Sr Manager, R&D Operational Excellence

Abbott Laboratories; Pleasanton (CA); On-site; USD 131,000 - 261,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free medical coverage in HIP PPO plan

Excellent retirement savings plan

Tuition reimbursement

FreeU education benefit

Job summary

Abbott Laboratories in Pleasanton, CA, seeks a Sr Manager, R&D Operational Excellence to lead the operational backbone of the Heart Failure R&D division. You will drive execution across R&D and partner functions to deliver programs on time, within budget, and compliant with quality standards.

You will coordinate governance, develop executive dashboards, and translate strategic priorities into actionable plans.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in engineering, Life Sciences, Business, Healthcare Administration, or related field.
• 8–12 years of experience in R&D, Program Management, Business Operations, Product Management, Strategy Execution, or related functions.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives.
• Strong project management, operational planning, and organizational effectiveness skills.
• Advanced proficiency with executive communications, business analysis, and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Translate annual objectives and strategic priorities into actionable operating plans.
• Track execution against key business goals, portfolio milestones, and organizational commitments.
• Maintain visibility to risks, dependencies, and resource constraints and drive timely resolution.
• Ensure leadership decisions are converted into assigned actions with clear ownership and follow-through.
• Lead operating reviews and portfolio governance by developing executive dashboards, facilitating business reviews, and ensuring leadership has clear visibility into portfolio health, risks, decision, and progress.

Skills

Program management

Operational planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Executive communication

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Life Sciences, Business, Healthcare Administration, or related field

Job description

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 115,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Working at Abbott At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and your family, be your true self, and live a full life. You’ll also have access to:

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.
• Employees can qualify for free medical coverage in our Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO medical plan in the next calendar year.
• An excellent retirement savings plan with a high employer contribution.
• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program, and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.
• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries worldwide and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.
• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as the best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

The Opportunity Sr Manager, R&D Operational Excellence will serve as the operational leader and trusted partner to the Divisional Vice President of Heart Failure R&D, ensuring effective execution of the organization's priorities, portfolio commitments, and business objectives. Drives alignment, accountability, and execution across R&D and key partner functions, enabling the leadership team to deliver innovation programs on time, within budget, and in compliance with quality and regulatory requirements. Will business operations, governance, communications, and organizational effectiveness activities while identifying and removing barriers to execution. Acts as a central coordination point across the Heart Failure organization, ensuring priorities are translated into actionable plans and measurable outcomes.

What You’ll Work On

Translate annual objectives and strategic priorities into actionable operating plans.

Track execution against key business goals, portfolio milestones, and organizational commitments.

Maintain visibility to risks, dependencies, and resource constraints and drive timely resolution.

Ensure leadership decisions are converted into assigned actions with clear ownership and follow-through.

Lead operating reviews and portfolio governance by developing executive dashboards, facilitating business reviews, and ensuring leadership has clear visibility into portfolio health, risks, decision, and progress.

Maintain portfolio dashboards, milestone tracking, and executive reporting.

Escalate critical issues impacting timelines, budgets, quality, or resource commitments.

Coordinate execution across Product Management, Clinical, Regulatory, Quality, Operations, Finance, and Commercial functions.

Facilitate resolution of cross-functional issues and competing priorities.

Ensure alignment between product development, clinical, regulatory, and commercialization plans.

Create scalable operating processes that improve communication and collaboration across functional teams.

Manage leadership operating mechanisms including staff meetings, business reviews, and quarterly planning processes.

Drive and facilitate cross-functional organizational initiatives related to process improvement, employee engagement, culture, and team effectiveness.

Support annual planning, budget tracking, headcount management, and resource planning activities to align with organizational priorities.

Define, develop and monitor organizational performance metrics.

Prepare leadership presentations, business updates, executive communications, and organizational messaging.

Support internal communication of key decisions, priorities, and business results.

Ensure consistency and clarity of information across leadership teams and stakeholders.

Identify opportunities to improve organizational processes and implement scalable business practices that increase efficiency.

Monitor portfolio health across programs, proactively identifying execution risks, dependencies, constraints, and organizational impacts before they become leadership escalations.

Leverage data, automation, and AI-enabled workflows to improve operational efficiency, reporting, and decision support.

Critical Experiences to be ready for this role

• Experience managing complex programs or business operations within a medical device, healthcare, or regulated environment.
• Demonstrated ability to drive execution across matrixed organizations.
• Strong project management and operational planning capabilities.
• Experience supporting senior leaders and managing executive-level priorities.
• Ability to translate strategy into actionable workplans and measurable outcomes.
• Strong problem-solving, prioritization, and organizational skills.
• Proven ability to manage multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.

Key Competencies

• Program management
• Business operations
• Project planning
• Process improvement
• Executive communication
• Meeting facilitation
• Stakeholder management
• Organizational coordination
• Budget management
• Resource planning
• Performance metrics
• Risk management
• Accountability
• Attention to detail
• Influence without authority
• Adaptability

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Life Sciences, Business, Healthcare Administration, or related field.
• 8–12 years of experience in R&D, Program Management, Business Operations, Product Management, Strategy Execution, or related functions.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives.
• Strong project management, operational planning, and organizational effectiveness skills.
• Advanced proficiency with executive communications, business analysis, and reporting.

Preferred Qualifications

• Healthcare, medical devices, or regulated industry experience strongly preferred.
• MBA or advanced degree.

Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to employee diversity.

Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer of Minorities/Women/Individuals with Disabilities/Protected Veterans.

An equal opportunity employer, Abbott welcomes and encourages diversity in our workforce.

The base pay for this position is $130,700.00 – $261,300.00

JOB FAMILY: Product Development

DIVISION: HF Heart Failure

LOCATION: United States > Pleasanton : 6101 Stoneridge Dr

ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS:

WORK SHIFT: Standard

TRAVEL: Yes, 10 % of the Time

MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE: No

SIGNIFICANT WORK ACTIVITIES: Continuous sitting for prolonged periods (more than 2 consecutive hours in an 8 hour day), Continuous standing for prolonged periods (more than 2 consecutive hours in an 8 hour day)

Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer of Minorities/Women/Individuals with Disabilities/Protected Veterans.

EEO is the Law link - English: http://webstorage.abbott.com/common/External/EEO_English.pdf

EEO is the Law link - Espanol: http://webstorage.abbott.com/common/External/EEO_Spanish.pdf

Abbott is about the power of health. For more than 135 years, Abbott has been helping people reach their potential — because better health allows people and communities to achieve more. With a diverse, global network serving customers in more than 160 countries, we create new solutions — across the spectrum of health, around the world, for all stages of life. Whether it’s next-generation diagnostics, life-changing devices, science-based nutrition, or novel reformulations, we are advancing some of the most innovative and revolutionary technologies in healthcare, helping people live their best lives through better health. The people of Abbott come to work each day with relentless energy, enthusiasm and a promise to enhance the health and well‑being of millions of people. They push the boundaries to help manage and treat some of life’s greatest health challenges.