Director, Business Strategy & Operations, Research

If you are a current Jazz employee please apply via the Internal Career site

Jazz Pharmaceuticals is a global biopharma company whose purpose is to innovate to transform the lives of patients and their families. We are dedicated to developing life-changing medicines for people with serious diseases — often with limited or no therapeutic options. We have a diverse portfolio of marketed medicines, including leading therapies for sleep disorders and epilepsy, and a growing portfolio of cancer treatments. Our patient-focused and science-driven approach powers pioneering research and development advancements across our robust pipeline of innovative therapeutics in oncology and neuroscience. Jazz is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland with research and development laboratories, manufacturing facilities and employees in multiple countries committed to serving patients worldwide. Please visit www.jazzpharmaceuticals.com for more information.

Brief Description:

The Director, Business Strategy & Operations (BS&O) – Discovery & Research serves as the strategic business partner and Chief of Staff to the Chief Scientific Officers (CSOs) in Neuroscience and Oncology and their respective Discovery and Research Leadership Teams. In this high-impact, cross-functional role, you will orchestrate strategic planning, executive operating rhythms, organizational communications, workforce planning, and continuous improvement across early research and discovery. 

Reporting directly to the Head of R&D Business Strategy and Operations, you will partner closely with the HR, Resource Management, and R&D Finance to lead functional workforce planning and manage the overall functional budget. You will also serve as a key operational bridge between functional Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and Resource Management to ensure robust resource data stewardship (including named allocation tools and timecard compliance). Additionally, you will partner with the R&D Chief of Staff and Research Project Management to prepare high-stakes materials for executive, Board, and scientific governance forums, as well as play an active operational role in early-stage business development due diligence and post-deal functional integration. 

Essential Functions

1. Chief of Staff & Leadership Cadence 

• Serve as trusted advisor, operational sounding board, and Chief of Staff to the CSOs in Neuroscience and Oncology and their Discovery Leadership Teams. 

• Architect and facilitate the executive operating rhythm across both therapeutic areas, including leadership team meetings, quarterly business reviews (QBRs), and strategic offsites; track actions, resolve bottlenecks, and ensure strategic follow-through. 

• Partner with the R&D Chief of Staff and Research Project Management as needed to prepare executive briefing decks and strategic presentations for Quarterly Executive Reviews, Board of Directors Meetings, and Science Review Committees. 

• Collaborate with the R&D Chief of Staff and peer BS&O leaders to cascade enterprise strategies into Discovery and represent the research organization in operational working groups. 

2. Workforce Planning & Resource Oversight 

• Partner with HR, Resource Management, and Finance to lead comprehensive workforce and capacity planning across Neuroscience and Oncology Discovery to support target identification, validation, lead optimization, and candidate selection. 

• Act as functional Lead Data Steward for named allocation tools and timecard coding adherence, ensuring research team data is maintained on time and with high fidelity. 

• Partner with Resource Management on algorithm demand modeling: oversee the process between functional SMEs and Resource Management to ensure algorithm demand inputs and underlying assumptions are completed accurately, delivered on schedule, and translated into clear, actionable intelligence for workforce planning. 

• Leverage capacity data and named allocations to defend and secure functional headcount and operating resources during annual and long-range planning (LRP) cycles. 

3. Financial Cadence & Budget Stewardship 

• Manage and track the overall functional Discovery & Research budget in close collaboration with R&D Finance and functional leadership (OpEx, external discovery CRO contracts, lab services, and headcount). 

• Drive the financial operating rhythm across quarterly forecasting, accruals, variance analyses, and annual budget builds with Discovery budget owners across both therapeutic areas. 

4. Business Development Diligence & Research Integration 

• Lead functional post-deal integration for newly acquired discovery programs, technology platforms, or research partnerships, ensuring smooth operational onboarding and alignment with internal discovery processes. 

• Partner with Corporate Development, Alliance Management, and R&D Integration Leads to safeguard deal value, operational continuity, and research synergy. 

5. Goal-Setting Cadence & Performance Tracking 

• Direct the annual and long-term goal-setting operating rhythm (OKRs/KPIs) for Discovery & Research, cascading enterprise R&D priorities into clear functional targets. 

• Establish metrics and operational dashboards to track research velocity, operational delivery, and organizational health. 

• Partner with the R&D Chief of Staff office to report quarterly progress, milestones, and operational mitigation plans to R&D executive leadership. 

6. Communications Cadence & Scientific Culture 

• Partner with the Corporate and R&D Communications teams to design and execute a comprehensive internal communications strategy for Discovery & Research. 

• Establish a predictable communications operating rhythm, including regular Discovery Town Halls, All-Hands meetings, scientific highlights, and executive leadership briefings. 

• Foster a cohesive, innovative, and collaborative scientific culture that bridges Neuroscience, Oncology, and platform research teams. 

7. Process Improvement & Operational Excellence 

• Lead and implement targeted process improvement initiatives, simplifying administrative overhead and standardizing non-lab operational workflows. 

• Champion digital transformation and modern operational frameworks, including AI-assisted ways of working. 

• Apply proven change management techniques to ensure operational solutions are adopted effectively and sustainably across the scientific community.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Extensive progressive experience in the biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, or life sciences industry, with substantive exposure to drug development, portfolio/project management, data science/informatics, or R&D business operations. 

• Experience operating in a strategic business operations, Chief of Staff, or PMO leadership capacity partnering directly with executive leaders (VP/SVP level). 

• Direct experience leading workforce planning, capacity modeling oversight, named resource allocations, and timecard compliance. 

• Demonstrated track record managing departmental budgets, financial forecasting, and variance tracking in collaboration with Finance. 

• Experience participating in business development due diligence and leading post-deal functional integrations or external platform onboardings. 

• Executive Presence & Strategic Partnership: High emotional intelligence with a proven ability to advise and influence senior functional executives (VP/SVP level) across diverse technical, analytical, and operational disciplines. 

• High-Stakes Communication: Exceptional ability to synthesize complex project management narratives, data science strategies, and operational data into polished, compelling executive- and board-level presentations. 

• Operational & Analytical Acumen: Strong capability to interpret complex resource models, algorithm demand outputs, and financial analyses to formulate actionable business strategies. 

• Financial & Resource Stewardship: Demonstrated financial acumen managing multi-million-dollar functional operating budgets (OpEx, vendor contracts, software licensing) and multi-year workforce plans. 

• Cross-Functional Orchestration: Proven track record in orchestrating multi-faceted initiatives across matrixed global teams, balancing competing priorities across distinct functional domains. 

• Continuous Improvement & Innovation: Deep experience in process optimization, change management frameworks, and the practical application of digital and AI tools to enhance operational efficiency. 

Required/Preferred Education and Licenses

• Bachelor’s degree in a Life Sciences discipline (Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacology, Neurobiology, Oncology, etc.) or related business/scientific field required. 

• Advanced degree (MS, PhD, or MBA) strongly preferred. 

• Lean Six Sigma, Agile, or Project Management (PMP) certification is a plus. 

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Jazz Pharmaceuticals is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.

FOR US BASED CANDIDATES ONLY
 

Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices and we strive to provide employees with total compensation packages that are market competitive. For this role, the full and complete base pay range is:

Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, and other pertinent factors. The goal is to ensure fair and competitive compensation aligned with the candidate's expertise and contributions, within the established pay framework and our Total Compensation philosophy. Internal equity considerations will also influence individual base pay decisions. This range will be reviewed on a regular basis.

At Jazz, your base pay is only one part of your total compensation package. The successful candidate may also be eligible for a discretionary annual cash bonus or incentive compensation (depending on the role), in accordance with the terms of the Company's Global Cash Bonus Plan or Incentive Compensation Plan, as well as discretionary equity grants in accordance with Jazz’s Long Term Equity Incentive Plan. 

The successful candidate will also be eligible to participate in various benefits offerings, including, but not limited to, medical, dental and vision insurance, 401k retirement savings plan, and flexible paid vacation. For more information on our Benefits offerings please click here: https://careers.jazzpharma.com/benefits.html