Business Operations Lead

Sanofi•Toronto, ON

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Digital R&D Business Operations Lead serves as the operational backbone for the Digital In Silico Research and Lab & Plant Operations organizations. This role is responsible for ensuring seamless execution across vendor qualification, procurement, compliance, and cross-functional coordination. The ideal candidate brings a proven ability to navigate complex organizational environments, manage competing priorities, and drive operational outcomes with minimal friction — while maintaining a working understanding of the scientific context in which they operate. This is a senior individual contributor role suited to someone with deep expertise in corporate operational functions and a demonstrated track record of delivering results in highly regulated, fast-paced environments. Join the engine of Sanofi’s mission — where deep immunoscience meets bold, AI-powered research. In R&D, you’ll drive breakthroughs that could turn the impossible into possible for millions.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in any field is required and master's degree is a plus.
5+ years of experience in business operations, procurement, vendor management, strategic operations or related.
Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in complex organizational environments.
Strong working knowledge of corporate functions including Legal, Finance, Procurement, and Risk.
Structured problem-solving skills with the ability to identify practical solutions to complex operational challenges, including those arising in regulated scientific environments.
Proven project management capabilities with experience managing multiple workstreams simultaneously.
High degree of accountability and follow-through on commitments.
Continuous improvement mindset with a bias toward action.
Effective relationship-building skills across all organizational levels, including scientific and technical stakeholders.
Ability to understand and translate the operational needs of scientific teams — including researchers, data scientists, and lab operations leads — into actionable procurement and vendor management activities.
Ability to influence without direct authority and build alignment across functions.
Clear, professional communication style with the ability to navigate sensitive or complex situations.
Comfortable raising issues constructively and advocating for process improvements.
Familiarity with Jira or similar project management tools is a plus
Understanding of vendor risk assessment, compliance frameworks, and regulatory requirements, including GxP standards and scientific data governance principles.
Experience with IT vendor management, SaaS procurement, or scientific software and computational platform contracts is a plus.
Awareness of IP considerations, research data management requirements, and compliance frameworks relevant to pharmaceutical R&D.
Resourceful and determined, with a consistent ability to deliver results in ambiguous or constrained environments.
Comfortable operating in fast-paced settings with evolving priorities.
Proactive and self-directed, with the ability to anticipate needs and act without close supervision.
Collaborative and service-oriented in approach.
Exercises sound judgment and discretion when handling sensitive vendor and financial information.

Nice To Haves

Experience in pharma, biotech, or highly regulated industries is a strong plus.
Familiarity with R&D operations, lab environments, or scientific technology vendors is a strong plus.

Responsibilities

Manage end-to-end vendor qualification processes across Legal, Finance, Risk, IT Security, Procurement, and Compliance for scientific software, computational tools, lab technology, and research service providers.
Navigate complex approval workflows and accelerate vendor onboarding timelines for CROs, scientific service providers, and research technology vendors.
Build and maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders across Legal, Finance, Risk, and Procurement.
Develop solutions to address qualification roadblocks and compliance challenges, including those specific to GxP-regulated or data-sensitive scientific environments.
Maintain vendor documentation, contracts, and compliance records in alignment with data integrity and research compliance requirements.
Manage PO creation, approval, and tracking across multiple vendors and contracts, including scientific software vendors, SaaS platforms, and computational infrastructure.
Oversee invoice processing, payment tracking, and vendor financial relationships.
Support annual and mid-year budget planning cycles.
Conduct risk assessments for new vendors and technology partnerships, with particular attention to GxP compliance, data integrity requirements, and scientific data governance standards.
Ensure compliance with Sanofi policies, regulatory requirements, and data governance standards applicable to R&D and lab environments.
Coordinate security reviews, privacy assessments, and audit requirements for scientific software and computational platforms.
Serve as the primary liaison between Digital In Silico Research / Lab & Plant Operations and corporate functions.
Resolve operational bottlenecks through structured problem-solving and stakeholder engagement.
Develop and maintain cross-functional networks to facilitate timely decision-making.
Anticipate operational risks and develop contingency plans proactively, including those affecting research workflows, lab automation systems, or computational platform availability.
Streamline vendor qualification and procurement processes to improve efficiency and consistency, including for recurring scientific software renewals and lab supply chains.
Manage and improve the process to purchase software and to add it to Sanofi catalogs.
Develop playbooks, templates, and documentation for repeatable operational workflows relevant to R&D and lab environments.
Identify automation opportunities and lead continuous improvement initiatives.
Track and report on operational metrics and process performance.
Support the Strategy & Operations Leads with portfolio-level operational planning across in silico research and lab operations.
Coordinate cross-vertical initiatives requiring vendor or procurement involvement, including those spanning computational biology tooling and lab technology infrastructure.
Contribute operational insights and feasibility assessments to strategic planning sessions, informed by an understanding of R&D workflows and scientific priorities.
Track project dependencies and resource requirements across the portfolio.