The Head of R&D China will drive the transformation and evolution of our innovation footprint within the country.
Responsibilities*
Single Point of Accountability
- Serve as the primary accountable leader for all R&D activities at the Nansha site, for the Automatization Center of Excellence (CoE) and for external partnerships
- Ensure clear ownership and decision-making authority across the chemical and Bioconjugation delivery domains.
Leadership & Alignment
- Provide R&D leadership at the site level and represent the site at the global R&D Leadership Team (LT) level.
- Ensure alignment of site activities and of R&D pipeline and strategy with global R&D strategy.
End-to-End Pipeline Ownership
- Take entrepreneurial ownership of the local Chemical/Bioconjugation pipeline from strategy definition to execution.
- Manage pipeline prioritization, governance milestones, resource allocation, and short- to long-term planning.
- Interface with key internal and external stakeholders to ensure timely delivery and strategic impact.
Functional Line Leadership
- Lead and develop the Nansha site R&D team and Automation hub, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and accountability.
- Establish strong talent and key opinion leaders network through external partnerships.
- Ensure organizational capability building, succession planning, and talent development.
Scientific Leadership
- Drive strategic customer interactions, establish partnering models, and represent the organization in scientific forums.
- Influence industry trends and maintain leadership in the field through publications, conferences, and collaborations.
Innovation & Service Creation
- Develop new local services, including digital solutions, in collaboration with Marketing and Commercial Development.
- Identify opportunities for differentiation and value creation through advanced technologies and data-driven approaches.
Stakeholder Engagement
- Build strong relationships with global R&D leadership, commercial teams, operations, and enabling functions.
- Act as a key interface between site operations and global strategy to ensure seamless integration and execution.
Qualifications
- Education/Degree：Ph.D. in Science, an equivalent professional qualification or occupational experience
- Field of Study: Chemistry, biology, biochemical engineering, biochemistry or equivalent
- Minimum of 10 years’ relevant experience in a pharmaceutical /CDMO setting
Required Skills & Competencies
Technical & Scientific Expertise
- Strong knowledge of pharmaceutical development, in particular synthetic chemistry and bioconjugation.
- Strong understanding of R&D processes, pipeline management, and governance frameworks.
- Familiarity with automation, digital innovation, data science and modeling applications in R&D.
Leadership & Management
- Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and manage organizational transformation.
- Experience in functional line leadership, including talent development and succession planning.
- Strong strategic thinking and ability to align site-level activities with global objectives.
Business & Entrepreneurial Acumen
- Capability to take end-to-end ownership of the local Chemical and Bioconjugation innovation pipeline, including resource prioritization and financial oversight.
- Skilled in short- and long-term planning, risk management, and decision-making under uncertainty.
- Ability to create new services and business models, including digital offerings, in collaboration with commercial teams.
Stakeholder Management & Collaboration
- Excellent skills in building partnerships internally and externally (customers, academic institutions, technology providers).
- Ability to influence and engage at executive and scientific forums, driving thought leadership.
- Strong communication and negotiation skills for cross-functional alignment.
- Confidently prepares high-quality technical analyses and reports for internal or external use
Innovation & Change Leadership
- Track record of driving innovation and embedding enabling functions (automation, data science) into R&D.
- Ability to lead organizational change and foster a culture of agility and continuous improvement.