R&D Strategy Director

Biopharma Careers; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working model

Job summary

GSK is seeking an R&D Strategy Director to shape long-term objectives and partner with R&D leadership. You will solve strategic questions, manage complex datasets, and drive multi-disciplinary teams toward concrete proposals.

The role offers hybrid working with on-site and remote elements, and significant exposure to senior leaders across R&D and corporate functions in a globally focused environment.

Qualifications

• Degree level in Life Sciences, Business, or other relevant areas (PhD, MBA preferred)
• Strategy consulting experience from a top-tier firm or similar
• Ability to think strategically at global level and dive into operations with urgency
• Proven ability to manage ambiguity and develop evidence-based strategies
• Excellent communication, analytical and storytelling skills
• Rigorous project management and senior stakeholder engagement
• R&D experience with learning agility

Responsibilities

• Tackle core R&D strategy questions with the strategy project lead
• Engage directly with R&D Leadership Team and cross-functional groups
• Lead multi-disciplinary matrix teams to develop concrete proposals
• Support strategy deployment and handover through to implementation

Skills

Strategic thinking

Strategy consulting

R&D strategy

Stakeholder management

Project management

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Leadership

Ambiguity management

Education

Life Sciences degree

Post-graduate degree (PhD, MBA) preferred

Job description

The R&D Strategy team is a dedicated unit within the Office of the Chief Scientific Officer, whose “day-job” it is to think longer term about the ambition for R&D and its progress towards achieving it, as well as to problem solve various strategic questions across R&D functions and teams. We identify and provide recommendations on key questions informing the evolution of GSK’s R&D strategy. We execute R&D-wide strategy projects aligned with the R&D priorities. We serve as a partner R&D leadership to develop various strategies and execute bespoke initiatives. We will seek to determine current performance, set ambition and propose courses of action, through continuously accessing and interpreting internal and external data (including external trends and competitive landscape).

We are looking for an R&D Strategy Director to work on core R&D strategy questions, collaborating with the strategy project lead, and senior leaders across GSK. Projects will vary significantly in nature and remit, though will typically last 3-4 months and result in concrete proposals and handover with a team responsible for strategy deployment. The Strategy Director will be a core member of project teams within the Strategy team and will engage directly with the R&D Leadership Team (RDLT) and many groups across R&D, leading multi-disciplinary matrix teams where necessary.

Career progression:

The R&D Strategy Team has been a feeder group for key talent at GSK, and allows for exposure to many different parts of the business, as well as exposure to senior leaders across the organization. A successful Director in the R&D Strategy team will have numerous progression opportunities within GSK, both within the strategy team, or with a move to other business lines.

Why You?

Basic Qualifications

• Degree level in Life Sciences, Business, or other relevant areas (PhD, MBA or other post-graduate degrees preferred)
• Strategy consulting experience from a top-tier strategy consulting firm, or similar experience
• Ability to both think strategically, working at a global level, and to dive deep into operational issues when required, moving quickly between the two levels of working with a sense of urgency
• Proven capability to manage ambiguity and develop clear, evidence‑based strategies from complex and extensive datasets
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to convey complex ideas clearly and compellingly
• Solid analytical skills and the ability to manipulate complex data, propose and test hypothesis and challenge assumptions
• Rigorous project management skills, and ability to engage senior stakeholders with a balanced mix of intellectual rigour and emotional intelligence
• R&D experience, combined with intellectual curiosity and demonstrated learning agility

Our values and expectations sit at the heart of everything we do and are fundamental to our culture. As GSK continues to foster a culture of innovation, performance, and trust, the successful candidate will demonstrate the following capabilities:

• Agile and distributed decision-making – using evidence and applying judgement to balance pace, rigour and risk
• Effective management of individual and team performance
• Committed to delivering high quality results, overcoming challenges, focusing on what matters
• Experience implementing and leading change initiatives
• Commitment to sustaining energy and well-being, building team resilience
• Continuous learning mindset, focus on building skills and sharing knowledge both internally and externally
• Ability to translate strategy into action through clear narratives, motivation, objective setting, and delegation
• Strong relationship building and collaboration skills, with the ability to manage trusted internal and external stakeholders
• Commercial and financial acumen, including budgeting and forecasting experience

Work Arrangement

This role offers a hybrid working model, with a mix of on-site and remote work. Remote or fully home-working arrangements are not available for this role.

Closing Date for Applications – 27 September 2026

Skills

Analytical Thinking, Analytical Thinking, Brand Strategy Planning, Business Insights, Business Strategy Consulting, Business Transformation, Data Analysis, Data Interpretations, Digital Fluency, Executive Communications, Financial Acumen, Influencing Skills, Innovation, Life Science, Market Shaping, Operational Excellence, Problem Solving, Project Management, R&D Strategy, Risk Management, Shareholder Management, Stakeholder Management, Storytelling, Strategic Consulting, Strategic Delivery {+ 1 more}

Why GSK?

Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together.

GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade, as a successful, growing company where people can thrive. We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with innovation in specialty medicines and vaccines. We focus on four therapeutic areas: respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV; and infectious diseases – to impact health at scale.

People and patients around the world count on the medicines and vaccines we make, so we’re committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive and focus on what matters most. Our culture of being ambitious for patients, accountable for impact and doing the right thing is the foundation for how, together, we deliver for patients, shareholders and our people.

GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), military service or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law.

We believe in an agile working culture for all our roles. If flexibility is important to you, we encourage you to explore with our hiring team what the opportunities are.

Should you require any adjustments to our process to assist you in demonstrating your strengths and capabilities contact us at [e-mail] where you can also request a call.

Please note that if you are a US Licensed Healthcare Professional or Healthcare Professional as defined by the laws of the state issuing your license, GSK may be required to capture and report expenses GSK incurs, on your behalf, in the event you are afforded an interview for employment. This capture of applicable transfers of value is necessary to ensure GSK’s compliance to all federal and state US Transparency requirements. For more information, please visit the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) website at https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/