Sr Manager, R&D Operational Excellence

Abbott • Pleasanton, CA

1d • $130,700 - $261,300 • Onsite

About The Position

The Sr Manager, R&D Operational Excellence will serve as the operational leader and trusted partner to the Divisional Vice President of Heart Failure R&D. This role ensures the effective execution of the organization's priorities, portfolio commitments, and business objectives. The position drives alignment, accountability, and execution across R&D and key partner functions, enabling the leadership team to deliver innovation programs on time, within budget, and in compliance with quality and regulatory requirements. The role encompasses business operations, governance, communications, and organizational effectiveness activities, while also identifying and removing barriers to execution. The Sr Manager acts as a central coordination point across the Heart Failure organization, ensuring priorities are translated into actionable plans and measurable outcomes.

Requirements

• Experience managing complex programs or business operations within a medical device, healthcare, or regulated environment.
• Demonstrated ability to drive execution across matrixed organizations.
• Strong project management and operational planning capabilities.
• Experience supporting senior leaders and managing executive-level priorities.
• Ability to translate strategy into actionable workplans and measurable outcomes.
• Strong problem-solving, prioritization, and organizational skills.
• Proven ability to manage multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Life Sciences, Business, Healthcare Administration, or related field.
• 8–12 years of experience in R&D, Program Management, Business Operations, Product Management, Strategy Execution, or related functions.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives.
• Strong project management, operational planning, and organizational effectiveness skills.
• Advanced proficiency with executive communications, business analysis, and reporting.

Nice To Haves

• Healthcare, medical devices, or regulated industry experience strongly preferred.
• MBA or advanced degree.

Responsibilities

• Translate annual objectives and strategic priorities into actionable operating plans.
• Track execution against key business goals, portfolio milestones, and organizational commitments.
• Maintain visibility to risks, dependencies, and resource constraints and drive timely resolution.
• Ensure leadership decisions are converted into assigned actions with clear ownership and follow-through.
• Lead operating reviews and portfolio governance by developing executive dashboards, facilitating business reviews, and ensuring leadership has clear visibility into portfolio health, risks, decision, and progress.
• Maintain portfolio dashboards, milestone tracking, and executive reporting.
• Escalate critical issues impacting timelines, budgets, quality, or resource commitments.
• Coordinate execution across Product Management, Clinical, Regulatory, Quality, Operations, Finance, and Commercial functions.
• Facilitate resolution of cross-functional issues and competing priorities.
• Ensure alignment between product development, clinical, regulatory, and commercialization plans.
• Create scalable operating processes that improve communication and collaboration across functional teams.
• Manage leadership operating mechanisms including staff meetings, business reviews, and quarterly planning processes.
• Drive and facilitate cross-functional organizational initiatives related to process improvement, employee engagement, culture, and team effectiveness.
• Support annual planning, budget tracking, headcount management, and resource planning activities to align with organizational priorities.
• Define, develop and monitor organizational performance metrics.
• Prepare leadership presentations, business updates, executive communications, and organizational messaging.
• Support internal communication of key decisions, priorities, and business results.
• Ensure consistency and clarity of information across leadership teams and stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities to improve organizational processes and implement scalable business practices that increase efficiency.
• Monitor portfolio health across programs, proactively identifying execution risks, dependencies, constraints, and organizational impacts before they become leadership escalations.
• Leverage data, automation, and AI-enabled workflows to improve operational efficiency, reporting, and decision support.

Benefits

• Employees can qualify for free medical coverage in our Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO medical plan in the next calendar year.
• An excellent retirement savings plan with a high employer contribution.
• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program, and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior