Executive Assistant - Clinical Development Operations in London

About Ipsen: Ipsen is a mid-sized global biopharmaceutical company with a focus on transformative medicines in three therapeutic areas: Oncology, Rare Disease and Neuroscience. Supported by nearly 100 years of development experience, with global hubs in the U.S., France and the U.K, we tackle areas of high unmet medical need through research and innovation. Our passionate teams in more than 40 countries are focused on what matters and endeavour every day to bring medicines to patients in 88 countries. We build a workplace that champions human-centric leadership and fosters a culture of collaboration, excellence and impact. At Ipsen, every individual is empowered to be their true selves, grow and thrive alongside the company’s success. Join us on our journey towards sustainable growth, creating real impact on patients and society!

Job Description:

WHAT - Summary & Purpose of the Position

The Executive Assistant to the Senior Vice President, Clinical Development Operations (CDO), serves as a highly trusted partner and integral member of the CDO leadership ecosystem. The role provides proactive, high-impact administrative, operational, and coordination support, enabling the SVP to effectively lead a complex, global organization.

In addition to traditional administrative duties this role supports in anticipating, planning and executing assigned CDO activities e.g., shaping communications, driving CDO Townhalls/F2F meetings etc. The Executive Assistant seamlessly manages day to day administrative duties, anticipates needs, and drives operational excellence.

This position reports and provides support to the SVP, Clinical Development Operations, however will also support other CDO LT members as assigned.

This role will support the management of administrative needs of their assigned team(s), including but not limited to: Diary, Travel and Expense, administrative/financial coordination of contractors or consultants, inputs into global processes such as resource tracking, financial planning etc.

WHAT - Main Responsibilities & Technical Competencies

• Executive Support & Prioritization
  • Serve as the primary interface for the SVP CDO, managing a complex calendar across multiple time zones, ensuring optimal prioritization of strategic commitments.
  • Proactively anticipate scheduling conflicts, competing priorities, and preparation needs, ensuring the SVP is effectively positioned for all engagements.
  • Act as a gatekeeper and facilitator, managing requests with a strong understanding of business priorities and organizational dynamics.
  • Ensuring good meeting logistics e.g. rooms, attendees (including external guests), agendas etc.
• Operational Excellence & Process Management
  • Manage key administrative processes (e.g., travel planning, expenses etc.) with precision and attention to detail.
  • To coordinate the registration of attendance at external conferences, seminars, and training courses etc.
  • Drive efficient ways of working for the SVP office, implementing best practices in organization, documentation, and communication.
  • As requested, support the Heads of Functions with hiring and onboarding of new contractors.
  • To be responsible for assigned finance administration: To raise the Commitment Requests and Purchase orders within Ariba tool, submit monthly good receipts and manage invoices.
  • Enter time tracking (e.g., iDID) for contractors, administer contracts, work orders, CDA etc.
  • Assist with pulling progress reports such as time tracking, training completion and others as required.
  • To track resources (FTEs) and internal costs in collaboration with applicable stakeholders, ensuring accurate and timely quarterly financial reviews.
  • To liaise and collaborate with the other assistants, when necessary, in case of common events and/or common activities (shared trackers/documents).
  • To be responsible for filing and archiving of clinical trial documentation, functional and operational documentation.
• Meeting Support (e.g. CDO LT)
  • Coordinate and manage end-to-end logistics for CDO Leadership Team (CDO-LT) meetings, offsites, and executive forums.
  • Helps to prepare high-quality materials (agendas, pre-reads, presentations, minutes, action trackers) ensuring clarity, alignment, and follow-through.
  • Track and proactively follow up on key decisions and actions, ensuring accountability and timely execution across stakeholders.
• Communication & Stakeholder Management
  • Draft, review, and coordinate executive communications on behalf of the SVP, ensuring consistency in tone, clarity, and messaging.
  • Act as a central coordination point across global stakeholders, including R&D functions (e.g., Regulatory, Medical Affairs, Quality, Finance, Procurement).
  • Maintain effective working relationships with senior leaders, fostering alignment and smooth cross-functional collaboration.
  • To perform any other activity as may reasonably be requested from time to time.

HOW - Behavioural Competencies Required

• Excellence in execution
  • Approaches priority setting and setting the stage through the lens of execution.
  • Establishes clarity about the goals, accountabilities, timelines, and next steps; can identify/spot opportunities for real impact on patient and society.
  • Able to be focused and performance-driven with clear KPIs.
  • Plans and aligns effectively (steps, resources, timelines etc.).
  • Displays a commitment to best practice sharing and setting.
  • Promotes single point of accountabilities.
• Communicates Effectively
  • Asks open questions and digs deeper; shows care and respect for different perspectives (both verbally and non-verbally) and able to relate to other points of view.
  • Communicates transparently, "tells it how it is" while keeping the communication respectful.
  • Builds clear and crisp messages with structure and focus, uses visual communication and storytelling to make the message easy to digest and connect with the outcomes.
  • Demonstrates gravitas.
• Interpersonal Savvy
  • Adapts communication style and messages to the audience and connects the messages to broader business objectives/purpose.
  • Shows up with authenticity, humility and vulnerability.
  • Demonstrates inclusive behaviours.
• Collaborates
  • Collaborates and communicates without boundaries, continuously removes organizational barriers.
  • Focuses on continuous improvement; integrates and leverages key learnings, showcases resourcefulness, learning/experimenting at scale, demonstrates strong entrepreneurial behaviours and mindset.
• Ensures Accountability
  • Ensures single accountable referents per task/project/outcome (independent of organizational context or multi-team projects).
  • Builds and anchors an environment where people have the skills and habits to ask for clarification when accountabilities are unclear.
  • Consults/seeks relevant stakeholder views/expertise and coaches/ensures decisions are made by consent vs. consensus.
  • Takes personal accountability for decisions, actions, successes and failures, and fosters the same for others.
  • Follows through on commitment and makes sure others do the same.

HOW - Knowledge & Experience

• Prior experience supporting Research & Development in a corporate environment preferred.
• Ideal: 3 years in a similar position within a Pharma company or CRO.
• Education / Certifications (essential): Minimum of bachelor’s degree (US) or Administration/ Secretarial degree (FR).
• Language(s) (essential): Fluent English.
• Language(s) (preferred): French speaking is not required, would be ‘nice to have’.

We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels heard, valued, and supported; where we embrace “The Real Us”. The value we place on different perspectives and experiences drives our commitment to inclusion and equal opportunities. When we include diverse ways of thinking, we make more thoughtful decisions and discover more innovative solutions. Together we strive to better understand the communities we serve. This means we also want to help you perform at your best when applying for a role with us. If you require any adjustments or support during the application process, please let the recruitment team know. This information will be handled with care and will not affect the outcome of your application.