Senior Manager, Operational Excellence and Innovation

Senior Manager, Operational Excellence & Innovation

Takeda Pharmaceutical

Lexington, MA

About the Role :

The Senior Manager, Operational Excellence & Innovation is responsible for leading the operational planning, execution, and continuous improvement of agile marketing initiatives within the IBD franchise. This role focuses on enabling efficient workflows, facilitating agile processes, and building organizational capabilities that support the CE&I team's broader remit, which includes cross-functional ways of working, omnichannel strategy integration, enterprise CE&I partnerships, agency coordination, and franchise operational excellence. The position ensures that established brand and omnichannel strategies are executed with accuracy, compliance, and efficiency, without assuming responsibility for strategic development or customer experience design.

How You Will Contribute :

Operational Planning and Execution

Develop operational plans and governance processes to guide agile marketing initiatives.

Establish scorecards, metrics, and reporting mechanisms to monitor progress and performance.

Track initiative status, identify risks or delays, and implement solutions to maintain timelines and quality standards.

Agile Leadership

Serve as Scrum Master for agile marketing pods, facilitating sprint planning, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.

Ensure all agile team members understand their roles, responsibilities, and deliverables.

Promote self-organization, transparency, and accountability within agile teams.

Process Improvement and Efficiency

Identify and implement process enhancements, tools, and workflows that improve operational efficiency.

Partner cross functionally to streamline review processes, including medical, legal, and regulatory (MLR) approvals, in collaboration with channel and brand leads.

Ensure consistent execution practices across teams and initiatives.

Cross-Functional and External Coordination

Coordinate with cross-functional partners, including marketing, analytics, medical, legal, regulatory, operations, and agencies, to ensure alignment on execution plans.

Collaborate with omnichannel strategy and agency leads to ensure deliverables meet brand and compliance requirements.

Manage vendor timelines, deliverables, and budgets for operational initiatives.

Capability Building

Develop training, documentation, and communication materials to support the adoption of agile and operational best practices.

Mentor and coach team members on agile methodologies and execution processes.

Contribute to the establishment of CE&I operational standards across the business unit.

Minimum Requirements / Qualifications :

Required

Bachelor's degree in marketing, business, or related field.

Minimum of 5 years' experience in marketing operations, agile leadership, or process improvement.

Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or equivalent agile certification.

Demonstrated experience facilitating agile processes and managing cross-functional execution in a complex organization.

Strong project management skills, with proficiency in tools such as Jira and Confluence.

Skilled at applying emerging technologies, including AI-enabled tools, to enhance efficiency, optimize workflows, and drive innovation in marketing execution.

Experience navigating regulated environments and review processes.

Proven collaboration and facilitation skills, with the ability to align diverse stakeholders around a shared plan.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across diverse teams.

Preferred

MBA or advanced degree in business, marketing, or related discipline.

8+ years of progressive experience in marketing operations or commercial execution.

Experience in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, or other regulated industries.

Proven success in implementing operational improvements and scaling new ways of working.

More about Us :

At Takeda, we are transforming patient care through the development of novel specialty pharmaceuticals and best in class patient support programs. Takeda is a patient-focused company that will inspire and empower you to grow through life-changing work.

Certified as a Global Top Employer, Takeda offers stimulating careers, encourages innovation, and strives for excellence in everything we do. We foster an inclusive, collaborative workplace, in which our teams are united by an unwavering commitment to deliver Better Health and a Brighter Future to people around the world.

This position is currently classified as "hybrid" in accordance with Takeda's Hybrid and Remote Work policy.

Takeda Compensation and Benefits Summary

We understand compensation is an important factor as you consider the next step in your career. We are committed to equitable pay for all employees, and we strive to be more transparent with our pay practices.

For Location :

USA - MA - Cambridge - Kendall Square - 500

U.S. Base Salary Range :

$137,000.00 - $215,270.00

The estimated salary range reflects an anticipated range for this position. The actual base salary offered may depend on a variety of factors, including the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, specific and unique skills, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and the location in which the applicant lives and / or from which they will be performing the job. The actual base salary offered will be in accordance with state or local minimum wage requirements for the job location.

U.S. based employees may be eligible for short-term and / or long-term incentives. U.S. based employees may be eligible to participate in medical, dental, vision insurance, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, a tuition reimbursement program, paid volunteer time off, company holidays, and well-being benefits, among others. U.S. based employees are also eligible to receive, per calendar year, up to 80 hours of sick time, and new hires are eligible to accrue up to 120 hours of paid vacation.

EEO Statement

Takeda is proud in its commitment to creating a diverse workforce and providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, parental status, national origin, age, disability, citizenship status, genetic information or characteristics, marital status, status as a Vietnam era veteran, special disabled veteran, or other protected veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws, and any other characteristic protected by law.