Associate Director Strategic Planning and Operations
About The Position
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.
Requirements
- Doctorate degree and 3 years of relevant experience OR Master’s degree and 5 years of relevant experience OR Bachelor’s degree and 7 years of relevant experience OR Associate’s degree and 12 years of relevant experience OR High school diploma / GED and 14 years of relevant experience
- 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.
Nice To Haves
- Advanced degree such as MBA, PharmD, PhD, Master’s 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.
Responsibilities
- 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.
Benefits
- 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.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
Education Level
Associate degree
