Associate Director, Finance, Forecasting, and Pricing and Planning Platforms
Takeda
Summary
We are seeking an experienced professional with a strong combination of Life Science Forecasting and Pricing expertise, data and analytics capabilities, and enterprise planning platform experience to drive the expansion, optimization, and implementation of forecasting and planning solutions across the organization. This role goes beyond traditional system implementation and focuses on building a strategic planning ecosystem that enables scalable forecasting, pricing, revenue management, and commercial decision-making. The ideal candidate will have experience leading both platform expansion initiatives and end-to-end software implementations, preferably leveraging Anaplan, while partnering closely with Finance, Commercial, Market Access, IT, and Data organizations.
Job description
Position Summary
We are seeking an experienced professional with a strong combination of Life Science Forecasting and Pricing expertise, data and analytics capabilities, and enterprise planning platform experience to drive the expansion, optimization, and implementation of forecasting and planning solutions across the organization. This role goes beyond traditional system implementation and focuses on building a strategic planning ecosystem that enables scalable forecasting, pricing, revenue management, and commercial decision-making. The ideal candidate will have experience leading both platform expansion initiatives and end-to-end software implementations, preferably leveraging Anaplan, while partnering closely with Finance, Commercial, Market Access, IT, and Data organizations.
Key Responsibilities
Platform Strategy & Expansion
- Lead the roadmap, enhancement, and expansion of enterprise planning and forecasting platforms across Finance and Commercial functions.
- Identify opportunities to extend platform capabilities into new business processes, geographies, therapeutic areas, and functional teams.
- Drive adoption of planning solutions by establishing scalable models, governance frameworks, and best practices.
- Evaluate and recommend new technologies, integrations, and capabilities to support evolving business requirements.
- Develop long-term platform strategies that align with corporate digital transformation and planning objectives.
Business & Functional Leadership
- Serve as a subject matter expert in pharmaceutical forecasting, pricing, revenue planning, and commercial analytics processes.
- Partner with Market Access, Finance, Demand Forecasting and Business Insights stakeholders to define future-state planning capabilities.
- Support and enhance: Net Sales Price Forecasting, Gross-to-Net (GTN) Planning, Pricing and Contracting Analysis, Product Launch Planning, Scenario and Sensitivity Modeling.
- Translate business requirements into scalable planning and analytics solutions.
Implementation & Solution Delivery
- Partner with Internal Systems Leads to support enhancements of forecasting and planning solutions, from requirements gathering through deployment and adoption.
- Partner with IT, data engineering, and external vendors to ensure successful solution delivery and ongoing support.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance forecast accuracy, operational efficiency, and user experience.
Data & Analytics
- Collaborate with data teams to establish trusted data foundations supporting forecasting and planning processes.
- Define data requirements, integration strategies, and governance standards.
- Leverage internal and external pharmaceutical datasets to improve forecasting performance and business insights.
- Support advanced analytics, scenario planning, predictive modeling, and decision-support capabilities.
- Ensure data quality, consistency, and alignment across planning platforms.
Stakeholder & Program Management
- Build strong relationships with executive sponsors, business leaders, and cross-functional stakeholders.
- Manage competing priorities across multiple platform and implementation initiatives.
- Communicate project status, risks, opportunities, and business outcomes to senior leadership.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business, Economics, Data Analytics, Information Systems, or a related field.
- 7+ years of experience in the Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, or Life Sciences industry.
- Demonstrated expertise in pharmaceutical forecasting, pricing, revenue management, and commercial planning.
- Experience leading enterprise planning platform implementations and enhancements.
- Strong understanding of data management, analytics, and system integration concepts.
- Proven ability to bridge business and technical teams to deliver complex transformation initiatives.
- Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Significant experience with Anaplan as a Model Builder, Solution Architect, Product Owner, or Platform Lead.
- Experience expanding and scaling Anaplan capabilities across multiple business functions.
- Knowledge of Gross-to-Net Forecasting, Market Access and Contracting, Commercial Operations and Analytics, FP&A, Long-Range Planning, Product Launch Forecasting.
- Experience with SAP, Snowflake, SQL, Power BI, Tableau, Azure Data Platform, Anaplan, TM1/IBM Planning Analytics.
- Anaplan certifications strongly preferred.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business, Economics, Data Analytics, Information Systems, or a related field
- 7+ years of experience in the Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, or Life Sciences industry
- Demonstrated expertise in pharmaceutical forecasting, pricing, revenue management, and commercial planning
- Experience leading enterprise planning platform implementations and enhancements
- Strong understanding of data management, analytics, and system integration concepts
- Proven ability to bridge business and technical teams to deliver complex transformation initiatives
- Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills
- Significant experience with Anaplan as a Model Builder, Solution Architect, Product Owner, or Platform Lead
- Experience expanding and scaling Anaplan capabilities across multiple business functions
- Knowledge of Gross-to-Net Forecasting, Market Access and Contracting, Commercial Operations and Analytics, FP&A, Long-Range Planning, Product Launch Forecasting
- Experience with SAP, Snowflake, SQL, Power BI, Tableau, Azure Data Platform, Anaplan, TM1/IBM Planning Analytics
- Anaplan certifications strongly preferred
Benefits
- 401(k) Matching
- Medical, Dental & Vision
- Base Salary Range $154,400 - $242,550
Company overview
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited is a Japanese multinational pharmaceutical company founded in 1781 and incorporated in 1925. As one of the world's top 20 largest pharmaceutical companies by revenue and the third largest in Asia, Takeda specializes in developing and commercializing innovative medicines across several therapeutic areas including oncology, rare diseases, neuroscience, gastroenterology, plasma-derived therapies, and vaccines. With approximately 49,095 employees globally, the company operates research and development centers, manufacturing facilities, and commercial operations across 39 U.S. states and numerous countries worldwide. Takeda maintains dual headquarters in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, with significant operations in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where it serves as the largest life sciences employer in the state. The company's patient-focused approach is guided by its Takeda-ism values of Integrity, Fairness, Honesty, and Perseverance, emphasizing a commitment to delivering life-transforming treatments while advancing sustainable healthcare solutions. Takeda's extensive portfolio includes both innovative biologics and small molecule drugs, supported by strategic acquisitions and partnerships that have expanded its capabilities in areas such as immuno-oncology and rare disease treatments.