R&D Modernization Project Leader

Sanofi•Cambridge, MA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

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. Sanofi R&D is undergoing a significant transformation to accelerate innovation, increase productivity, and deliver breakthrough medicines to patients faster. To enable this ambition, Sanofi is establishing R&D Transformation, a new organization strategic modernization team within R&D Operations, designed to drive enterprise-level change through disciplined execution, operational excellence, and sustainable value realization. R&D Transformation acts as a catalyst for change across the R&D organization, bridging strategic priorities with operational execution to ensure rapid adoption and lasting impact. Led by the Global Head of R&D Transformation, the organization is structured around three core pillars: Execution of strategic modernization initiatives: Translating R&D strategic priorities endorsed by the R&D Leadership Team into actionable, end-to-end execution plans, ensuring speed, coherence, and seamless integration into business as usual. Process excellence: Designing, simplifying, and continuously improving high-impact R&D processes to maximize productivity, reduce complexity, and enable organizational agility. Post-merger integration: Leading R&D-wide integration efforts to unlock scientific, cultural, and organizational value from M&A transactions. Within the R&D Modernization team, the Project Leader will independently lead enterprise-visible transformation initiatives, acting as both a catalyst for change and a trusted advisor to senior R&D leadership on execution strategy, rollout planning, and sustainable value realization. The R&D Modernization Project Leader will independently lead the strategic planning, execution, rollout, and monitoring of 1 to 3 high-impact R&D Modernization initiative(s) depending on complexity, with direct visibility to the R&D Leadership Team. 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

6+ years of professional experience in strategic roles within life sciences, with a strong understanding of the pharmaceutical industry, particularly R&D.
Significant exposure to large-scale transformations, complex strategic problem-solving, and executive-level interaction.
Demonstrated experience leading high-impact transformation initiatives from strategic framing through execution and sustainable implementation.
Strong business judgment and ability to structure ambiguous execution challenges and rollout strategies.
Demonstrated ability to independently engage and influence senior executive stakeholders across R&D and cross-functional teams.
Strong executive presence and facilitation skills in high-level forums.
Exceptional synthesis and communication skills; adept at distilling complex information into structured recommendations and execution plans.
Disciplined prioritization and project leadership with a proven track record of presenting transformative projects to Senior Leadership Teams.
Intellectual agility with strong drive for change and questioning the status quo.
Proven ability to balance strategic vision with pragmatic execution and hands-on accountability.
Deep experience navigating large and global organizations.
Strong analytical and financial modeling skills with solid business judgment and financial acumen.
Ability to evaluate business cases, define KPIs, and track ROI metrics.
Ability to leverage data, competitive insight, and AI-enabled tools to inform execution decisions.
Fluent English (written and spoken) required.
Bachelor's degree required.

Nice To Haves

Experience in top-tier strategy consulting or comparable high-performance environments is strongly valued.
Experience in change management and/or Finance functions would be a significant asset.
Experience with advanced analytics and digital tools is a strong asset.
Advanced degree in Life Sciences, Top Engineering school, Business School (MBA), or comparable advanced degree (PhD, MD, PharmD) strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Strategic Execution Leadership Independently lead complex, high-impact modernization initiatives with direct RDLT visibility, translating strategic intent into actionable implementation frameworks.
Structure ambiguous execution challenges and develop comprehensive rollout strategies that ensure sustainable adoption and measurable enterprise-level impact.
Prepare and moderate executive-level discussions, including RDLT forums and cross-functional governance bodies.
Challenge execution assumptions through data-driven analysis, scenario planning, and competitive benchmarking.
Initiative Design & Delivery Lead 2–4 high-impact modernization workstreams annually, from strategic framing through business-as-usual integration.
Design and manage end-to-end execution frameworks, including governance, timelines, cross-functional resourcing, RACI, and decision-making processes.
Translate strategic priorities into clear implementation plans for individual R&D functions (e.g., Research, CMC), with well-defined scope, objectives, success metrics, and accountability.
Structure scenario analyses and strategic trade-offs that optimize implementation speed, adoption, and long-term value realization.
Stakeholder Engagement & Influence Mobilize and engage senior leadership across R&D and cross-functional areas (e.g., People & Culture, Finance, IT) to drive alignment, sustain momentum, and deliver measurable impact.
Demonstrate strong executive presence and facilitation skills, influencing senior stakeholders on execution strategy and change roadmaps.
Build trusted relationships across R&D functions and cross-functional teams while seamlessly engaging with scientific and technical experts when required.
Act as an integrator and connector, bringing together diverse teams and perspectives to drive coherent execution.
Performance Monitoring & Value Realization Define and track KPIs to assess workstream effectiveness, ROI, and alignment with strategic objectives.
Monitor performance against key milestones, proactively identifying risks and dependencies and implementing mitigation actions.
Ensure measurable outcomes transition effectively into sustained business-as-usual operations.
Report workstream progress to the Head of R&D Modernization for input into the central R&D Steering Committee, proactively communicating interdependencies across workstreams.
Change Integration & Adoption Ensure successful implementation of transformation impacts at local and site level, including implications across processes, IT, governance, change management, and communications.
Drive seamless integration into business-as-usual operations and sustainable adoption, supporting local roadmaps to ensure lasting impact.