This position is responsible for facilitating strategic planning and execution within an R&D therapeutic area. Provides individual leadership and consultation for complex transformational business programs in close collaboration with the therapeutic area head and the respective leadership team.  Directly supports therapeutic area head with development, communication and execution of strategic business programs and executive projects to advance the business. Communicate/present key information to senior leadership within area of responsibility.

Responsible for the identification, planning and implementation of activities and projects aligned with and enable the achievement of departmental strategies, goals, and objectives across multiple sites. Primarily accountable to ensure therapeutic area operates within the current financial plan/update budget including headcount. Strategically project and manage financial plan/update budget and headcount across the therapeutic area in collaboration with the organizational leader, department and R&D finance utilizing knowledge of current and future business environment. Globally influences and strategically manages linkages across the businesses and understands the impact of business decisions and solutions.

Major Responsibilities:

• Facilitates the creation of the Business Strategy through a futuristic perspective, and defines the mission, strategic imperatives, and goals in partnership with the respective R&D leadership team.  Manages the execution and measurement of the strategy. 
• Provide forward looking portfolio and resource analyses. Accountable for short- and long-term forecasting of financial and headcount resource needs in various scenarios.  Partner with therapeutic area head in the financial planning process for future initiatives and projects, forecasting and roll-up.  Facilitate discussions with therapeutic area head for Long Range Plan, yearly budget cycles and monthly forecasting updates based on latest best estimate.
• Provide leadership and develop strategic recommendations to departments to ensure area operates within the current financial plan/update budget.
• Analyzes and identifies budget favorability/ unfavourability and provides recommendations for strategy with a Discovery-wide perspective.
• Partner with TA VPs to financially plan upcoming initiatives and projects.  Partners with R&D finance to address all questions and requests.
• Adheres to all corporate financial guidelines, ethics and compliance standards.  Leads cross departmental and cross-functional efforts to achieve functional strategies and goals.
• Effectively frames complex issues for decision-makers and peers. Prepares and delivers effective management presentations to R&D leadership team. Draws upon personal knowledge of business processes, global regulations, organizational improvement methods, and communication mechanisms to propose and design innovative organizational improvements.
• Coordinate and lead strategic analyses and exercises Discovery-wide and for the therapeutic area head.  Investigates pain points and proposes solutions for implementation.  Helps to define the problem, assemble the team, perform the necessary strategic analysis, and recommend actions to the senior leaders.
• Acts with demonstrated ability to analyze complex change management issues and opportunities, foster innovation and the development of creative mechanisms for solving business issues, and plan/oversee effective implementation of projects and/or initiatives.