At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead GSK's UK Commercial strategy and operations, driving innovation and performance.
- Company: Join a global biopharma leader committed to improving health for billions.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career growth, and a culture that values your impact.
- Other info: Be part of a mission to unite science and technology for better health.
- Why this job: Shape the future of healthcare while empowering teams to excel.
- Qualifications: Senior experience in pharma, strong leadership, and data-driven mindset required.
The predicted salary is between 75000 - 100000 € per year.
Are you excited by the opportunity to operate at the heart of GSK’s UK Commercial organisation? Are you passionate about leading people, driving innovation, and embedding a high‑performance culture? As Senior Director, Business Strategy & Operations for UK Commercial you will play a critical, highly visible role in shaping the future of GSK UK. You will lead a diverse, high‑impact organisation across performance, strategy, insights, capabilities, and operations, with accountability for driving excellence and delivering against our ambitions for growth & delivering our exciting new launches.
You will be driving digital transformation, including AI acceleration to unlock enhanced impact and efficiencies across the organisation in line with core operations and processes. This role partners directly with the UK Commercial General Manager and UKLT. You will help steer the UK business through data‑driven insights, operational excellence, and strategic clarity—ensuring the organisation is aligned, performing, and accelerating delivery against our objectives.
Our Mission & Vision
Mission: To unleash excellence and drive growth across the UK organisation—elevating performance, accelerating strategic progress, and enabling teams to operate at their very best.
Vision: To be proactive performance enhancers—constantly hunting opportunities to make the boat go faster. We unlock insights, modernise operations, build capability, and create the conditions for high‑performance teams to win.
Core Areas of Leadership & Focus
- Driving digital transformation, including AI acceleration to enhance effectiveness & efficiencies across all core areas of focus
- Enhancing our infield competitiveness through all aspects of Sales Force Effectiveness (SFE) and Sales Force Incentives (SFI) including maximising effectiveness in our high impact channels such as HCP Meetings
- Supporting customer‑facing teams with core platforms and processes (Veeva, NBA, etc.) whilst innovating to ensure future fitness
- Driving enterprise‑wide capability uplift across commercial, analytical and execution excellence
- Embedding global data, analytics, and market research into UK strategic and operational needs
- Driving a data‑driven mindset and enabling predictive, diagnostic, and AI‑enhanced insight generation
- Leading the UK Performance Management Process, ensuring a strong, transparent performance culture
- Ownership of the UK Commercial Governance Framework
- Ensuring safe, compliant, and high‑quality commercial operations
Chief of Staff to the UK Leadership Team
You will act as a strategic integrator and orchestrator for the UKLT.
- Strategic thought partnering for the UK GM and UKLT to identify organisational wide opportunities to enhance UK performance
- Coordinate monthly UKLT meetings, setting agendas and facilitating effective discussion
- Lead Monthly Performance Review (MPR) preparations with Region
- Partner across the UKLT to ensure decisions are followed through to impact
- Lead preparation for senior leader country visits, working closely with global/regional Chiefs of Staff
- Driving continuous improvement in operating rhythms, routines, and performance discussions
This component requires exceptional organisational influence, strategic intuition, and an ability to create clarity and alignment across senior stakeholders.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree
- Senior commercial experience within the pharmaceutical industry
- Demonstrated success leading commercial or operational teams
- Proven ability to build strong relationships with senior stakeholders
- Experience working cross‑functionally
- Experience in omnichannel and digital transformation
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills
- Demonstrated problem‑solving capability
- Strong data acumen and proficiency with platforms (IQVIA, PowerBI, Azure)
- Experience with transformation & change management
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience across local, regional, and/or global pharmaceutical roles
- Global/Regional exposure
- MBA or equivalent strategic/leadership qualification
Overall Impact
This role is a unique opportunity to shape the performance, strategy, and operating rhythm of one of GSK’s most important markets. You will build the conditions for organisational success—strengthening insights, capabilities, operations, governance, and strategic clarity—while empowering teams to deliver excellence and growth.
Why GSK?
Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade, as a successful, growing company where people can thrive. We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with innovation in specialty medicines and vaccines. We focus on four therapeutic areas: respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV; and infectious diseases – to impact health at scale. People and patients around the world count on the medicines and vaccines we make, so we’re committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive and focus on what matters most. Our culture of being ambitious for patients, accountable for impact and doing the right thing is the foundation for how, together, we deliver for patients, shareholders and our people.
GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), military service or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law.
Senior Director, Business Strategy and Operations in London employer: GlaxoSmithKline
GSK is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment in the heart of London where innovation and high performance are at the forefront. Employees benefit from a culture that prioritises personal growth, collaboration, and accountability, alongside opportunities to lead transformative projects in the biopharma sector. With a commitment to positively impacting global health, GSK empowers its teams to thrive while driving meaningful change in the industry.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Director, Business Strategy and Operations in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to connections in the industry, especially those at GSK. A friendly chat can open doors and give you insider info that could set you apart.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by diving deep into GSK’s mission and values. Show us how your experience aligns with our goals, especially around digital transformation and operational excellence.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your storytelling skills! We love hearing about your past successes and how you've driven change. Make sure to highlight your data-driven mindset and leadership experiences.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining our team at GSK.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Director, Business Strategy and Operations in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Senior Director role. Highlight your experience in leading teams, driving digital transformation, and your strategic insights that align with GSK's mission and vision.
Showcase Your Achievements:Don’t just list your responsibilities; focus on your achievements! Use metrics and examples to demonstrate how you've driven growth and operational excellence in previous roles. This will help us see the impact you can bring to GSK.
Be Authentic:Let your personality shine through in your application. We want to know who you are beyond your professional experience. Share your passion for innovation and how you embody a high-performance culture in your work.
Apply Through Our Website:For the best chance of success, make sure to apply directly through our website. This ensures your application is seen by the right people and helps us streamline the process. We can't wait to hear from you!
How to prepare for a job interview at GlaxoSmithKline
✨Know Your Stuff
Before the interview, dive deep into GSK's mission and vision. Understand their focus on digital transformation and how it relates to the role. Be ready to discuss how your experience aligns with their goals, especially in driving performance and operational excellence.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Senior Director, you'll need to demonstrate strong leadership capabilities. Prepare examples of how you've successfully led teams through change, particularly in commercial or operational settings. Highlight your ability to build relationships with senior stakeholders and drive a high-performance culture.
✨Be Data-Driven
GSK values a data-driven mindset, so come prepared with insights from your previous roles. Discuss how you've used data analytics to inform strategic decisions and improve operations. Familiarise yourself with platforms like PowerBI and IQVIA, as they may come up during the conversation.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Interviews are a two-way street! Prepare thoughtful questions that show your interest in GSK's future direction, especially regarding AI acceleration and digital transformation. This not only demonstrates your enthusiasm but also helps you gauge if the company aligns with your career aspirations.
