Director, Business Excellence & Portfolio Operations

What you will do 

The Director is responsible for advancing operational excellence across Process Development and Operations by enabling effective program execution and management, resource planning, and digital process improvements. This role will partner closely with project management, scientific, operational, and digital teams to improve how Process Development and Product Delivery Teams plan and advance pipeline deliverables. 

The Director will oversee a team responsible for project management, portfolio and resource management, and digital process enablement.  The scope of support spans from early stage development through commercialization to launch and patient impact expansion opportunities. 

This leader will work closely with Process Development (PD) functional leaders and Operations Therapeutic Area Heads to ensure clear planning, integrated execution, and visibility into portfolio progress, while identifying opportunities to streamline processes, deploy digital tools, and automate workflows that improve team productivity and decision-making.  In addition, the Director will partner across Operations, Research, and Digital/IT teams to identify operational improvements, implement digital capabilities, and enhance portfolio management practices that enable Product Delivery Teams to deliver programs efficiently and at scale. 

Key expectations: 

• Lead and develop a high-performing team including supporting development of key talent, serving as a mentor, and strengthening organizational capability in portfolio management, operational excellence, and digital enablement 

• Ensure full integration and alignment with functional leads and Product Delivery Teams across regions. 

• Enable effective program and portfolio execution by providing support to key stakeholders and Product Delivery Teams to effectively track integrated plans, key milestones, and insights in an aligned and transparent manner. 

• Drive resource planning and operational efficiency by advancing tools and identifying solutions to support scenario assessments of resource capacity across the portfolio  

• Establish scalable processes and tools that improve planning, forecasting, and visibility into team capacity 

• Advance and champion digital transformation and process improvement efforts by partnering with stakeholders in Process Development and Operations to Identify opportunities to improve ways of working and partnering to integrate solutions into business processes 

• Work in Planisware, MS Project, Excel, PowerPoint, SmartSheets, and MS Teams 

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Job Description 

HOW MIGHT YOU DEFY IMAGINATION? 

If you feel like you’re part of something bigger, it’s because you are.  At Amgen, our shared mission—to serve patients—drives all that we do. It is key to our becoming one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies. We are global collaborators who achieve together—researching, manufacturing, and delivering ever-better products that reach over 10 million patients worldwide. It’s time for a career you can be proud of.  Join us! 

WIN 

WHAT WE EXPECT OF YOU 

We are all different, yet we all use our unique contributions to serve patients. The professional we seek is a leader with these qualifications. 

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS 

• Doctorate degree & 4 years of project/portfolio management, engineering, and/or life sciences experience   

OR 

• Master’s degree & 8 years of project/portfolio management, engineering, and/or life sciences experience   

OR 

• Bachelor’s degree & 10 years of project/portfolio management, engineering, and/or life sciences experience   

AND 

• 4 years of managerial experience directly managing people and/or leadership experience leading teams, projects, programs or directing the allocation of resources 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS 

• Experience in Operations Drug Development (Process Development, Tech Operations, CMC, etc.) 

• Experience in project and portfolio management in the pharmaceutical, contract manufacturing or biotech industry 

• Strategic experience to support optimization of timelines and resources within budget  

• Technical understanding of biopharmaceutical and small molecule pharmaceutical product and process development, manufacturing, quality and supply chain 

• Strong knowledge and willingness to learn digital and planning tools. Ability to connect digital technology to impact Operations and Process Development core business processes. Experience with Planisware. 

• Experience driving process improvements through operations excellence and continuous improvement ways of thinking (i.e. six sigma, kaizen principles) 

• Thought leadership experience and the ability to build immediate credibility with the senior management team and the organization. This includes the facilitating of discussions and promoting collaboration across multiple parties; engaging in dialogue to reach a conclusion together, compromising as necessary for optimal results in alignment with the Amgen values and leadership attributes 

• Ability to work with the business to understand and address the underlying business needs 

• Ability to adopt a big picture view and craft compelling strategies 

• Excellent critical and analytical thinking with strong attention to detail 

• Ability to communicate complex technical topics to diverse audiences 

THRIVE 

Some of the vast rewards of working here  

As we work to develop treatments that take care of others, so we work to care for our teammates’ professional and personal growth and well-being. 

In addition to the base salary, Amgen offers a Total Rewards Plan comprising health and welfare plans for staff and eligible dependents, financial plans with opportunities to save towards retirement or other goals, work/life balance, and career development opportunities including: 

• Comprehensive employee benefits package, including a Retirement and Savings Plan with generous company contributions, group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts 

• A discretionary annual bonus program, or for field sales representatives, a sales-based incentive plan 

• Stock-based long-term incentives 

• Award-winning time-off plans and bi-annual company-wide shutdowns 

• Flexible work models, including remote work arrangements, where possible 

Apply now  

for a career that defies imagination  

In our quest to serve patients above all else, Amgen is the first to imagine, and the last to doubt. Join us. 

careers.amgen.com  

Amgen is an Equal Opportunity employer and will consider you without regard to your race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status.  

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to req