Sr. Director Transformation Lead

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 212,000 - 333,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tuition reimbursement

Paid volunteer time off

Company holidays

Well-being benefits

Job summary

Takeda in Boston, MA seeks an AI and Data-Driven Path to Approval (AIDPA) Initiative Lead. This senior role anchors strategy, integration, and delivery of AI/data transformation across R&D, with accountability to leadership and cross-functional partners to realize measurable value.

You will align AIDPA with Global Regulatory Affairs and other R&D initiatives, ensuring redesigned processes drive quality, compliance, and cycle-time improvements.

Qualifications

• 12 years of leadership experience across R&D functions.
• Ability to make key program decisions and hold partners accountable.
• Experience leading multi-workstream portfolios requiring sequencing and trade-off management.
• Proven success leading enterprise-scale, cross-functional transformations with measurable value realization.

Responsibilities

• Own AIDPA strategy, outcomes, and KPI framework with guiding central voice.
• Translate vision into actionable use cases and redesigned ways of working.
• Drive value realization and governance across the AIDPA portfolio.
• Lead cross-workstream connectivity and align interdependencies for delivery.
• Champion adoption of new technologies and embedded AI/automation.

Skills

Leadership experience

Decision making

Cross-functional

Portfolio management

Transformations

R&D knowledge

Influence

Strategic thinking

Education

Advanced degree

Job description

Job Description

About the Role

The AI and Data-Driven Path to Approval (AIDPA) Initiative Lead is accountable for the strategy, execution, and value realization of the AI and Data transformation in development. This is a cross-functional Initiative, is part of Takeda's R&D of the Future program, and aims to reimagine the drug development paradigm through building an interoperable, scalable, and future-ready data and technology landscape for R&D. The objective is to truly reimagine drug development and drive tangible value in accelerated timelines, increased quality, and improved efficiencies. The role requires a visionary, ambitious thinker who can deconstruct processes of today to reinvent the future.

This role is also accountable to integrate with other R&D of the Future Initiatives, other cross-functional transformations, such as R&D's Global Capability Model (GCM) transformation, and other functional transformations within Global Regulatory Affairs. This includes being accountable for integrating the AIDPA strategy and execution with Data and Technology Initiatives within R&D of the Future, such as developing the R&D business priorities that will inform the data and tech strategic priorities.

The role requires deep development and regulatory expertise, strong data/AI acumen, deep understanding of global capability models, and the ability to lead complex, cross-functional change-connecting business objectives, data, and technology to deliver measurable impact.

How you will contribute

The role operates as the cross-R&D point of accountability for AIDPA strategy, integration, and delivery. It provides a strong central voice to align leaders and manage interdependencies, roadblocks, and trade-off decisions. This leader will work to hold R&D leadership accountable for decision-making and value realization and to hold teams accountable for delivery.

This position reports to Chief Regulatory Officer and partners closely with the Head of R&D of the Future, other R&D of the Future Initiatives, leaders of R&D functions, data and technology teams, and enterprise stakeholders to ensure the initiative vision translates into embedded AI/automation and redesigned processes that drive value for R&D.

Key Responsibilities

AIDPA Initiative Strategy, Outcomes, and Value Realization

• Own AIDPA iInitiative strategy, including ambition, outcomes, and KPI framework, serving as guiding central voice that enables workstreams to execute.

• Ensure the AIDPA vision is translated into actionable use cases and redesigned ways of working, with defined milestones and measurable impact.

• Drive value realization and sustain momentum for AIDPA, including leadership accountability, business case development, ongoing ROI discipline, and visibility to transparent status and performance.

• Drive senior stakeholders to be accountable for decisions, commitments, and outcomes across the AIDPA portfolio.

Initiative Management, Use Case Delivery, Process Transformation

• Establish agile, fit-for-purpose decision pathways, aligned with R&D of the Future processes, to streamline decision-making and ensure agility and forward progress.

• Coordinate across workstreams, provide leadership visibility to progress and milestones, and facilitate prioritization, sequencing, and trade-off discussions.

• Evolve agile ways of working to support AIDPA evolution over time to be future-ready for changing technology and R&D landscapes.

Integration across AIDPA Workstreams and the R&D of the Future Program

• Spearhead cross-workstream connectivity to manage interdependencies, ensure integrated execution strategy where applicable, and maximize delivery momentum.

• Enable transparent communication across workstreams for visibility to coordinate, share learnings, avoid duplication, and track joint value realization.

• Coordinate AIDPA input into end-to-end lean process redesign incorporating technology, to improve cycle time, quality, compliance, and productivity.

Change Leadership, Communications, Adoption

• Champion adoption and leadership endorsement of new technologies and ways of working.

• Influence development of AIDPA messaging and communications to articulate strategy, progress, decisions, and realized value.

• Partner with R&D of the Future central team, enterprise transformation teams, and communications teams to embed AIDPA into broader R&D transformation narratives.

Minimum Requirements / Qualifications

Required:

• 12 years of leadership experience across R&D functions

• Demonstrated ability to make key program decisions, hold partners accountable, and build trust and influence across R&D functions.

• Experience leading complex, multi-workstream portfolios requiring sequencing, prioritization, and trade-off management across competing demands.

• Proven success leading enterprise-scale, cross-functional transformations with measurable value realization.

Preferred:

• Deep strategic and domain expertise in Research & Development and data/digital/AI fluency in an R&D context.

• Experience integrating Data/Technology foundations into business process optimization and reimagined ways of working.

• Previous partnership with data and technology organizations to deliver scalable solutions.

• Knowledge and experience with agile ways of working.

• Advanced degree (PhD, MBA, etc.) or equivalent.

This position is currently classified as "hybrid" in accordance with Takeda's Hybrid and Remote Work policy.

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:

$212,000.00 - $333,190.00

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.

Benefits:

• U.S. based employees may be eligible for short-term and/ or long-term incentives.

• U.S. based employees may be eligible to participate in medical, dental, vision insurance, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, a tuition reimbursement program, paid volunteer time off, company holidays, and well-being benefits, among others.

• U.S. based employees are also eligible to receive, per calendar year, up to 80 hours of sick time, and new hires are eligible to accrue up to 120 hours of paid vacation.

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.