Director, Scientific & Competitive Analysis

Takeda; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 177,000 - 278,000; Full time

Job summary

Takeda is seeking a Director of Scientific & Competitive Analysis based in Boston. You will lead the Oncology CI team, translating scientific and market developments into actionable insights that shape brand strategy, development, and portfolio decisions.

You will partner with brand teams and executives, guide intelligence plans across pipelines and markets, and act as the early warning system for market shifts.

Qualifications

• BS in Life Sciences or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years in healthcare/pharma with exposure to product development and commercialization.
• Proven ability to translate intelligence into strategic business recommendations.
• Experience leading teams and partnering with executive leadership across functions.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a high-performing CI team aligned to Oncology objectives.
• Act as embedded strategic partner to brand teams linking CI to business priorities.
• Serve as competitive early warning system anticipating market shifts, competitor actions, opportunities, and risks.
• Develop and execute intelligence plans across brands, disease areas, pipeline assets, launches, and markets.
• Deliver forward-looking competitive assessments with business implications and recommendations.
• Lead competitive scenario planning and response planning for key market events and disruptions.
• Serve as a strategic partner to stakeholders, supporting growth strategies and portfolio decisions.
• Collaborate with Market Research, Forecasting, and Analytics teams for integrated insights.
• Provide regular competitive landscape updates to leadership and governance teams.
• Lead CI activities at major conferences and disseminate insights to global/regional stakeholders.
• Manage external CI vendors, tools, and budget; drive process improvements.

Skills

Competitive intelligence

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Communication

Project management

Market analysis

Scenario planning

Stakeholder management

CI tools

Analytical platforms

Education

BS in Life Sciences or related field; MS/MBA/PhD preferred

Tools

CI tools

Analytical platforms

Job description

Job Description:

About the Role:

The Director, Scientific & Competitive Analysis: leads the Oncology Business Unit's competitive intelligence function and team, delivering integrated insights through primary and secondary intelligence sources. The role is accountable for the function’s strategy, operating model, governance, priorities, and quality standards, and for translating scientific, clinical, regulatory, commercial, and market developments into actionable insights that inform brand strategy, clinical development, business development evaluations, launch planning, and disease area strategy. As the leader of Scientific & Competitive Analysis, you will establish the strategic direction and methodologies for competitive intelligence across multiple brands, disease areas, pipeline assets, launches, and markets, and ensure the organization maintains a comprehensive understanding of the evolving competitive landscape. The Scientific & Competitive Analysis team operates as an embedded strategic partner to brand teams throughout the product lifecycle. Working closely with brand, portfolio, commercial, medical, and executive leaders, the team proactively identifies competitive risks, opportunities, and emerging market signals, translating them into business implications and strategic recommendations. Proactively ensure competitive intelligence is incorporated into brand, launch, and portfolio decisions by identifying emerging competitive risks and opportunities, assessing business implications, and providing actionable recommendations.

How You Will Contribute:

• Lead and develop a high-performing Scientific & Competitive Analysis team, establishing priorities, deploying team and budget resources, and building capabilities and ways of working aligned to Oncology Business Unit objectives.
• Drive the team to act as embedded strategic partners to brand teams, aligning competitive intelligence activities to business priorities and providing ongoing counsel that informs brand strategy, launch planning, lifecycle management, and portfolio decisions.
• Serve as the Oncology Business Unit’s competitive early warning system by anticipating market shifts, competitor actions, emerging opportunities, and strategic risks; elevate significant developments and initiate coordinated response planning and actionable recommendations.
• Develop, prioritize, and execute intelligence plans across brands, disease areas, pipeline assets, launches, and markets, ensuring ongoing monitoring and assessment of competitive, scientific, clinical, regulatory, and market developments.
• Deliver forward-looking competitive assessments, including business implications, potential scenarios, and actionable recommendations to inform clinical development, commercialization, and portfolio decisions.
• Lead competitive scenario planning and response planning activities to prepare the organization for key market events and competitive disruptions.
• Serve as a strategic partner to Commercial, Medical, Market Access, NPP, BD, R&D, and other stakeholders, providing intelligence that supports growth strategies, pipeline decisions, and business development evaluations.
• Collaborate with Market Research, Forecasting, and Analytics teams to deliver integrated insights and a comprehensive view of market dynamics.
• Provide regular competitive landscape updates and recommendations to leadership and cross-functional governance teams to inform investment, development, launch, business development, and portfolio decisions.
• Lead the planning and execution of competitive intelligence activities at major scientific and industry conferences and ensure timely dissemination of insights to global and regional stakeholders.
• Manage and deploy external competitive intelligence vendors, tools, services, and budget while driving continuous improvement of team processes, stakeholder engagement, and operational effectiveness.
• Own competitive intelligence methodologies and present functional insights and strategic recommendations to senior leaders and key stakeholders.

Skills and Qualifications:

• BS in Life Sciences or related field; plus advanced degree (MS, MBA, PhD, or equivalent).
• 10+ years of experience in the healthcare or pharmaceutical industry with exposure to product development and commercialization.
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate competitive risks and opportunities and translate intelligence into strategic business recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams or functions of meaningful scale, develop talent, allocate resources, and foster collaboration across functions.
• Experience partnering directly with brand and executive leadership teams and influencing high-value commercial, investment, portfolio, and development decisions through proactive intelligence.
• Experience leading competitive scenario planning or strategic response planning initiatives.
• Demonstrated expertise in competitive intelligence, market analysis, and strategic business support.
• Strong ability to synthesize primary and secondary competitive intelligence into actionable business insights.
• Proven capability to communicate complex information effectively to leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Experience utilizing competitive intelligence best practices and specialty pharmaceutical data sources to support strategic recommendations.
• Strong presentation, influencing, and stakeholder management skills.
• Expertise in competitive intelligence research methodologies and monitoring approaches.
• Ability to assess market dynamics, identify risks and opportunities, and support scenario planning exercises.
• Proficiency in competitive intelligence tools and analytical platforms.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.

Takeda Compensation and Benefits Summary:

We understand compensation is an important factor as you consider the next step in your career. We are committed to equitable pay for all employees, and we strive to be more transparent with our pay practices.

For Location:

Boston, MA

U.S. Base Salary Range :

$177,000.00 - $278,080.00

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. The actual base salary offered will be in accordance with state or local minimum wage requirements for the job location.

EEO Statement:

Takeda is proud in its commitment to creating a diverse workforce and providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, parental status, national origin, age, disability, citizenship status, genetic information or characteristics, marital status, status as a Vietnam era veteran, special disabled veteran, or other protected veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws, and any other characteristic protected by law.

Locations:

Boston, MA

Worker Type:

Employee

Worker Sub-Type:

Regular

Time Type:

Full time

Job Exempt:

Yes

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.