Vice President, Head of Translational Science and Medicine

What You Will Do

You will provide strategic and operational leadership for the combined Translational Medicine and Translational Science organizations, including oversight of translational medicine leads, translational research teams, and other related scientific capabilities across the portfolio.

You will drive the development and execution of translational strategies that support target and indication prioritization, evidence generation, biomarker development, and scientific/clinical differentiation across programs. You will help create strong scientific and data narratives that support asset progression and strengthen the positioning of programs within the competitive landscape. This includes providing timely bioanalytics and diagnostics support and development.

You will lead efforts to build a more connected and agile translational organization, strengthening integration across research and development and ensuring translational activities are initiated and executed at the appropriate stages of the pipeline.

You will serve as the leader of a Translational Sciences Center of Excellence, overseeing and prioritizing ongoing and future translational initiatives while continuously improving platforms, processes, and scientific capabilities to enhance quality, speed, and impact.

You will play a key role in portfolio strategy, including support for indication selection, human target validation, and evaluation of external innovation through business development, partnerships, and scientific collaborations. You will work closely with R&D, Business Development, Competitive Intelligence, and other cross-functional partners to align translational strategy with broader corporate and portfolio priorities.

You will contribute to governance and enterprise decision-making through participation in key leadership and portfolio committees, bringing scientific insight and strategic perspective to research prioritization and pipeline discussions.

You will also lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team, fostering a culture of scientific excellence, innovation, collaboration, and accountability.

Why This Role Matters

This is a unique opportunity to define and elevate the translational medicine and translational science strategy for a portfolio focused on high-impact science and rare disease innovation. The role offers broad visibility, enterprise influence, and the opportunity to shape how translational insights support the advancement of innovative therapies from research through development.

Essential Qualifications

• M.D., Ph.D., or equivalent in a relevant scientific or medical discipline
• Significant leadership experience in translational medicine, translational science, drug discovery, and development, typically 15+ years
• Demonstrated success leading large cross-functional and matrixed teams in a complex organizational environment
• Deep understanding of how translational strategy supports program progression, scientific differentiation, and portfolio decision-making
• Experience connecting discovery, translational research, and development to support therapeutic advancement
• Strong scientific background in disease biology, biomarkers, diagnostics and translational approaches across multiple therapeutic areas
• Experience contributing to regulatory interactions, scientific documentation, and evidence-generation strategy
• Fluent in the potential of artificial intelligence to enhance and accelerate the process of drug development
• Excellent communication, leadership, and influencing skills, with the ability to engage effectively across scientific and executive audiences

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience in rare disease drug development
• Track record of productivity as illustrated by publications, patents and regulatory filings
• Experience supporting business development, scientific diligence, portfolio evaluation, or external collaborations
• Experience building or scaling translational capabilities, platforms, or centers of excellence within a research and development organization
• Well networked with external stakeholders

Leadership Profile

The ideal candidate will bring scientific depth, strategic agility, and executive presence. You will be a collaborative, forward-looking leader who can inspire teams, influence across a matrixed organization, and translate scientific complexity into clear strategic direction.

You should be recognized for your ability to build strong partnerships, develop talent, and lead through both vision and execution.