Sr Director, Business Strategy and Operations (Oncology Clinical Development)

Role Summary

The Sr Director, Business Strategy and Operations (Oncology Clinical Development) will play a pivotal role in supporting the SVP of Oncology Clinical Development in building and executing the strategic vision for the Oncology Therapeutic Area. As Oncology enters an exciting phase of growth and investment, this position offers the opportunity to collaborate directly with senior leadership to advance a world-class clinical development team, build the portfolio, and elevate oncology as a key focus area for the organization.

Responsibilities

• As a member of the Oncology Leadership Team help to design and facilitate Leadership team meetings, drive team engagement planning and execution, participate in decision making and strategy development, support the team’s overall success.
• Business Strategy: Provide trusted input and help test ideas for the oncology portfolio from research through launch; act as a thought partner, facilitating strategic projects and enabling execution of the business strategy.
• Collaboration with Corporate Development: Align oncology strategy with program and asset acquisitions, overseeing diligence staffing and evaluation.
• Key contributor in staffing and resource allocation: Liaise across Franchise Heads and HR to ensure the right talent and opportunities align with strategic priorities.
• Goals & KPI’s: Define short and longer-term goals and objectives/KPI’s for the TA, ensuring interconnectivity at functional and enterprise levels.
• Special Projects: Lead or participate in initiatives supporting strategic priorities from strategy to execution or growth.
• Business Operations: Maintain a comprehensive view of priorities, projects, decisions, and actions that support the Executive, and track business area goals, study and functional budgets and growth.
• Network across the organization and communicate with cross-functional leaders to connect projects and workstreams that would otherwise remain siloed, including collaboration with Kite as part of the oncology strategy and portfolio.
• Serve as a key business partner and conduit to the leader, ensuring that work flows smoothly by driving operational efficiency and strategic alignment of activities.
• Act as an amplifier for the leader; prepare and deliver presentations, manage communications strategies, and innovate new ones.

Qualifications

• Super Organizer — able to stay personally organized while managing executive priorities and handling complex, ambiguous projects.
• Collaborative, empathetic — ability to build a networked organization and promote cross-team communication while considering team dynamics.
• Sense of Urgency — self-starter with entrepreneurial spirit and bias toward action and rapid execution.
• High EQ — demonstrated humility and openness to feedback from stakeholders.
• Highly Persuasive — strong interpersonal and executive-level communication skills; able to influence across a complex matrix without direct authority.
• Strategic Thinker — enterprise mindset; aligns detailed work with overall strategy and differentiates urgent vs. important.
• Strong Reputation — reliable delivery of responsibilities and tasks within the Chief of Staff scope.
• Trusted Operator — manages sensitive and confidential information with utmost discretion.
• Expert Facilitator — adept at managing conversations, synthesizing viewpoints, and aligning direction impartially and professionally.
• Strong Communication — communicates effectively across mediums and with key stakeholders to move work forward.
• Organizational Excellence — maintains organization while managing complex, ambiguous executive priorities.
• Collaborative & Empathetic — promotes a networked organization and fosters strong team communication.
• Results-Oriented & Proactive — demonstrates urgency and entrepreneurial drive to ensure timely execution.
• Strategic Influence — high emotional intelligence; influences across a complex matrix without direct authority.
• Trusted & Reliable — discretion with confidential matters and dependable follow-through.
• Expert Facilitator & Communicator — synthesizes diverse perspectives and advances workstreams through impartial guidance.
• Enterprise and Functional Mindset; Adaptability; Results Orientation; Strategic Planning; Systemic Thinking; Political Savvy; Thought Partner; Business Acumen — demonstrated capabilities to navigate complex organizational dynamics and drive growth.
• Experience with PhD/MD in a relevant field; 10+ years in industry drug development, with oncology experience highly preferred; clinical science and trials experience across all development phases in a large pharma setting.

Skills

• Strategic project management
• Executive communication and presentation
• Cross-functional collaboration and influence
• Portfolio and program strategy development
• Resource planning and staffing alignment

Education

• PhD or MD in a relevant field