Operations Manager

Astellas Pharma • Watertown, MA

40d • $93,100 - $133,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The ALSC Operations Manager serves as the primary operational partner and right‑hand to the ALSC Operations Head, providing leadership and execution support for day‑to‑day site operations at the Astellas Life Sciences Center (ALSC) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This role is responsible for translating site strategy into operational action, ensuring smooth daily operations, issue resolution, and cross‑functional coordination across facilities, laboratories, IT, EHS, and administrative services.

The Operations Manager acts as a key integrator across site functions, enabling operational continuity, workforce productivity, and a safe, compliant, and well‑functioning work environment.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Operations, Life Sciences, or a related field, with a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience supporting operations in a regulated or complex site environment.
• Demonstrated experience supporting day‑to‑day site operations in a life sciences, pharmaceutical, or similarly regulated setting.
• Strong working knowledge of operational governance, budgeting support, vendor coordination, and cross‑functional collaboration.
• Proven ability to partner effectively with Finance, Legal, HR, Ethics & Compliance (E&C), Procurement, EHS, IT, and Facilities. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience preparing site‑wide communications, leadership materials, and meeting documentation.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, track action items, and follow through to completion.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and operate effectively with limited direction. Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and collaboration platforms (e.g., Teams, SharePoint).

Nice To Haves

• BA/BS degree.
• Experience serving as a right‑hand or deputy role to a senior operations or site leader. Prior experience supporting site governance forums (e.g., Governance Committees, leadership meetings, working groups).
• Experience with budget tracking, P‑card oversight, vendor PO processes, and financial reconciliations.
• Familiarity with laboratory and office site operations, including access control, visitor management, shared spaces, and event logistics.
• Experience supporting onboarding and offboarding processes in coordination with HR, IT, Facilities, and Security.
• Demonstrated ability to support cross‑functional initiatives and special projects in a fast‑paced, highly collaborative environment.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary operational lead for daily ALSC site activities, ensuring issues impacting employees, laboratories, and shared spaces are identified, prioritized, and resolved efficiently.
• Act as the day‑to‑day decision support and escalation partner to the ALSC Operations Head, managing operational matters on their behalf as needed.
• Maintain situational awareness of site conditions, staffing, activities, and risks to ensure uninterrupted operations.
• Serve as backup to the Office Coordinator, providing coverage and continuity for core office services and administrative workflows as needed.
• Support and facilitate Governance Committee (GC) meetings, including agenda development, preparation of presentation materials, meeting coordination, and drafting and distribution of meeting summaries and action items.
• Maintain ALSC SPS content and draft and distribute site‑wide and targeted internal communications.
• Review, maintain, and update ALSC site policies, SOPs, templates, and shared operational documentation.
• Track meeting action items and follow up with responsible stakeholders to ensure timely closure.
• Support R&D leadership, CxO, and site meetings, including logistics, agendas, catering, restaurant reservations, and transportation arrangements.
• Support site visitors, delegations, and leadership visits, including badging, agendas, and space planning.
• Support educational, corporate branding, and social events, including logistics, invitations, agendas, setup, and breakdown.
• Track and manage shared resources, including conference rooms, equipment bookings, and office supplies.
• Support the ALSC Operations Head with budget management, including tracking inputs, vendor reconciliations, and periodic financial reviews.
• Proactively communicate and partner with key stakeholders, including Finance, Legal, HR, Ethics & Compliance (E&C), Procurement, and other functional leaders, to support budget planning, financial governance, contract alignment, and compliance requirements.
• Oversee and support P‑card management, including appropriate use, reconciliation support, documentation review, and coordination with Finance to ensure adherence to company policies.
• Assist with vendor onboarding, quote review, PO creation, and purchase requests, in coordination with Finance and Procurement.
• Provide administrative and operational support related to vendor contracts, service engagements, and ongoing vendor relationships.
• Support employee onboarding and offboarding activities, including coordination of accounts, equipment, access, and space setup with relevant teams.
• Coordinate operational readiness to ensure a smooth employee experience during transitions.
• Oversee intake, tracking, and follow‑up of operational issues and risks, supporting root‑cause identification and corrective actions.
• Maintain strong collaboration with EHS to support site safety initiatives, incident response, inspections, and compliance activities.
• Support business continuity and emergency preparedness, including coordination during weather events, facility disruptions, or safety incidents.
• Assist with issuing site‑wide operational and safety communications as directed by the ALSC Operations Head.
• Support execution of cross‑functional initiatives and special projects as assigned by the ALSC Operations Head.
• Provide analytical, organizational, and coordination support for reports, summaries, and status updates to site leadership.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Generous Paid Time Off options, including Vacation and Sick time, plus national holidays including year-end shut down
• 401(k) match and annual company contribution
• Company paid life insurance
• Annual Corporate Bonus and Quarterly Sales Incentive for eligible positions
• Long Term Incentive Plan for eligible positions
• Company fleet vehicle for eligible positions
• Referral bonus program

What This Job Offers

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