Business Operations Lead

Sanofi • Cambridge, MA

22h • Hybrid

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. About Sanofi: We’re an R&D-driven, AI-powered biopharma company committed to improving people’s lives and delivering compelling growth. Our deep understanding of the immune system – and innovative pipeline – enables us to invent medicines and vaccines that treat and protect millions of people around the world. Together, we chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in any field 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Responsibilities

• Vendor Qualification & Onboarding: 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.
• Procurement & Financial Operations: 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.
• Risk & Compliance Management: 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.
• Cross-Functional Coordination: 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.
• Process Optimization & Documentation: 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.
• Strategic Operations Support: 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.

Benefits

• Bring the miracles of science to life alongside a supportive, future-focused team.
• Discover endless opportunities to grow your talent and drive your career, whether it’s through a promotion or lateral move, at home or internationally.
• Enjoy a thoughtful, well-crafted rewards package that recognizes your contribution and amplifies your impact.
• Take good care of yourself and your family, with a wide range of health and wellbeing benefits including high-quality healthcare, prevention and wellness programs and at least 14 weeks’ gender-neutral parental leave.
• Join the digital force behind Sanofi’s AI-powered pipeline, where Expert, Generative, and Snackable AI accelerate the discovery, development and delivery of breakthrough treatments to patients.
• Work in a safe, responsible environment, with a strategy that balances digital innovation with the appropriate level of risk management for each AI system.
• Enjoy daily opportunities to collaborate and share knowledge in an environment based on open dialogue and mutual respect.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees