Flagship Pioneering | Cambridge, MA Vice President, Human Resources

Position Overview

Flagship Pioneering is a scientific innovation engine that invents and builds companies that change the world. We bring together the greatest scientific minds with entrepreneurial company builders and assemble the capital to allow them to take courageous leaps in human health, sustainability, and beyond.

What sets Flagship apart is our ability to advance biotechnology by uniting life science innovation, company creation, and capital investment under one roof in a way that is largely without precedent. Our team of scientists, entrepreneurial leaders, and professional capital managers are each aligned around an institutionalized process that enables us to innovate and create breakthroughs for the benefit of people and planet.

Many of the companies Flagship has founded have addressed humanity’s most urgent challenges: vaccinating billions of people against COVID-19, curing intractable diseases, improving human health, preempting illness, and feeding the world by improving the resiliency and sustainability of agriculture.

Flagship has been recognized twice on FORTUNE’s “Change the World” list, an annual ranking of companies that have made a positive social and environmental impact through activities that are part of their core business strategies, and has been named four times to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies.

The VP, HRBP for Flagship Labs will be a key driver of the people strategy for the origination team members across our Pioneering Business Units in Flagship Labs (approximately 110 individuals). This role will have a dual reporting relationship to HR, and COO, Flagship Labs. In this role, the VP, HRBP will build and sustain relationships with their client group and the broader enterprise. The VP HRBP will effectively shape the needs and opportunities in talent management and development, effective working models for pioneering and entrepreneuring, change management, compensation, work force planning, organization development and design for a matrixed environment of PBUs and companies, performance management, employee engagement, career ladders and competencies, and communications.

The VP, HRBP will collaborate with the other HR Leaders to diagnose needs, develop, and deliver solutions to support our organization that encompasses all phases of company creation from conception to growth. The person in this role should have strong business acumen with proven ability to understand and align business needs with HR solutions to move the business forward in a changing environment. The ideal candidate will effectively influence analysis, accountability, and decision‑making in many areas that impact our people.

The VP HRBP must have a demonstrated track record of effective coaching and strategic partnerships with senior leaders and their employees, proven leadership skills, an unusually strong ability to influence without direct authority, experience building teams of scientist entrepreneurs and organizational design. The VP, HRBP should be able to demonstrate interpersonal awareness to effectively build and sustain strong client partnerships at all levels with trust and credibility to influence individuals and teams. The successful candidate will have the ability to identify and develop talent in a high‑paced iterative and innovative culture and be effective in addressing change and transformation. Ability to analyze trends and use metrics to propose and develop solutions is also critical.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead a team of talented HRBP who support Flagship Labs companies


• Serve as a strategic thought partner, change agent, and implementation advisor; be familiar with the strategic plans of Flagship Labs to help Flagship Labs leadership and Pioneering Business Unit Leaders translate the business strategy and goals into HR related practices.


• Guide and support senior management and their employees in developing sustainable practices, and behaviors to drive Flagship’s pioneering and entrepreneurial culture and enhance employee engagement and development in Flagship mindsets, values and behaviors.


• Partner closely with Learning & Talent Development to develop and execute leadership development programs and processes that align with Flagship Lab’s goals and career paths for Flagship’s originators.


• Determine where to create unified and consistent programs and where to customize in partnership with other HR leaders. Influence and align senior business leaders in cases where there is disagreement on best path forward on items that go across Business Units.


• Coach and advise managers on the effectiveness of their teams, strategic business matters, talent topics and general HR issues.


• Help executives align manager and employee capabilities to the mid‑to‑long‑term business needs.


• Partner with the TA and Executive TA team, assisting with a variety of matters to include interviewing, onboarding, immigration, etc.


• Manage the day‑to‑day Human Resources needs of the PBU Leaders and their teams including acting as a point of contact for people tools, processes and programs.


• Act as stewards of the employee experience and Flagship’s culture.


• In collaboration with Talent Development, design and deliver Manager Capability initiatives to further drive collective education and manager effectiveness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 15‑20+ years experience in the HR field or


• Master's Degree and 10‑15+ years of progressive HR experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in a highly matrixed, innovative and fast paced environment


• Organizational effectiveness experience


• Proven experience coaching and counseling all levels of staff on a wide variety of issues, and a thorough understanding of performance management systems


• Exceptional networking and relationship building acumen with a drive and exceptional ability to influence without authority and challenge senior leaders to create support for the best outcome across different perspectives


• Ability to translate business vision and strategy into an executable people agenda


• Ability to successfully communicate to a diverse audience


• Strengths in working in a highly matrixed environment, strong collaboration and influencing skills


• Employee relations experience managing complex workplace matters


• Exceptional judgement and passion


• HR leadership experience

Additional Qualifications

• Knowledge of and ability to apply OD concepts and models, such as team effectiveness, change management, communication styles, facilitation, and leadership development.


• Highly skilled in facilitating meetings and creating and delivering presentations to a variety of in‑person and remote audiences.


• Demonstrated business acumen and a working knowledge of multiple HR disciplines.


• Analytical and problem‑solving skills including the ability to diagnose root causes.


• Ability to work in a time sensitive and confidential environment, balancing multiple priorities simultaneously.


• Strong problem‑solving and conflict resolution skills.


• Computer skills in MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word), SharePoint, and HRIS (UKG).
  

Flagship Pioneering and our ecosystem companies are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.

At Flagship, we recognize there is no perfect candidate. If you have some of the experience listed above but not all, please apply anyway. Experience comes in many forms, skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way. We are dedicated to building diverse and inclusive teams and look forward to learning more about your unique background.

The salary range for this role is $270,000 - $320,000. Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. Flagship Pioneering currently offers healthcare coverage, annual incentive program, retirement benefits and a broad range of other benefits. Compensation and benefits information is based on Flagship Pioneering's good faith estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future.