Director, Strategic Initiatives

Kyowa Kirin is a global specialty pharmaceutical company backed by more than 70 years of breakthrough life science innovation, dedicated to discovering and advancing treatments for diseases in which unmet need is greatest. Based in Japan with worldwide operations, we work across the continuum from drug discovery to commercialization, guided by our commitment to patients and their families.

Our research teams, located in California and around the world, are focused on developing the next generation of antibody, cell, and gene therapies, with particular emphasis on bone and mineral disorders, hemato-oncology, and rare diseases. We accelerate development through collaborations with industry, academia, patients, and healthcare providers, and since 2018 we have introduced four new therapies serving patients with progressive illnesses often in need of new therapeutic alternatives.

Summary of Job:

The Director of Strategic Initiatives will be responsible for driving the development, planning, and execution of strategic initiatives in North America. Reporting to the Senior Director, Strategic Planning, this position will lead cross-functional teams in the successful implementation of these initiatives, monitor their progress, and evaluate their impact to ensure alignment with the company’s broader strategic goals.

Essential Functions:

Collaborate closely with strategy team and/or senior leadership to execute strategic initiatives related to North America strategy, including:

Analyze long-range plans, forecasts, business performance, and external developments to identify strategic implications, risks, opportunities, capability needs, and potential investment or resource-allocation choices.

Translate strategic planning outputs into clear, actionable recommendations for North America leadership.

Lead or support business-critical strategic initiatives, including ongoing or emerging enterprise priorities identified by leadership.

Develop executive-level views of business performance and strategic initiative progress, highlighting key risks, opportunities, trends, and decisions requiring leadership attention.

Support North America’s strategic assessment of business development and portfolio opportunities, including strategic fit, organizational capabilities, potential synergies, potential integration considerations, and support ongoing portfolio prioritization.

Subordinates:
Individual Contributor

Job Requirements:

Education Bachelor’s Degree required. MBA or equivalent advanced degree preferred

Experience7+ years’ experience leading cross-functional teams with diverse experience. 7+ years of experience in marketing leadership, sales leadership or operations leadership roles within the pharma/biotech market. Rare Disease and Oncology experience preferred but not required. Knowledge of best practices, business processes, financial management, and commercial systems across the pharmaceutical industry. Insightful understanding of regulatory and legal requirements for pharmaceutical marketing. Proven track record of building, leading, and driving business process transformation in organizational effectiveness.

Demonstrated ability to seek diverse input from multiple stakeholders to make highly complex decisions and drive innovative solutions. Project Management experience preferred.

Technical Skills Proficient in MS Office Suite, leverages AI effectively, and Veeva/Salesforce CRM Systems.

Non-Technical Skills Demonstrated ability to organize, prioritize, meet deadlines, make decisions, and change course of action quickly. Strong interpersonal and communication skills. A strong work ethic is required. Detail-oriented and excellent follow through. Has the ability to flex and deal with ambiguity in a dynamic,…