VP Head of Governance Operations

Job Description

The VP, Head of Governance Operations is a high-visibility, dual-hatted role designed for an exceptional leader with a unique blend of corporate governance expertise, operations, change management experience and executive leadership acumen. Operating within a large, globally matrixed organization, this role serves as the strategic engine behind the executive leadership operating committees and decision-making bodies. The successful candidate will oversee the operations, decisions and thematic flow of operating committees, serve as a trusted advisor to the Takeda Executive Team (TET), and lead a distributed team to ensure flawless execution of enterprise strategy and operations.

Office of the CEO Operations Staff Oversight:

• Support and oversee the team managing the day-to-day operations of the executive office.

Governing Body Management & Corporate Governance

• Committee Oversight:
  Manage end-to-end operational, content, decision matrixes and strategic alignment frameworks for the Business & Sustainability Committee (BSC) and the Portfolio Review Committee (PRC). Help implement more efficient and effective processes across Takeda committees and forums that lead to TET-level operating committees.
• Decision-Making Model:
  Facilitate strong adherence to Takeda’s decision making model (DAI) to ensure informed, data driven decisions of a high performing leadership team and organization.
• Agenda & Material Excellence:
  Orchestrate high-impact agendas, ensure forward-looking planning, and enforce rigorous quality standards for all executive-level materials and presentations.
• Minutes & Accountability:
  Oversee the capture of precise corporate minutes, track action items, and ensure flawless follow-through on mandates issued by the BSC and PRC.
• Team Ambassadorship:
  Represent the Corporate Governance function across the enterprise, championing governance best practices and institutional compliance.

Board Operations Partnership

• Strategic Interface:
  Align closely and seamlessly with the Head of Board Operations to ensure a clean, transparent interface between executive management committees and the supervisory Board of Directors.
• Information Flow:
  Facilitate the smooth, compliant, and timely flow of information from management bodies upward to the Board, ensuring complete continuity of governance

Global Leadership & People Management

• Direct Leadership:
  Manage, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of 5 direct reports (senior managers/individual contributors).
• Global Org Oversight:
  Provide ultimate leadership, performance tracking, and strategic direction to a total organization of 15 professionals distributed globally across multiple time zones and regions.
• Cultural Stewardship:
  Foster an inclusive, high-performance culture that bridges regional execution with the core values and long-term vision of a Japanese-headquartered multinational corporation

Education, Knowledge, or experience required

• Advanced Degree, master's degree, MBA, or equivalent a related field such as a Ph.D., is preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive experience in corporate governance, operations, change management, executive management, or Chief of Staff roles.
• Industry Context:
  Proven record of accomplishment within a large, highly regulated global pharmaceutical enterprise or an equivalent multi-billion-dollar multinational corporation.
• Demonstrated ability to drive efficient decision making, influence, guide, and command the respect of top‑tier executive leadership and global matrix stakeholders.
• Profound experience managing cross‑functional, globally distributed teams across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
• Strong adaptability and awareness of Japanese corporate culture and decision‑making frameworks balanced with global market agility.
• Comprehensive understanding of enterprise risk frameworks, corporate sustainability metrics, and clinical/R&D portfolio governance.
• Communication Mastery:
  Superb written and verbal communication skills, with an elite ability to simplify hyper‑complex scientific, financial, and legal material for executive consumption.

Takeda Compensation and Benefits Summary

We understand compensation is an important factor as…