R&D Chief of Staff

at  CEPI

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCE

• Masters or further advanced degree in relevant field
• 5+ years of experience in life sciences field
• Strong program management and strategic capabilities
• Proven experience organizing and managing teams or departments
• Ability to build complex cross-group/department plans, drive, track and report execution progress
• Strong communication skills, verbal and written, including presentation skills
• Strong relationship building skills, able to influence internal and external stakeholders
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to manage confidential issues with complete discretion

TRAVEL AND LOCATION REQUIREMENTS

• This role will preferably be based in London (UK) although could be based in Washington D.C. (US) or Oslo (NO) for the right candidate.
• It will require working across different time zones regularly and may require travel to other countries as projects and initiatives progress.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Research & Development (R&D) team is working on a multitude of strategic and operational initiatives. The R&D Chief of Staff plays a key role in strengthening coordination and engagement with internal and external stakeholders. The R&D Chief of Staff shall report to the Executive Director of R&D, and enable him/her and the R&D Leadership Team to work effectively with internal and external stakeholders in order to facilitate execution of CEPI’s strategy.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Oversee strategic initiatives from development through successful execution under the guidance of Executive Director of R&D and R&D Leaders
• To effectively prioritize activities including balancing different perspectives to ensure R&D leadership remains focused on critical objectives, milestones and deliverables
• Oversee daily operations through collaboration with R&D leaders, other technical and non-technical divisions/departments, and external stakeholders and partners, performing an array of supportive tasks
• Identify areas of improvement in current cross-divisional/departmental processes and make actionable recommendations for optimized efficiency and productivity
• Ensure effective integration of R&D strategy into CEPI’s strategy
• Represent the Executive Director of R&D in internal and external meetings as appropriate
• Maintain and build networks and support the Executive Director of R&D’s high quality working relationships with a wide range of colleagues internally and externally; support development of CEPI’s overall stakeholder management approach
• Work closely with R&D leaders and HR to set the direction for organizational development in R&D and ensure effective communication of change initiatives
• Lead a team of Senior Managers within the R&D Executive Director’s Office to execute the Division’s operational goals for internal governance, strategic planning and analytics, effective partnerships, and delivery of R&D events.