At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead GSK's UK Commercial strategy and operations, driving innovation and performance.
- Company: Join a global biopharma leader committed to health and innovation.
- Benefits: Flexible working culture, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Be part of a mission to impact 2.5 billion lives by 2030.
- 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 100000 - 150000 € 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 and 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
You will lead the UK Commercial organisation in the following areas of focus:
- Driving digital transformation, including AI acceleration to enhance effectiveness and 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 and 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, colour, 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.
We believe in an agile working culture for all our roles. If flexibility is important to you, we encourage you to explore with our hiring team what the opportunities are.
Senior Director, Business Strategy and Operations in London employer: Gsk
GSK is an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of innovation and high performance, making it an ideal place for professionals eager to lead and drive change in the pharmaceutical industry. With a commitment to employee growth, GSK offers numerous opportunities for development and collaboration within a diverse team, all while working towards a mission that positively impacts global health. Located in the UK, employees benefit from a flexible working environment that prioritises work-life balance and inclusivity, ensuring that everyone can thrive in their roles.
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 your connections in the industry, especially those at GSK. A friendly chat can open doors and give you insider info about the company culture and what they’re really looking for.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by diving deep into GSK’s mission and values. Show us how your experience aligns with their goals, especially around digital transformation and high-performance culture. Tailor your examples to highlight your leadership skills!
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t just wait for job postings—be proactive! Visit our website regularly and apply directly. Sometimes, the best opportunities come from being the first to express interest.
✨Tip Number 4
Follow up after interviews! A quick thank-you email can set you apart and show your enthusiasm for the role. Mention something specific from your conversation to remind them of your fit for the team.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Director, Business Strategy and Operations in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion:When you're writing your application, let your enthusiasm for the role shine through! We want to see how excited you are about leading teams and driving innovation at GSK. Make sure to connect your passion with our mission and vision.
Tailor Your Experience:Don’t just send a generic application! Take the time to highlight your relevant experience in commercial strategy and operations. We’re looking for specific examples that demonstrate your ability to drive performance and lead teams effectively.
Be Data-Driven:Since this role is all about data-driven insights, make sure to showcase your analytical skills. Include any experience you have with platforms like PowerBI or IQVIA, and explain how you've used data to inform decisions in your previous roles.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets the attention it deserves. Plus, you’ll find all the details you need about the role and our company culture there!
How to prepare for a job interview at Gsk
✨Know Your Stuff
Before the interview, dive deep into GSK’s mission, vision, and recent developments in the pharmaceutical industry. Familiarise yourself with their digital transformation initiatives and how AI is being integrated into operations. This will show your genuine interest and help you connect your experience to their goals.
✨Showcase Leadership Skills
As a Senior Director, you'll need to demonstrate your ability to lead diverse teams and drive performance. Prepare examples of how you've successfully led teams through change or innovation, particularly in commercial settings. Highlight your strategic thinking and how you've influenced senior stakeholders in previous roles.
✨Data-Driven Mindset
GSK values a data-driven approach, so be ready to discuss how you've used data analytics to inform decisions and drive business outcomes. Bring specific examples of tools you've used, like PowerBI or Azure, and how they contributed to operational excellence in your past roles.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Prepare thoughtful questions that reflect your understanding of GSK's challenges and opportunities. Inquire about their current strategies for enhancing Sales Force Effectiveness or how they envision the future of digital transformation within the organisation. This not only shows your interest but also positions you as a strategic thinker.
