Associate Director Strategic Planning and Operations

BioSpace; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Amgen is seeking an Associate Director of Strategic Planning and Operations to partner with Global Patient Safety leadership and drive disciplined execution across GPS priorities. You will shape priorities, develop operating plans, and translate strategy into measurable outcomes while managing interdependencies and risks.

The role requires strong business judgment, executive presence, and the ability to operate in ambiguity.

Qualifications

• Doctorate degree with 3 years of relevant experience or equivalent combinations of education and experience.
• Masters degree with 5 years of relevant experience.
• Bachelors degree with 7 years of relevant experience or more.
• Associates degree with 12 years of relevant experience.
• High school diploma with 14 years of relevant experience.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior partner to GPS leadership to translate strategy into prioritized action.
• Lead and develop SPO colleagues to ensure aligned GPS planning and execution.
• Maintain GPS operating rhythm with leadership meetings, reviews, and performance updates.
• Frame objectives and decisions for senior leadership discussions with clear tradeoffs and risks.
• Develop executive narratives and communications that articulate GPS priorities and implications.
• Drive ownership across GPS by defining milestones, dependencies, and escalation paths.
• Collaborate across GPS, R&D SPO, HR, Finance, and other functions to align GPS priorities with enterprise goals.
• Lead annual and multi-year planning, financial, and resource planning processes for GPS.
• Design and implement GPS initiatives and operating model improvements.
• Support GPS communications and change management, including leadership messaging and all-staff updates.
• Support PV activities and inspection readiness as applicable.

Skills

Executive communication

Strategic thinking

Influence and collaboration

Leadership and talent development

Decision quality

Education

Doctorate degree

Masters degree

Bachelors degree

Associates degree

High school diploma / GED

Job description

Change Leadership

Join Amgen's Mission of Serving Patients

At Amgen, if you feel like you're part of something bigger, it's because you are. Our shared mission to serve patients living with serious illnesses drives all that we do. Since 1980, we've helped pioneer the world of biotech in our fight against the world's toughest diseases. With our focus on four therapeutic areas Oncology, Inflammation, General Medicine, and Rare Disease we reach millions of patients each year. Amgen is advancing a broad and deep pipeline of medicines to treat cancer, heart disease, inflammatory conditions, rare diseases, and obesity and obesity-related conditions. As a member of the Amgen team, you'll help make a lasting impact on the lives of patients as we research, manufacture, and deliver innovative medicines to help people live longer, fuller happier lives.

Our award-winning culture is collaborative, innovative, and science based. If you have a passion for challenges and the opportunities that lay within them, you'll thrive as part of the Amgen team. Join us and transform the lives of patients while transforming your career.

Associate Director Strategic Planning and Operations

What you will do

Global Patient Safety is a patient-first organization advancing how safety is monitored, understood, and acted upon through data, digital innovation, and emerging technologies. As a trusted enterprise partner, GPS influences critical business decisions by integrating patient insights, scientific expertise, and regulatory excellence. This is an opportunity to join a high-performing team shaping the future of modern patient safety and its impact on patients worldwide.

The Strategic Planning and Operations Associate Director serves as a senior partner to the Vice President of Global Patient Safety and the GPS Executive Leadership Team. Acting as a trusted advisor to the VP, this role connects priorities, initiatives, and decisions across the organization to ensure alignment with broader Amgen priorities. This role operates at the center of GPS leadership, translating strategy into clear priorities, operating plans, leadership routines, executive communications, and measurable outcomes.

The Associate Director leads a team of Strategic Planning and Operations colleagues who support leaders and teams across GPS, ensuring consistent, high-quality planning and operational support across the department. This role strengthens the GPS operating rhythm, drives accountability across leadership priorities, enables effective decision-making, and proactively identifies interdependencies, risks, and opportunities before they impact execution.

This is a highly visible role for an enterprise-minded operator who can partner closely with the VP of Global Patient Safety and help the Executive Leadership Team convert priorities into disciplined execution. The role requires strong business judgment, executive presence, proactive ownership, and the ability to operate effectively in ambiguity. The successful candidate will anticipate leadership needs, synthesize diverse inputs into clear deliverables, bring forward recommendations, and independently advance priorities with minimal direction.

Key Responsiblities

• Serve as a thought partner to the VP of Global Patient Safety and GPS Executive Leadership Team, helping shape priorities, identify risks and opportunities, and translate strategy into action.
• Lead and develop Strategic Planning and Operations colleagues who support leaders and teams across GPS, ensuring aligned priorities, consistent practices, and strong execution across the SPO community.
• Lead the GPS operating rhythm, including leadership team meetings, business reviews, goal tracking, decision forums, and follow-up mechanisms.
• Prepare senior leadership discussions by framing objectives, key decisions, tradeoffs, risks, stakeholder considerations, and recommended next steps.
• Develop executive-level narratives, talking points, presentations, and communications that clearly articulate GPS priorities, progress, decisions, and implications.
• Drive accountability across GPS by clarifying owners, milestones, dependencies, decisions, and escalation needs.
• Partner across GPS, R&D SPO leadership, HR, Finance, and other functions to ensure GPS priorities are represented and aligned with broader enterprise objectives.
• Lead annual and multi-year planning, financial planning, resource planning, and business operations processes for GPS.
• Design and drive implementation of key GPS initiatives, process improvements, and operating model enhancements.
• Support GPS communication, engagement, and change management efforts, including leadership messaging, all staff presentations, and business performance updates.
• Undertake activities delegated by the QPPV as detailed in the PV System Master File and support ongoing inspection readiness, as applicable.

Knowledge And Skills

• Strong business judgment and enterprise mindset, with the ability to connect priorities, risks, tradeoffs, and execution implications.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex information, develop a clear point of view, formulate recommendations, and drive implementation.
• Strong executive communication skills, including the ability to develop clear narratives, presentations, talking points, and decision materials for senior audiences.
• Proven ability to operate proactively in ambiguity, anticipate business needs, and move work forward without waiting for detailed direction.
• Ability to influence across a matrixed organization and create alignment among senior stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop Strategic Planning and Operations colleagues.
• Strong facilitation and operating rhythm skills, with the ability to design leadership discussions that drive decisions, accountability, and progress.
• High degree of ownership, initiative, accountability, discretion, and professional maturity.

Competencies

• Strategic Thinking
• Executive Communication
• Influence and Collaboration
• Leadership and Talent Development
• Decision Quality
• Drive for ResultsAccountability and Ownership
• Change Leadership

What We Expect Of You

We are all different, yet we all use our unique contributions to serve patients. The dynamic professional we seek is a leader with these qualifications.

Basic Qualifications

• Doctorate degree and 3 years of relevant experience
• OR
• Masters degree and 5 years of relevant experience
• OR
• Bachelors degree and 7 years of relevant experience
• OR
• Associates degree and 12 years of relevant experience
• OR
• High school diploma / GED and 14 years of relevant experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree such as MBA, PharmD, PhD, Masters Degree, or equivalent experience preferred.
• Experience supporting senior executives or executive leadership teams in an enterprise planning, chief of staff, business operations, or transformation role.
• Experience leading Strategic Planning and Operations colleagues or similar teams.
• Pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry experience, preferably in Patient Safety, Pharmacovigilance, Research and Development, Regulatory, Medical, or related areas.
• Experience translating priorities into operating plans, business reviews, decision forums, and measurable outcomes.
• Experience developing executive-level narratives, presentations, talking points, and decision materials.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders and driving alignment across a matrixed organization.
• Experience leading planning, resource planning, budget management, business performance, or process improvement efforts.

What you can expect of us

As we work to develop treatments that take care of others, we also work to care for your professional and personal growth and well-being. From our competitive benefits to our collaborative culture, we support your journey every step of the way.

The expected annual salary range for this role in the U.S. (excluding Puerto Rico) is posted. Actual salary will vary based on several factors including but not limited to, relevant skills, experience, and qualifications.

In addition to the Base Salary, Amgen offers a Total Rewards Plan, based on eligibility, comprising Of Health And Welfare Plans For Staff And Eligible Dependents, Financial Plans With Opportunities To Save Towards Retirement Or Other Goals, Work/life Balance, And Career Development Opportunities That May Include

• A comprehensive employee benefits package, including a Retirement and Savings Plan with generous company contributions, group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts
• A discretionary annual bonus program, or for field sales representatives, a sales-based incentive plan
• Stock-based long-term incentives
• Award-winning time-off plans
• Flexible work models where possible. Refer to the Work Location Type in the job posting to see if this applies.

In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Application deadline

Amgen does not have an application deadline for this position; we will continue accepting applications until we receive a sufficient number or select a candidate for the position.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship for this role is not guaranteed.

As an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people around the world, Amgen fosters an inclusive environment of diverse, ethical, committed and highly accomplished people who respect each other and live the Amgen values to continue advancing science to serve patients. Together, we compete in the fight against serious disease.

Amgen is an Equal Opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.