Global Head Medical Strategy, Operations & Governance 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: The Vice President of Medical Strategy, Operations & Governance leads a team and plays a pivotal role as a key member of the Medical Leadership Team. In this capacity, they head strategic initiatives to transform and evolve Medical to a Best-in-Class function across all functions and Ipsen's therapeutic areas: Oncology, Neuroscience, and Rare Diseases. They collaborate closely with R&D, commercial, legal, IT, Quality and corporate communications to ensure co-development and alignment to overall company strategy. This individual will regularly act as a liaison, representing both the function and the company to senior management and external healthcare professionals and supporting the CMO & MLT on strategy, prioritisation & decision support.

This key leadership role will play an integral part in our mission supporting the three therapeutic areas, the enabling functions and commercial regions. The successful candidate will oversee a variety of critical functions within the Medical department, ensuring efficient operations, compliance, and strategic alignment. He/she will be responsible for managing the Medical Evolution Roadmap, the annual objectives and KPIs, the budget, the Global Field Medical Strategy, the Medical Governance bodies, overseeing multiple projects, all crucial to the successful implementation of medical strategy. This individual will need to influence cross-functional teams, develop and execute strategic & operational plans, Field medical excellence and ensure adherence to regulatory standards. Strong leadership, project management, and compliance skills are essential to excel in this role.

Main responsibilities / job expectations

• Strategic direction of the Medical Roadmap and support the development of the MLT and CMO.
• Assists the Head of CMO with the development of Global Medical Department strategy, and implementation of Ipsen strategy.
• Assists the Medical Leadership Team (MLT) to execute, deliver and address organizational needs.
• Builds relationships across the CMO Department and assists with high performance MLT team development and a fully integrated Global Medical department.
• Lead and/or contribute to CMO transformation/evolution and drive change management within the Global Medical group, ensuring alignment with other Divisions.
• Chairs MLT meetings and ensures appropriate minutes, actions and decisions are captured.
• Responsible for structuring offsite meetings to address key topics.
• Works closely with the CMO EA to ensure effective MLT meeting scheduling and prioritisation.
• Drives execution of CMO goal setting and monitoring.
• Works closely with the CMO and MLT to ensure CMO priorities and goals are understood and followed.
• Ensure that all initiatives identified are worked on and then successfully executed.
• Work closely with CMO Communications to ensure effective and efficient communication within CMO and with external stakeholders.

Project Management:

• Through the team, support the Asset Medical Strategy.
• Coordinate between respective medical teams to ensure effective management and conclude on ongoing projects on time and on budget.
• In charge of supporting the Therapeutic Areas for the budget, LRP, F1/F2.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to monitor budget performance, identify cost-saving opportunities, and ensure financial transparency.
• Lead and oversee multiple concurrent projects within the Medical Affairs department, ensuring adherence to timelines, milestones, and objectives.
• Mitigate risks and implement strategies to overcome project-related challenges.

Medical governance oversight:

• Oversees governance strategies and the framework of planning, prioritising, conducting, tracking, and reporting on medical activities.
• Due diligence support on acquisitions.
• Lead on cross functional collaboration projects.
• Data Generation: consisting of organizing and managing the review and approval process of Medical and HEOR programs/studies.
• Responsible for the overall governance of different strategic Medical Programs within the larger scope of Medical.
• Ensure compliance with constitutional and regulatory requirements for the organization.
• Creation and implementation of simple and consistent process escalation, clear accountabilities and decision-making at the appropriate level.
• Co-ordinate regular communication across the global medical community.

Develop & Elevate Field Medical:

• Strategic oversight, consistency across geographies, governance, and integration of the global Medical Science Liaison (MSL) within Global Medical strategy.
• Supervise the building, shaping and continuously elevating Ipsen's Medical Science Liaison function as a world-class, globally integrated field medical force.
• Ensure Field Medical strategy, operating model, and execution are fully aligned with Ipsen’s medical, R&D, and portfolio priorities.
• Hold ultimate accountability for ethics, compliance, and risk, acting as the escalation point for complex scientific, regulatory, or reputational matters across Medical and Field Medical activities.

Knowledge, abilities & experience

• Advanced degree in Medicine (MD) or Life Sciences; additional business or management qualifications are desirable.
• Extensive experience (typically 10+ years) in medical affairs, clinical development, or a related field within the healthcare or pharmaceutical industry.
• Proven leadership experience, preferably in a global or regional capacity.
• Strong strategic thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Key Technical Competencies Required

• Patient Champions, who put patients first and uphold strict ethical standards.
• Entrepreneurial Operators, who drive toward practical solutions and have an ownership mindset.
• Truth Seekers, who are detailed, rational, and humble problem solvers.
• Individuals Who Inspire Excellence in themselves and those around them.
• High-quality executors, who execute against goals and milestones with quality.

Education, Experience & Skills Requirements

• Progressive experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, with a strong focus on Medical Affairs.
• Proven ability to ensure that all Medical Affairs activities and operations are conducted in compliance with regulatory and ethical standards.
• Proficiency in project management methodologies and tools to oversee complex, multifaceted projects with cross-functional teams.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize tasks to meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Medical Science Liaisons, Clinical Development, Regulatory Affairs, and Commercial teams.
• Exceptional attention to detail in all aspects of work, including budget management, documentation, and project planning.
• A genuine passion for improving patient lives through scientific innovation.

Summary Location: Paris; London (UK) Type: Full time