Senior Director, Business Operations & Portfolio Controls

Genentech; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 189,000 - 352,000; Full time

Job summary

Genentech, based in South San Francisco, is seeking a visionary senior leader to head Business Operations and Portfolio Controls within Workplace Delivery. You will design the operating architecture for a large portfolio of workplace projects, driving standardized processes, data integration, and governance across the campus and satellite sites.

You will lead teams across controls, estimating, scheduling, and capital governance, shaping a data‑driven backbone for strategy and execution, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in a related field; graduate degree desirable.
• 15+ years in systems environment, engineering, construction, or PM.
• 5+ years in senior project services, portfolio controls, or business operations leadership.
• Proven track record leading controls for large portfolios and capital programs.
• Biotech/pharma experience and regulatory knowledge preferred.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain OPS and portfolio controls strategy for Workplace Delivery.
• Build and lead integrated Business Operations and Portfolio Controls teams.
• Define standardized processes across Workplace Delivery (intake, approvals, change control, risk, finance).
• Oversee Portfolio Controls for estimating, scheduling, cost control, and risk.
• Lead digital enablement strategy with dashboards and BIM integration.
• Collaborate with Procurement on contract structures and vendor terms.
• Identify and mitigate risks; develop contingency plans.
• Deliver annual business outcomes aligned with enterprise objectives.
• Oversee business services (admin, reporting cadence, tooling, templates).

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Stakeholder management

Data-driven decision making

Biotech/pharma knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Organizational Systems, Architecture, Planning, Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, or related field

Graduate degree in Business, Engineering/Systems, Architecture/Planning, Real Estate, or a relevant discipline

Tools

BIM software

Asset management tools

Job description

The Position

Why Genentech

We’re passionate about delivering on Our Promise to improve the lives of patients and create healthier communities for all. We foster a culture of inclusivity, integrity and creativity while boldly pursuing answers to the world’s most complex health challenges and transforming society.

The Position

Genentech is establishing a strategically focused Workplace Delivery Team responsible for the end‑to‑end delivery of all workplace solutions for the South San Francisco campus and key satellite sites. Within this function, Business Operations and Portfolio Controls are critical enablers of disciplined execution, financial integrity, and operational excellence.

We are seeking a visionary, enterprise‑minded senior leader to lead Business Operations and Portfolio Controls within Workplace Delivery. This strategic and operational role is responsible for designing the business operations architecture and ensuring its effective implementation across a large, complex portfolio of workplace projects and programs.

The Opportunity

In this pivotal role, you will be accountable for enterprise‑level workplace delivery systems and tools, integration of data, processes, and digital capabilities to support decision‑making and strategic planning, and overall business operations excellence, ensuring standardized, scalable processes and governance.

Additionally, you’ll provide a robust, data‑driven backbone for Workplace Delivery strategy and execution, act as a strategic integrator of systems, controls, and governance, and shape and continuously improve the enabling infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and maintain the business operations and portfolio controls strategy for Workplace Delivery, ensuring alignment with the overall workplace and campus vision.
• Build and lead integrated Business Operations and Portfolio Controls teams, bringing together subject matter experts in project controls, estimating, scheduling, capital governance, safety, and business process design.
• Define and maintain standardized business processes across Workplace Delivery (e.g., intake, prioritization, approval workflows, change control, risk management, financial approvals, and close‑out).
• Oversee the Portfolio Controls function that embeds industry best practices for estimating, scheduling, cost control, and risk management across the Workplace Delivery portfolio.
• Lead the digital enablement strategy for Workplace Delivery in coordination with Campus Development and IT, including program dashboards, analytics platforms, and integration with Building Information Modeling (BIM) and asset management tools.
• Collaborate with Procurement to align contract structures, vendor selection, and payment terms with Workplace Delivery’s portfolio controls and governance requirements.
• Identify, assess, and proactively mitigate risks across Workplace Delivery, developing contingency plans to preserve business continuity.
• Lead the definition and delivery of annual business outcomes for Workplace Delivery Business Operations & Portfolio Controls, ensuring alignment with Site Services, Finance, and enterprise objectives.
• Oversee business services that support Workplace Delivery operations (e.g., administrative support, reporting cadence, tooling, standard templates), ensuring they enable consistent, high‑quality execution.

Who You Are

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Organizational Systems, Architecture, Planning, Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, or related field.
• Graduate degree in Business, Engineering/Systems, Architecture/Planning, Real Estate, or a relevant discipline is highly desirable.
• PMI or equivalent Project Management certification is highly desirable; IACCM or similar contract management certification is a plus.
• 15+ years of experience in systems environment, engineering, construction, and/or project management.
• 5+ years in senior project services, portfolio controls, or business operations leadership roles, ideally in complex corporate or campus environments.
• Proven track record establishing and leading project controls, portfolio management, and/or business operations functions for large portfolios and major capital programs.
• Experience delivering large projects (>USD 50M) or programs (>USD 100m aggregate) in complex campus or industrial environments.
• Significant experience in corporate engineering, large engineering/construction management organizations, or real estate/campus development functions.
• Biotech/pharmaceutical experience and sound knowledge of and equivalent industry regulations strongly preferred.

Location

• This position is based in South San Francisco, CA campus
• Relocation assistance is not available at this time.

The expected salary range for this position based on the primary location of California is $189,400.00 - 351,700.00 USD. Actual pay will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job‑related factors permitted by law. A discretionary annual bonus may be available based on individual and Company performance. This position also qualifies for the benefits detailed at the link provided below.

Benefits

Genentech is an equal opportunity employer. It is our policy and practice to employ, promote, and otherwise treat any and all employees and applicants on the basis of merit, qualifications, and competence. The company's policy prohibits unlawful discrimination, including but not limited to, discrimination on the basis of Protected Veteran status, individuals with disabilities status, and consistent with all federal, state, or local laws.

If you have a disability and need an accommodation in relation to the online application process, please contact us by completing this form Accommodations for Applicants.