Work Your Magic with us!
Ready to explore, break barriers, and discover more? We know you’ve got big plans – so do we! Our colleagues across the globe love innovating with science and technology to enrich people’s lives with our solutions in Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics. Together, we dream big and are passionate about caring for our rich mix of people, customers, patients, and planet. That's why we are always looking for curious minds that see themselves imagining the unimaginable with us.
United As One for Patients, our purpose in Healthcare is to help create, improve and prolong lives. We develop medicines, intelligent devices and innovative technologies in therapeutic areas such as Oncology, Neurology and Fertility. Our teams work together across 6 continents with passion and relentless curiosity in order to help patients at every stage of life. Joining our Healthcare team is becoming part of a diverse, inclusive and flexible working culture, presenting great opportunities for personal development and career advancement across the globe.
This role can be filled in Darmstadt, Germany or Billerica, US.
Your role
The Head of R&D Resource Forecasting & Analytics is a strategic leadership role within our global Healthcare R&D organization. This position is pivotal in translating assumptions about our current and future project portfolio into robust, actionable resource forecasts — enabling proactive detection of operational bottlenecks, informing portfolio trade-offs, and driving effective resource management across all R&D programs and functions. Beyond operational excellence, this role is a catalyst for transformation. You will spearhead the AI-enabled evolution of R&D-wide resource forecasting processes, championing a shift toward a more predictive, data-driven operating model that positions Healthcare R&D for sustained competitive advantage. This is a rare opportunity for a visionary leader to operate at the intersection of program and portfolio management, advanced analytics, and organizational transformation - shaping how we plan and deploy our most critical asset: our people.
Key accountabilities include:
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Strategic Direction: Define and own the strategic vision and operating model for R&D-wide resource forecasting and analytics, ensuring full alignment with global business sector priorities and R&D objectives
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Insight Generation: Oversee global R&D resource forecasting operations to deliver timely, actionable insights that inform senior-level decision-making and operational execution
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Trusted Advisor: Act as a credible, strategic partner to senior stakeholders across all R&D functional lines of business as well as CMC development — translating complex data into clear, compelling narratives
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Team Leadership: Lead and develop a high-performing team of decision support partners, delivering tailored analytics and insights that drive measurable impact across R&D functions
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Forecast Excellence: Continuously improve forecast accuracy by leveraging statistical inference, data science, and AI-based modeling approaches
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Capability Building: Evolve forecasting processes, tools, and analytical capabilities — including agentic AI and advanced analytics — to meet changing customer and operating model needs
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Systems Stewardship: Orchestrate the flawless operation of the R&D-wide time tracking system while continuously improving data quality, governance, and user support
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Training & Engagement: Build R&D-wide resource management literacy and drive user engagement, fostering a culture of data-driven decision-making across the organization
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Data Governance: Ensure the robustness of underlying data and enabling processes, including work and role breakdown structures, to guarantee the integrity of all forecasting outputs
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Thought Leadership: Engage with executives and peers across the industry to exchange best practices, represent us in external expert forums, and shape the future of resource management in pharma
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Cross-functional Leadership: Lead the cross-functional R&D Operations Forum, aligning all functional resource management experts across the organization
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Executive Communication: Deliver high-quality presentations to senior R&D leadership in quarterly business reviews, providing clear visibility into resource trends, risks, and opportunities
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Vendor Management: Manage relationships with external management consultants, software vendors, and service providers, ensuring value delivery and strategic alignment
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Culture & Talent: Actively contribute to building an inclusive, high-performance culture that attracts, retains, and develops exceptional talent
Who you are
You are a strategic, analytically rigorous leader with a track record of driving organizational impact through data, technology, and people. You thrive in complex, matrixed environments and are energized by turning ambiguity into clarity and insight into action.
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12+ years of experience in business analytics, resource or performance management, data science, project management, or finance — ideally within pharmaceutical R&D or a closely related life sciences environment
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Proven people leadership with a track record of building and developing high-performing, globally distributed teams
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Global matrix leadership experience, with demonstrated ability to drive accountability and deliver results across cross-functional, cross-geography organizations without direct line authority
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Strategic transformation track record — you have defined and executed initiatives that meaningfully shift organizational mindsets and capabilities toward a data-driven operating model
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Deep knowledge of R&D value chains and portfolio management, with the ability to connect resource forecasting to broader pipeline strategy and business decisions
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Strong business and financial acumen, including experience with budget ownership and investment prioritization in a large-scale R&D context
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Advanced analytical and quantitative skills, with hands-on familiarity with statistical modeling, predictive analytics, and AI/ML methodologies applied to forecasting and planning
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Proficiency in analytics and resource management platforms (e.g., Tableau, Planisware), including comfort with data architecture and data lakes
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Executive-level communication skills, with the ability to translate complex analyses into clear, compelling narratives for senior and C-suite audiences
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Strong change management and influencing skills, with experience driving cultural and behavioral change in large, global organizations
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Curiosity and passion for innovation — particularly in how AI, automation, and emerging technologies can reshape R&D operations
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Academic degree in a scientific, business administration, IT, or data science-related field; Master's degree, MBA, and/or PhD strongly preferred
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Fluency in English required — additional language skills (e.g., German) are a plus
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Availability to work on-site a minimum of 3 days per week from our Darmstadt or Billerica office
What we offer: We are curious minds that come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe that this variety drives excellence and innovation, strengthening our ability to lead in science and technology. We are committed to creating access and opportunities for all to develop and grow at your own pace. Join us in building a culture of inclusion and belonging that impacts millions and empowers everyone to work their magic and champion human progress!
Apply now and become a part of a team that is dedicated to Sparking Discovery and Elevating Humanity!
