Head of Business Operations

Head of Business Operations & People

Build the operational backbone, people environment and digital capabilities that enable LYO-X to grow without unnecessary complexity.

The opportunity

We are looking for a Head of Business Operations & People to take ownership of LYO-X's non-scientific operating platform and to help shape the next stage of our development. Reporting directly to the Managing Director / Vice President, you will combine strategic responsibility with hands‑on execution across people, finance coordination, business systems, administration, customer contracting and selected corporate communications. This is not a narrowly defined corporate function.

It is a broad leadership role for a structured thinker who can understand the whole business, translate growth needs into a practical operating model and personally ensure that critical work gets done. You will act as a trusted partner to leadership while creating clear, proportionate and scalable processes for a company of approximately 20 employees.

YOUR MANDATEKeep LYO-X lean while making it more scalable: simplify the work, automate what makes sense, strengthen the employee experience and give leadership reliable operational visibility.

Key responsibilities

In this role you will

Own:operating model, people environment, business systems/process improvement, management visibility and prioritization.

Coordinate:accountant/payroll/legal/IT providers, contracting, HR administration.

Support/oversee:office logistics, selected communications, conferences and routine administration.

Strategy and operating model

• Act as a strategic and operational partner to the Managing Director / Vice President and contribute to company‑wide planning and prioritisation.
• Translate LYO‑X's growth objectives into a practical roadmap for people, processes, systems, capabilities and external support.
• Design and continuously improve a lean operating model that can scale with the business without introducing unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Establish meaningful operational indicators and management information so that priorities, capacity, risks and open decisions are visible.
• Anticipate operational requirements arising from growth, international clients and the evolving expectations of the pharmaceutical industry.

Process excellence, automation and AI‑enabled operations

• Map, challenge and streamline end‑to‑end processes across HR, finance administration, lead and customer management, contracting, document management and internal coordination.
• Identify repetitive work, hand‑off problems, duplicate data and avoidable administrative effort, then implement proportionate solutions.
• Own the evaluation, selection, configuration, integration and administration of modern business applications, including accounting, expense, CRM and lead‑management, HR, recruitment, document‑management, electronic‑signature and collaboration tools.
• Develop a pragmatic approach to AI‑enabled tools and automation, prioritising use cases that create measurable value rather than adopting technology for its own sake.
• Apply AI where appropriate to support activities such as document preparation and review, workflow coordination, knowledge retrieval, reporting, data quality and routine communications, while preserving human accountability.
• Establish proportionate safeguards for confidentiality, customer information, personal data, information security, access rights, supplier assessment and human review of AI‑assisted outputs.
• Lead implementation and adoption: configure workflows, document standards, train users, monitor effectiveness and adjust solutions based on evidence and feedback.
• Coordinate external IT or specialist providers when requirements extend beyond the role's own expertise; software development and infrastructure engineering are not expected.

People and organisation

• Act as LYO‑X's senior people and HR lead, with operational responsibility for the employee lifecycle.
• Support workforce planning and manage recruitment, selection, offers, onboarding and offboarding in close collaboration with leadership and the scientific team.
• Coordinate employment administration, payroll, social insurance, work permits,…