R&D Insights & Enablement Lead (Director)

3316 Takeda Development Center Americas•Boston, MA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Takeda is hiring an R&D Insights & Enablement Lead to drive performance, accountability, and decision excellence across R&D. The role generates insights and coordinates structured forums that help R&D leaders make timely, evidence-based decisions, while translating portfolio-level learning into improved ways of working for Global Program Teams (GPTs). It connects senior R&D leadership, enterprise functions, and GPT communities so decisions, lessons learned, and emerging trends lead to action. The position coordinates the monthly R&D Decisions & Insights Forum and Portfolio Orchestration & Direction (POD) Council, stewards the R&D Risk Register, and supports updates to the R&D Corporate Philosophy and the Scientific Advisory Group for the R&D President. It also leads GPT enablement efforts, including the Global Program Leader (GPL) Development Program, onboarding, and development of multidisciplinary program frameworks and resources. The role identifies systemic trends and ensures lessons are incorporated into guidance, training, tools, and practices across R&D. The position is classified as hybrid under Takeda’s Hybrid and Remote Work policy and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is a full-time employee role.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a science, engineering, or business-related field.
Typically 12 or more years of relevant experience in pharmaceutical R&D, portfolio management, strategy, or operational excellence.
Demonstrated experience leading executive-level decision forums, governance cadences, or portfolio review processes in a global pharmaceutical or comparable regulated R&D environment.
Strong analytical orientation, including defining KPIs, interpreting trends, distinguishing signal from noise, and framing data into decision-driving narratives.
Working knowledge of end-to-end drug development, portfolio governance, and data and systems that support R&D decision-making, such as PTRS, benchmarking, and operational health indicators.
Experience designing and maintaining enterprise risk registers or comparable structured risk-management programs in a complex matrix organization.
Excellent facilitation, influencing, and stakeholder-management skills, including the ability to convene senior leaders and drive clear decisions and actions.
Strong writing and executive narrative skills, including developing clear, credible, decision-oriented slides, briefs, and presentations.
Collaborative approach and ability to partner across Strategic Planning & Enablement, DD&T, Finance, and Governance.
Healthcare business acumen and comprehensive understanding of the pharmaceutical industry and R&D operating environment.

Nice To Haves

Advanced science or business degree.
PMP, Lean / Six Sigma, or comparable process or portfolio credential.

Responsibilities

Design and run the monthly R&D Decisions & Insights Forum, including its agenda, content curation, pre-reads, decision documentation, action tracking, and follow-through.
Partner with R&D leadership, RMC, Governance, and program teams to identify portfolio and operational questions, decisions, and learning topics for the Decisions & Insights Forum.
Own and maintain the R&D Risk Register, including risk intake, prioritization, mitigation tracking, escalation pathways, leadership review, and governance.
Strengthen risk-management processes through consistent collection, scoring, prioritization, review cadences, and accountable ownership.
Work with program, functional, and governance leaders to identify emerging scientific, operational, compliance, talent, and technology risks and ensure mitigations progress.
Translate risk-register patterns and forum learnings into recommendations for the Decisions & Insights Forum, POD Council, and GPT Enablement.
Lead or co-lead the monthly R&D Portfolio Orchestration & Direction Council, shaping its agenda, supporting directional decisions, and tracking execution of decisions and recommendations.
Support periodic updates to the R&D Corporate Philosophy by coordinating inputs, analyses, and narrative development.
Support the Scientific Advisory Group for the R&D President through planning, pre-reads, content development, and follow-up.
Run the GPL Development Program operating rhythm by assessing capabilities against a shared profile of success and turning gaps into development priorities.
Build GPL Exchange and GPL Forum agendas based on GPL development needs and provide process and best-practice resources.
Develop multidisciplinary program frameworks, such as Asset Strategy and Program Scenario Plans, with Therapeutic Areas, business units, and Global Commercial, and embed them into enterprise GPT operations.
Advance GPL and GPT effectiveness with Therapeutic Area and Business Unit Heads by prioritizing, sponsoring, and tracking initiatives.
Translate lessons learned from forums, the Risk Register, GPT communities, and other R&D sources into structured inputs for GPT Enablement.
Identify cross-program trends and systemic patterns and frame them for use in playbooks, training, digital tools, and standards.
Establish a recurring handoff with GPT Enablement leadership and other relevant SP&E leaders to turn insights into updates to guidance, training, tools, or communications.
Track whether lessons are translated into practice or process and report remaining gaps to leadership.
Own and ensure effective content and delivery of the enterprise-wide GPT Onboarding Program.
Coordinate insights for the GPL Development Program and liaise with GPLs to understand development needs, procedural challenges, and shared learning priorities.
Foster an enterprise community of program leadership across R&D, SPD, Global Oncology, and Plasma-Derived Therapies.