Research And Development Specialist

Meet Life Sciences Ltd.; Lombardia; Hybrid; EUR 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Meet Life Sciences Ltd. in Lombardy, Italy seeks an experienced Long-Term Planning & Resource Management professional to build quantitative projections for the R&D pipeline and to drive long-term workload forecasting.

You will partner with Global Project Managers, Finance and Strategy to align costs with pipeline needs and PTRS assessments, while maintaining Planisware and BI tooling. The role requires strong analytical and communication skills, with a strategic focus on value creation and

Qualifications

• Degree in Management Engineering, Business Economics, Business Administration, Pharmaceutical Development or a related discipline.
• AlternativeDegreeDescription

Responsibilities

• Develop quantitative projections for the R&D pipeline, including development costs, resource requirements and investments.
• Work closely with Global Project Managers, Global Project Leads and other key R&D stakeholders to develop robust short- and long-term workload forecasts.
• Support R&D headcount and resource planning based on projected workloads and pipeline requirements.
• Partner with Finance and R&D Planning & Control teams to ensure consistency between short- and long-term cost projections.
• Continuously improve R&D long-term planning processes, methodologies and tools.
• Develop and maintain standard planning assumptions using internal and external benchmarks, data and subject-matter expertise.
• Ensure alignment between R&D costs, workload projections and PTRS assessments for internal projects and external opportunities.
• Collaborate with project teams and R&D Performance Management to coordinate and maintain the project PTRS update process.
• Ensure the integrity, accuracy and ongoing maintenance of the Enterprise Project & Portfolio Management system (Planisware) and other reporting and business intelligence tools.
• Support the development and ongoing refinement of the R&D strategy and pipeline.
• Develop robust quantitative analyses and forecasts to support pipeline reviews and strategic decision-making.
• Ensure long-term R&D projections are accurately reflected within the relevant financial planning systems.
• Support the development and maintenance of processes and tools used to assess and prioritise R&D projects.
• Work closely with Global Strategy and Franchise teams to support portfolio prioritisation and investment decisions.
• Provide data-driven insights into pipeline composition, value, resource requirements and strategic opportunities.
• Develop and maintain standardised project business cases and project cards in line with evolving business requirements.
• Support senior R&D leadership in the preparation and execution of cross-functional portfolio and investment review meetings.
• Coordinate with key stakeholders to align assumptions, forecasts, resource requirements and strategic priorities.
• Provide reliable analyses on the value, composition and strategic outlook of the R&D pipeline.
• Translate complex portfolio and financial data into clear insights and recommendations for senior decision-makers.

Skills

Analytical skills

Excel advanced

Planisware

SAP

Power BI

Forecasting

Predictive modelling

Data analytics

Programming languages

ERP platforms

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

AI/ML

Digital tools

Big data handling

Education

Management Engineering

Business Economics

Business Administration

Pharmaceutical Development

MBA

Tools

Planisware

Job description

Long-Term Planning & Resource Management

• Develop quantitative projections for the R&D pipeline, including development costs, resource requirements and associated investments.


• Work closely with Global Project Managers, Global Project Leads and other key R&D stakeholders to develop robust short- and long-term workload forecasts.


• Support R&D headcount and resource planning based on projected workloads and pipeline requirements.


• Partner with Finance and R&D Planning & Control teams to ensure consistency between short- and long-term cost projections.


• Continuously improve R&D long-term planning processes, methodologies and tools.


• Develop and maintain standard planning assumptions using internal and external benchmarks, data and subject-matter expertise.


• Ensure alignment between R&D costs, workload projections and Probability of Technical and Regulatory Success (PTRS) assessments for internal projects and external opportunities.


• Collaborate with project teams and R&D Performance Management to coordinate and maintain the project PTRS update process.


• Ensure the integrity, accuracy and ongoing maintenance of the Enterprise Project & Portfolio Management system (Planisware) and other reporting and business intelligence tools.


• Support the development and ongoing refinement of the R&D strategy and pipeline.


• Develop robust quantitative analyses and forecasts to support pipeline reviews and strategic decision-making.


• Ensure long-term R&D projections are accurately reflected within the relevant financial planning systems.


• Support the development and maintenance of processes and tools used to assess and prioritise R&D projects.


• Work closely with Global Strategy and Franchise teams to support portfolio prioritisation and investment decisions.


• Provide data-driven insights into pipeline composition, value, resource requirements and strategic opportunities.


• Develop and maintain standardised project business cases and project cards in line with evolving business requirements.


• Support senior R&D leadership in the preparation and execution of cross-functional portfolio and investment review meetings.


• Coordinate with key stakeholders to align assumptions, forecasts, resource requirements and strategic priorities.


• Provide reliable analyses on the value, composition and strategic outlook of the R&D pipeline.


• Translate complex portfolio and financial data into clear insights and recommendations for senior decision-makers.

What you will need

• Degree in Management Engineering, Business Economics, Business Administration, Pharmaceutical Development or a related discipline.


• Alternatively, a degree in a scientific discipline combined with an MBA or significant relevant industry experience.


• Previous experience within pharmaceutical or biotech R&D, Product Innovation, Portfolio Management, R&D Planning or a related function.


• Strong understanding of pharmaceutical development processes, project management, portfolio management and performance management.


• Proven experience in R&D strategy, portfolio planning, resource management or business planning within the pharmaceutical or biotech industry.


• Strong analytical and quantitative capabilities, with experience in forecasting, modelling and scenario analysis.


• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and confidence working with complex datasets and financial models.


• Experience working with Enterprise Project & Portfolio Management systems, ERP platforms and Business Intelligence tools.


• Strong understanding of data analytics and the opportunities presented by digital transformation.


• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across R&D, Finance, Strategy and other functions.


• Strategic and commercially minded approach, with a strong focus on value creation and operational efficiency.


• Ability to work effectively in a complex, international and fast-paced environment.


• Previous experience working with Planisware and/or SAP.


• Experience with Power BI or similar Business Intelligence platforms.


• Experience developing predictive or optimisation models.


• Knowledge of programming languages or digital tools supporting data science and advanced analytics.


• Experience with AI, machine learning or other advanced analytical methodologies would be an advantage.