuity.
• Provide technical SME support to CAPEX investment projects, Design Engineering function, and investment applications, including support to feasibility studies, FEED, scope definition, value engineering, and vendor audits/selection, particularly for critical cGMP aspects and innovation.
• Lead evaluation of equipment design selection criteria supporting network strategy, capital investments, lifecycle management, and tech transfer, balancing efficiency, capacity, safety, sustainability, standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Liaise with key internal stakeholders involved in development and deployment of current and future solutions (Global Engineering, sites, leadership teams, and cross-functional partners).
• Lead the development, implementation, and governance of global engineering standards and technology frameworks across the DS network.
• Build alignment and drive execution through influence across international stakeholder groups, functions, and cultures.
• Lead global harmonization initiatives by identifying opportunities to standardize technologies, processes, and engineering practices across regions and sites.

What you bring to Takeda

• Technical, scientific and/or engineering degree with >12 years of technical experience in biopharmaceutical engineering or a similar industry.
• Deep expertise in Drug Substance manufacturing equipment technologies, with demonstrated experience developing and implementing global equipment standards, engineering strategies, and lifecycle management approaches across multi-site manufacturing networks.
• Strong technical, interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills.
• Recognized globally as a subject matter expert and thought leader in process equipment technologies, with experience influencing technical strategy, contributing to industry forums, and driving engineering excellence across international organizations.
• Strong knowledge of cGMP/GLP regulations, ICH, FDA CMC, ISPE, and PDA Guidance Documents is preferred.
• Comfort with data/analytics and digital manufacturing concepts that support modern decision-making, transparency, and compliance.
• Experience translating emerging technologies into standards, business cases/roadmaps, and scalable deployment (innovation-to-impact).
• English fluency (Written/Oral).
• Proven capability of acquiring knowledge and applying problem-solving methodologies.
• Extensive experience working within geographically dispersed and culturally diverse environments, with a proven ability to collaborate effectively across regions, functions, and organizational boundaries.
• Demonstrated success influencing stakeholders and leading complex initiatives within a global matrix organization.
• Track record of establishing, governing, and driving adoption of global standards, best practices, and technology platforms across multiple manufacturing sites.
• Experience leading international Communities of Practice, global expert networks, or cross-functional engineering forums is strongly preferred.

Empowering our people to shine

At Takeda, we earn the trust of society and our customers through our values of Takeda-ism: Integrity, Fairness, Honesty, Perseverance. We incorporate these values in everything we do. They represent who we are and how we act. They help us make decisions that we can be proud of today and in the future. We enable our employees to develop their full potential. As a global top employer, we offer exciting career paths, promote innovation, and strive for top performance in everything we do. Takeda fosters an inclusive, collaborative, and international work environment where our teams are united by their relentless commitment to our goal of improving people’s health and creating a better future for the world.

Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion

Takeda is committed to foster diversity, equality, and inclusion. Hiring decisions are based entirely on qualifications and are made regardless of gender, ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, or disability.

Locations

Zurich, Switzerland

Base Salary Range:

CHF159,300.00 - CHF219,010.00

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