Head of Vaccines RnD Operational Excellence

Job Title: Head of Vaccines RnD Operational Excellence

Location: Waltham, MA

About the Job

We are an innovative global healthcare company that helps the world stay ahead of infectious diseases by delivering more than 500 million vaccine doses a year. Across different countries, our talented teams are exploring new technologies to protect people and promote healthy communities. We chase the miracles of science every single day, pursuing progress to make a real impact on millions of patients around the world.

The Head of VRD Operational Excellence (OE) ensures the construction of the OE model, making sure it consistently responds to business needs while demonstrating strong executive presence and a clear ability to transform and perform by driving change and delivering business results efficiently.

He/she leads the OE function within Vaccines R&D and sponsors the organization-wide performance roadmap. The OE team define and deploy standards, build capabilities, align cross-Function efforts, and steer strategic performance roadmaps to deliver measurable impact on business needs. This role is key to embedding sustainable performance, operational agility, and a culture of continuous improvement across Vaccine R&D.

Main Responsibilities

1) Strategic Leadership of the OE Function
Define and drive the OE vision, mission, and operating model for Vaccines R&D in alignment with business priorities. Lead the VRD OE community while designing and evolving OE standards, tools, methodologies, and maturity models. Develop OE career paths, capability frameworks, and training programs to foster a culture of performance, accountability, and continuous improvement across the organization.

2) Business Alignment & Strategic Integration

Align VRD performance metrics with annual business objectives and transform strategic needs into actionable improvement initiatives. Partner with VRDLT to optimize functional improvement programs while driving cross-functional prioritization of improvement opportunities.

3) Executive Leadership Impact
Act as a leader within the leadership team, contributing to strategic decision-making and organizational priorities while ensuring adherence to OE principles. Drive VRD culture evolution by promoting desired mindsets, behaviors, and organizational values, while coaching Leadership Team members on effectiveness to strengthen overall team performance.

4) OE Resource allocation, Planning & Performance Monitoring

Co-lead with head of function OE resources allocation related to improvement initiatives while leading the annual OE planning cycle in collaboration with function heads and VRD OE experts. Build, maintain, and continuously improve governance structures, routines, and performance management, while driving risk mitigation by escalating critical risks and gaps to enable decisive action.

5) Governance and Cross-Function Support

Define and lead OE structure governance routines and performance reviews while ensuring clarity and consistency of OE roles and responsibilities across the organization. Act as the guardian of methodological consistency and best practice sharing, collaborating closely with Heads of Functions to support deployment of key initiatives. Drive cross-functional OE programs, ensuring alignment, coherence, and impact monitoring.

Expected key impacts

Drive and deliver OE priorities and performance initiatives aligned with VRD business needs through accelerated and consistent deployment of OE practices and routines. Ensure structured and scalable capability development within the OE Community while maintaining clear visibility and governance of improvement initiatives and their impact. Strengthen a culture of collaboration, learning, and performance ownership across the organization.

About You

Education

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Life Sciences, Business or equivalent.

Knowledge /Experience /Technical competencies

• Minimum 10 years’ experience in Operational Excellence, Transformation, or Strategy roles.

• Strong track record leading OE programs and global teams in complex environments

• Experience structuring a cross-Function or expert function.

• Deep expertise in OE methodologies (Lean, Problem-Solving, Six Sigma, Agile, Theory of constraints, etc.)

• Portfolio and initiative planning, KPI system design, maturity model governance.

• Data-driven decision-making and performance monitoring.

• Change management and executive stakeholder engagement.

• Capability development frameworks and methodology design.

• Background in training, coaching, and people development.

Skills and Abilities

• Visionary leadership and strategic thinking.

• Strong influencing and relationship-building skills.

• Strong communication skills and impactful message delivery.

• Ability to navigate ambiguity and manage complexity.

• Political sensitivity and negotiation skills.

• Solution-oriented, resilient, and highly collaborative.

Languages:

• English Fluent

• French fluent preferred, not mandatory

Why Choose Us?

• Bring the miracles of science to life alongside a supportive, future-focused team.​​

• Discover endless opportunities to grow your talent and drive your career, whether it’s through a promotion or lateral move, at home or internationally.​​

• Enjoy a thoughtful, well-crafted rewards package that recognizes your contribution and amplifies your impact.​​

• Take good care of yourself and your family, with a wide range of health and wellbeing benefits including high-quality healthcare, prevention and wellness programs and at least 14 weeks’ gender-neutral parental leave.​

Sanofi Inc. and its U.S. affiliates are Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employers committed to a culturally diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race; color; creed; religion; national origin; age; ancestry; nationality; marital, domestic partnership or civil union status; sex, gender, gender identity or expression; affectional or sexual orientation; disability; veteran or military status or liability for military status; domestic violence victim status; atypical cellular or blood trait; genetic information (including the refusal to submit to genetic testing) or any other characteristic protected by law.

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