Head of Lab Operations

Takeda • Boston, MA

6d • Hybrid

About The Position

At Takeda, we are guided by our purpose of Better Health for People, Brighter Future for the World and our commitment to patients, our people, and the planet. Leading smooth transitions and integration of labs, systems, processes, and capabilities is essential to maintaining operational continuity and delivering on our commitments to patients, regulators, and partners. We are seeking an Executive Director, Head of Lab Operations to lead and scale global laboratory operations across Takeda’s R&D organization. This role is responsible for ensuring that lab environments, processes, and systems are optimized to enable scientific excellence, operational efficiency, and scalability across a complex global footprint. You will operate at the intersection of science, operations, and strategy—driving large-scale operational excellence initiatives, enabling scientists to focus on discovery, and shaping the future of laboratory operations, including preparation for the One Cambridge Campus.

Requirements

• Deep experience in pharmaceutical R&D environments, including strong understanding of laboratory operations and processes.
• Proven experience leading large-scale lab operations, including equipment, facilities, procurement, maintenance, and vendor management.
• Strong experience driving operational efficiency, process improvement, and implementation of new systems.
• Experience managing large-scale financial oversight, including CAPEX and OPEX budgets.
• Strong understanding of safety, compliance, and regulatory considerations within laboratory environments.
• Ability to think strategically while operating at a practical, execution-focused level, even in ambiguous situations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex global organizations and drive operational and cultural change, both directly and through influence.
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence, align, and inspire across functions, regions, and levels.
• Proven ability to lead transformation initiatives, implement new systems, and drive process changes.
• Ability to establish alignment through collaboration and persuasive communication; strong communicator with excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Ability to influence and work effectively across business partnerships, regions, and cultures while balancing scientific needs with operational efficiencies.
• Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, pharmacy, engineering, operations, business management, or related field.
• 15+ years of experience in pharmaceutical R&D, with a preference for lab operations management & leadership, and deep experience working with scientists, vendor management and procurement functions in an R&D lab environment.
• Minimum 7 years of people leadership experience, including driving process change and implementing systems.
• Experience working within complex, matrixed organizations across functions and regions.
• Proven track record of leading large-scale lab operations, driving organizational change, and delivering complex programs.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree in science or business.
• Certifications in operational excellence, vendor management, or process improvement programs.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee global R&D laboratory operations, defining standardized processes, roles, and governance while enabling best practice sharing across regions and appropriate local adaptation.
• Develop and execute enterprise laboratory operations strategies to centrally scale and optimize services across R&D, increasing productivity and reducing administrative burden on scientific teams.
• Ensure end-to-end operational support for R&D laboratories, including equipment, space, utilities, purchasing, maintenance, calibration, and materials flow, enabling scientific teams to focus on technical execution.
• Drive R&D laboratory space and capacity strategy, including long term planning and readiness for the One Cambridge Campus, lab footprint scaling, asset utilization, storage, and materials flow optimization.
• Coordinate global laboratory operations services and partnerships, serving as a primary interface for vendors and lab users; oversee CAPEX and OPEX, performance metrics, and continuous improvement, including innovation in automation, robotics, AI/data integration, and asset sharing.
• Serve as the central R&D point of accountability for lab operations, including safety/EHS, procurement, and compliance, with clear escalation and issue resolution mechanisms to protect program timelines and support R&D simplicity goals.

Benefits

• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees