VP Head of Governance Operations

3310 Takeda Pharmaceuticals U. • Boston, MA

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The VP, Head of Governance Operations is a high-visibility, dual-hatted role designed for an exceptional leader with a unique blend of corporate governance expertise, operations, change management experience and executive leadership acumen. Operating within a large, globally matrixed organization, this role serves as the strategic engine behind the executive leadership operating committees and decision-making bodies. The successful candidate will oversee the operations, decisions and thematic flow of operating committees, serve as a trusted advisor to the Takeda Executive Team (TET), and lead a distributed team to ensure flawless execution of enterprise strategy and operations.

Requirements

• Advanced Degree, master's degree, MBA, or equivalent a related field such as a Ph.D., is preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive experience in corporate governance, operations, change management, executive management, or Chief of Staff roles.
• Proven record of accomplishment within a large, highly regulated global pharmaceutical enterprise or an equivalent multi-billion-dollar multinational corporation.
• Demonstrated ability to drive efficient decision making, influence, guide, and command the respect of top-tier executive leadership and global matrix stakeholders.
• Profound experience managing cross-functional, globally distributed teams across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
• Strong adaptability and awareness of Japanese corporate culture and decision-making frameworks balanced with global market agility.
• Comprehensive understanding of enterprise risk frameworks, corporate sustainability metrics, and clinical/R&D portfolio governance.
• Superb written and verbal communication skills, with an elite ability to simplify hyper-complex scientific, financial, and legal material for executive consumption.

Responsibilities

• Support and oversee the team managing the day-to-day operations of the executive office.
• Manage end-to-end operational, content, decision matrixes and strategic alignment frameworks for the Business & Sustainability Committee (BSC) and the Portfolio Review Committee (PRC). Help implement more efficient and effective processes across Takeda committees and forums that lead to TET-level operating committees.
• Facilitate strong adherence to Takeda’s decision making model (DAI) to ensure informed, data driven decisions of a high performing leadership team and organization.
• Orchestrate high-impact agendas, ensure forward-looking planning, and enforce rigorous quality standards for all executive-level materials and presentations.
• Oversee the capture of precise corporate minutes, track action items, and ensure flawless follow-through on mandates issued by the BSC and PRC.
• Represent the Corporate Governance function across the enterprise, championing governance best practices and institutional compliance.
• Align closely and seamlessly with the Head of Board Operations to ensure a clean, transparent interface between executive management committees and the supervisory Board of Directors.
• Facilitate the smooth, compliant, and timely flow of information from management bodies upward to the Board, ensuring complete continuity of governance.
• Manage, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of 5 direct reports (senior managers/individual contributors).
• Provide ultimate leadership, performance tracking, and strategic direction to a total organization of 15 professionals distributed globally across multiple time zones and regions.
• Foster an inclusive, high-performance culture that bridges regional execution with the core values and long-term vision of a Japanese-headquartered multinational corporation.

Benefits

• medical, dental, vision insurance
• a 401(k) plan and company match
• short-term and long-term disability coverage
• basic life insurance
• a tuition reimbursement program
• paid volunteer time off
• company holidays
• well-being benefits
• up to 80 hours of sick time, and new hires are eligible to accrue up to 120 hours of paid vacation.

What This Job Offers

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