Director, Business Strategy and Operations, Pipeline and Project Management (PPM) & Data Science (EDGE)

If you are a current Jazz employee please apply via the Internal Career site

Jazz Pharmaceuticals is a global biopharma company whose purpose is to innovate to transform the lives of patients and their families. We are dedicated to developing life-changing medicines for people with serious diseases — often with limited or no therapeutic options. We have a diverse portfolio of marketed medicines, including leading therapies for sleep disorders and epilepsy, and a growing portfolio of cancer treatments. Our patient-focused and science-driven approach powers pioneering research and development advancements across our robust pipeline of innovative therapeutics in oncology and neuroscience. Jazz is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland with research and development laboratories, manufacturing facilities and employees in multiple countries committed to serving patients worldwide. Please visit for more information.

Job Description

Brief Description:

The Director, Business Strategy & Operations (BS&O) – PPM & Data Science serves as the strategic business partner and Chief of Staff supporting two vital R&D organizations: Pipeline & Project Management (PPM) and Evidence and Value Generation, Data Science and Enterprise R&D Advanced Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (EDGE). 

Reporting directly to the Head of R&D Business Strategy and Operations, you will operate as an executive partner and trusted advisor to the functional heads and Leadership Teams of PPM and Data Science. In this dual-function role, you will architect operational rhythms, lead multi-year workforce and resource planning, oversee departmental financial stewardship, steer organizational communications, and drive cross-functional operational transformations that accelerate pipeline delivery and digital/AI innovation across Jazz R&D. 

Essential Functions

1. Chief of Staff & Leadership Cadence 

• Serve as trusted advisor, operational sounding board, and Chief of Staff to the Heads of PPM and Data Science (EDGE) and their respective leadership teams. 

• Architect and facilitate the executive operating rhythm across both functions, including leadership team meetings, quarterly business reviews (QBRs), strategy sessions, and annual offsites; establish strategic agendas, drive decision-making, resolve operational bottlenecks, and track executive execution. 

• Partner with the R&D Chief of Staff, functional leadership, and Project Management to develop high-stakes executive briefings, board-level decks, and strategic narratives for Executive Committee Reviews, Board of Directors Meetings, and R&D Leadership Forums. 

• Represent PPM and EDGE on key enterprise R&D operational committees, governance bodies, and cross-functional forums to align functional operations with corporate portfolio priorities. 

2. Workforce Planning & Resource Oversight 

• Partner with HR, Resource Management, and R&D Finance to lead comprehensive, multi-year workforce planning and capacity modeling across PPM and Data Science, ensuring appropriate resource allocation across pipeline assets, computational platforms, and enterprise AI initiatives. 

• Serve as functional Lead Data Steward for named allocation tools and timecard compliance, ensuring resource and staffing data across both organizations is maintained with high fidelity and integrity. 

• Lead algorithm demand modeling in partnership with Resource Management: guide collaboration between functional Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and Resource Management to ensure model parameters, productivity assumptions, and project drivers are submitted accurately and translated into actionable workforce intelligence. 

• Leverage capacity analytics and named allocation insights to justify, defend, and secure functional headcount and contractor resourcing during annual budget cycles and Long-Range Planning (LRP). 

3. Financial Cadence & Budget Stewardship 

• Oversee and manage the combined annual functional operating budgets for PPM and Data Science in close partnership with R&D Finance and functional budget owners (encompassing OpEx, external consulting, data vendor licenses, SaaS software platforms, and headcount). 

• Drive the financial operating cadence across monthly accruals, quarterly forecasting, variance reporting, and annual budget builds. 

4. Business Due Diligence & Functional Integration 

• Serve as the functional operations lead on business development (BD), licensing, platform acquisitions, and M&A evaluations, assessing operational viability, analytical/computational synergy, governance requirements, and resourcing impacts across PPM and Data Science. 

• Lead post-transaction functional integrations for acquired assets, strategic partnerships, or external data/AI platforms, ensuring seamless operational onboarding, governance alignment, and process continuity. 

5. Goal-Setting Cadence & Performance Tracking 

• Direct the annual and long-term goal-setting operating rhythm (OKRs/KPIs) for PPM and Data Science, cascading enterprise R&D priorities into clear, measurable functional targets. 

• Establish and maintain operational scorecards and executive dashboards to monitor pipeline health, project delivery milestones, analytics platform adoption, and organizational velocity. 

• Partner with the R&D Chief of Staff office to report quarterly progress, milestones, performance metrics, and mitigation strategies to R&D executive leadership. 

6. Communications Cadence & Organizational Culture 

• Partner with Corporate and R&D Communications to design and execute a comprehensive internal communications strategy across PPM and Data Science. 

• Establish a predictable communications cadence, including regular functional Town Halls, All-Hands forums, digital innovation showcases, and executive announcements. 

• Foster a cohesive, forward-looking organizational culture that bridges project management rigor with data science and AI innovation, reinforcing transparency, accountability, and collaboration. 

7. Process Improvement & Operational Excellence 

• Lead and implement targeted process improvement and operational excellence initiatives that streamline workflows, simplify administrative overhead, and improve pipeline delivery velocity. 

• Champion digital transformation and modern operational frameworks, including AI-assisted ways of working. 

• Apply structured change management principles to ensure sustainable adoption of modernized operational processes and standards across global teams. 

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Key Competencies

• Executive Presence & Influence: Skilled at navigating organizational complexity, building consensus, and influencing without direct authority. 

• Operational & Analytical Acumen: Adept at translating clinical pipeline demands into rigorous capacity models, budgets, and actionable operational plans. 

• Strategic Problem-Solving: Ability to drive root-cause problem solving and lead impactful continuous improvement initiatives. 

• Communication & Collaboration: Exceptional verbal, written, and presentation skills; experienced in partnering with Communications to engage large, dispersed organizations.

Experience

• Extensive progressive experience in the biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, or life sciences industry, with substantive exposure to drug development, portfolio/project management, data science/informatics, or R&D business operations. 
• Experience operating in a strategic business operations, Chief of Staff, or PMO leadership capacity partnering directly with executive leaders (VP/SVP level). 
• Direct experience leading workforce planning, capacity modeling oversight, named resource allocations, and timecard compliance. 
• Demonstrated track record managing departmental budgets, financial forecasting, and variance tracking in collaboration with Finance. 
• Experience participating in business development due diligence and leading post-deal functional integrations or external platform onboardings.

• Executive Presence & Strategic Partnership: High emotional intelligence with a proven ability to advise and influence senior functional executives (VP/SVP level) across diverse technical, analytical, and operational disciplines.  

• High-Stakes Communication: Exceptional ability to synthesize complex project management narratives, data science strategies, and operational data into polished, compelling executive- and board-level presentations.  

• Operational & Analytical Acumen: Strong capability to interpret complex resource models, algorithm demand outputs, and financial analyses to formulate actionable business strategies.  

• Financial & Resource Stewardship: Demonstrated financial acumen managing multi-million-dollar functional operating budgets (OpEx, vendor contracts, software licensing) and multi-year workforce plans.  

• Cross-Functional Orchestration: Proven track record in orchestrating multi-faceted initiatives across matrixed global teams, balancing competing priorities across distinct functional domains.  

• Continuous Improvement & Innovation: Deep experience in process optimization, change management frameworks, and the practical application of digital and AI tools to enhance operational efficiency.

Required/Preferred Education and Licenses

• Bachelor’s degree in a Life Sciences discipline (Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacology, Neurobiology, Oncology, etc.) or related business/scientific field required. 

• Advanced degree (MS, PhD, or MBA) strongly preferred.
• Lean Six Sigma, Agile, or Project Management (PMP) certification is a plus. 

#LI-SM1

#LI-remote

Jazz Pharmaceuticals is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.

FOR US BASED CANDIDATES ONLY



 

Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices and we strive to provide employees with total compensation packages that are market competitive. For this role, the full and complete base pay range is:

Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, and other pertinent factors. The goal is to ensure fair and competitive compensation aligned with the candidate's expertise and contributions, within the established pay framework and our Total Compensation philosophy. Internal equity considerations will also influence individual base pay decisions. This range will be reviewed on a regular basis.

At Jazz, your base pay is only one part of your total compensation package. The successful candidate may also be eligible for a discretionary annual cash bonus or incentive compensation (depending on the role), in accordance with the terms of the Company's Global Cash Bonus Plan or Incentive Compensation Plan, as well as discretionary equity grants in accordance with Jazz’s Long Term Equity Incentive Plan. 

The successful candidate will also be eligible to participate in various benefits offerings, including, but not limited to, medical, dental and vision insurance, 401k retirement savings plan, and flexible paid vacation. For more information on our Benefits offerings please click here: