Head of Portfolio Strategy and Chief of Staff

Apotex•Toronto, ON

About The Position

The Head of Portfolio Strategy and Chief of Staff serves as a strategic partner to the President, Canada & Rest of World (CanROW) business units. As Head of Portfolio Strategy, this senior leadership role is accountable for setting portfolio and pipeline direction, identifying gaps, enabling disciplined prioritization for portfolio selection and investment decisions. Ultimately, this role is accountable for driving portfolio long term value creation and ensuring that strategic priorities are translated into measurable portfolio outcomes across Canada (Generics, Biologics and Brands) and Rest of World business units. As Chief of Staff, the role drives the CanROW operating cadence and provides end-to-end leadership of executive planning, governance, communications, cross-functional coordination, and resolution of complex, high-priority matters on behalf of the President.

Requirements

University degree in Business, Science or related field including chemistry, biology, pharmaceutical, engineering or health sciences.
15 years’ of progressive experience in the pharmaceutical industry with a documented history of leadership roles.
Expertise in Canadian healthcare market across generics, brand and biosimilars, coupled with deep understanding of sales channel to drive strategy around portfolio selection and go to market values.
Management consulting experience in the Health Care segment is beneficial.
Previous experience in managing a large portfolio strategy is a plus.
Proven track record of leading and executing complex international projects and initiatives.
Proven track record in driving effective governance to drive strong collaboration, alignment and effective decision making.
Superior presentation skills, both in developing strong & impactful presentation documents and in delivering presentations.
Five – ten years’ experience managing concurrent and complex projects.
Must have proven and progressive experience with product or project management.
Excellent communication, presentation and interpersonal skills.
Excellent conflict management skills.
Demonstrated knowledge of pharmaceutical products (technical/scientific and commercial), preferably learned through experience working in multiple PM roles within the generic industry.
Proven experience holding cross-functional members accountable and facilitating the decision-making process.
Excellent attention to detail.
Excellent influence, negotiation, analytical and people leadership skills.
Ability to work in a matrix organization that is fast-paced and is continuously changing.
Experience working closely with the executive level and influencing and affecting strategic organizational decision making.

Nice To Haves

Management consulting experience in the Health Care segment is beneficial.
Previous experience in managing a large portfolio strategy is a plus.
Demonstrated knowledge of pharmaceutical products (technical/scientific and commercial), preferably learned through experience working in multiple PM roles within the generic industry.

Responsibilities

Own portfolio strategy, prioritization, and performance management for all Canadian business units (Generics, Biologics and Brands) and Rest of World business units, ensuring alignment to Canadian & Rest Of World strategic objectives and financial ambition.
Establish and maintain portfolio governance, including using globally aligned selection criteria for investment, lifecycle decisions, and trade-offs across brands/therapies, geographies, and business models.
Lead the Pre-Portfolio Selection Team meetings to drive effective and financially driven portfolio selection decision making process and strongly support the preparation of Global Portfolio Selection Team meetings for final decision.
Coordinate and work with global team to ensure alignment and exchange learnings.
Work with and influence new product launch team to prioritize launch sequence to ensure value proposition is delivered according to overall CanROW portfolio strategy.
Keep abreast of Global pharma and generic Portfolio trends to identify opportunities and elements to consider in the portfolio strategy.
Develop and Monitor portfolio KPIs, identify Portfoilio Gaps and value delivery; identify risks and opportunities, translate insights into actions, and escalate key decisions to the President and leadership team.
In partnership with Corporate Development, Commercial Operations team, and functional leaders, identify, screen, and prioritize inorganic growth opportunities (acquisitions, in-licensing, distribution partnerships, joint ventures) aligned to the Canada and Rest of World portfolio strategy.
Partner with the President, CanROW to shape priorities, clarify decision points, and drive follow-through on the strategic agenda across Canada and Rest of World.
Own the CanROW operating rhythm (e.g., leadership team meetings, business reviews, performance dashboards), ensuring disciplined preparation, crisp materials, and actionable outcomes.
Owns and Lead the CanRow Financial performance dashboard, providing quick snap shot and insights on performance and gaps to address with the Team.
Lead cross-functional execution of priority or project initiatives; establish workplans, milestones, and accountability mechanisms to deliver on time, within scope, and with measurable impact.
Prepare executive-ready briefings, narratives, and presentations for internal and external engagements; synthesize insights, risks, and recommendations for informed decision-making.
Act as a liaison across functions and business units to enable alignment, remove barriers, and reinforce clear communication, roles, and governance.
Utilize open, honest, two way communication to build trust-based relationships with employees, business partners and direct leader while continuously improving leadership capabilities by personally seeking feedback and development.
Create a culture which values trust and provides the opportunity for Employee development and growth in pursuit of our purpose and demonstrating our core Values – Integrity, Teamwork, Courage and Innovation.
Utilize your networks to attract and hire talent in a comprehensive, differentiated and consistent manner essential to our continued growth; then, onboard new employees by providing a consistent experience that reflects the values and commitments made to candidates during the hiring process. Ensure adherence of team members (direct reports) with all compliance programs and company policies and procedures.
All other duties as assigned.