Senior Manager, Commercial Operations

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Job Description

Role Purpose:

The Senior Manager, Commercial Operations leads the operating rhythm, governance, and cross-functional execution that enable the effectiveness of the Canadian commercial organization and broader LOC. The role translates enterprise and LOC priorities into an integrated operating plan, creates the forums and accountability mechanisms that turn priorities into action, and helps leaders make timely, well-informed decisions. Operating with considerable autonomy and strong business judgment, the role serves as the operational right hand to the Head of Commercial & Marketing Operations and a strategic partner to Business Unit and cross-functional leaders.

The role brings together three core areas:

·       LOC operating rhythm and governance: designing and running the planning and performance-management cadence, including leadership agendas, monthly performance forums, decision and action documentation, and follow-through.

·       Accountability: establishing clear decision rights and execution ownership through Takeda’s decision-making framework and RACI, maintaining visibility to commitments, and respectfully challenging when plans, evidence, and execution are not aligned.

·       Launch readiness and cross-functional delivery: standing up and integrating the Canada launch team, implementing the enterprise Launch Excellence playbook, and maintaining momentum until accountability is transitioned to the Senior Marketing Engagement Lead at the appropriate stage.

The role does not own Business Unit strategy, performance analytics, or customer-engagement content. Instead, the role brings these inputs together through disciplined governance, clear ownership, and effective decision-making so commercial teams can execute against Takeda’s evolving operating model and deliver stronger outcomes for patients and the business.

Reporting Line:

·       Reports to: Head of Commercial & Marketing Operations

·       Direct reports: 0 (leads through matrix, project, and relational leadership)

Key Accountabilities:

LOC operating model, planning cadence & governance

·       Lead the end-to-end operating cadence for the commercial organization, including annual and quarterly planning, leadership team agenda development, monthly commercial performance reviews, and cross-functional governance meetings.

·       Manage governance calendars, meeting objectives, pre-reads, decision-ready materials, action logs, and follow-up activities so forums drive decisions and execution rather than status reporting alone.

·       Build and maintain an integrated view of priority commercial initiatives, including scope, milestones, dependencies, resources, risks, issues, decision points, and accountable owners.

·       Partner with functional and Business Unit leaders to prioritize trade-offs using criteria aligned to LOC objectives, patient impact, business value, capacity, and compliance requirements.

Performance management, decision effectiveness & accountability

·       Establish and operate the monthly commercial scorecard review in partnership with Insights & Analytics, Marketing leadership, Sales leadership, and other relevant parties.

·       Ensure clear decision rights and execution ownership by applying Takeda’s decision-making framework to decisions and RACI to activities, initiatives, and deliverables.

·       Translate high standards into clear commitments, owners, timelines, escalation paths, and follow-through; respectfully challenge performance narratives that are not supported by data or execution evidence.

·       Capture decisions and action items from leadership and governance forums, monitor progress to closure, and escalate barriers with options and recommendations.

Launch readiness & cross-functional program leadership

·       Execute the enterprise Launch Excellence strategy and planning framework for Takeda Canada launches, in partnership with the Marketing & Commercial Excellence (MCE) Launch Excellence team and local Business Unit leadership.

·       Act as the strategic and operational integrator for Canada launch readiness: establish governance, workstreams, milestones, decision points, dependencies, escalation paths, and performance measures across functions.

·       Stand up and lead the cross-functional launch team, drive accountability and transparency to the agreed roadmap, and coordinate preparation for launch review meetings.

·       Partner closely with Senior Marketing Engagement Leads and transition launch leadership at the agreed point in the launch lifecycle, ensuring continuity of decisions, plans, and accountabilities.

·       Provide direct operational leadership for other high-impact, multi-workstream priorities as assigned, facilitating working sessions, resolving conflicts, and maintaining delivery to plan.

Performance visibility, analytics & AI-enabled operational insights

·       Partner with Insights & Analytics to evolve the LOC commercial performance-management ecosystem, including KPI scorecards, operational health measures, execution-to-plan indicators, and management reporting.

·       Support executive decision-making by translating data, risks, and cross-functional inputs into concise “so what / now what” narratives, options, and recommendations; ownership of the underlying analytics remains with Insights & Analytics.

·       Coordinate development of business case and launch-review presentations, ensuring recommendations, risks, assumptions, and required decisions are aligned before governance forums.

·       Leverage AI and automation responsibly to improve the speed, quality, and consistency of operational work products, ensuring appropriate human oversight and adherence to Takeda standards for privacy and compliance.

Operational excellence, continuous improvement & compliance coordination

·       Apply structured problem-solving and root-cause analysis to performance gaps, execution barriers, and recurring governance issues; recommend pragmatic countermeasures.

·       Identify opportunities to simplify processes, reduce cycle time, improve meeting effectiveness, and strengthen cross-functional ways of working through clearer standards, digital tooling, and automation.

·       Support governance and compliance processes by coordinating documentation, approvals, follow-ups, and implementation tracking with Compliance, Medical, Legal, and other stakeholders as appropriate.

·       Maintain high-quality standards for planning materials, presentations, communications, decision records, and action logs, ensuring clarity, consistency, and traceability.

·       Contribute to operational-risk identification across timelines, resourcing, dependencies, and process controls; ensure mitigation actions have clear owners and are actively monitored.

Key Interfaces:

·       Head of Commercial & Marketing Operations and Canada Leadership Team

·       Rare and Specialty Business Unit leadership

·       Insights & Analytics

·       Omnichannel Marketing (NGCE) Lead and CRM

·       Sales leadership and people managers

·       MCE Launch Excellence and other above-LOC capability teams

·       Finance, DD&T, Compliance, Medical, Legal, Regulatory, and other launch partners

Experience, Skills, and Qualifications:

·       Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (MBA/MSc) and/or relevant certification (e.g., PMP) preferred.

·       7–10+ years in commercial operations, business operations, commercial excellence, strategy execution, or an equivalent role within a matrixed, regulated industry; pharmaceutical or biotechnology experience preferred.

·       Demonstrated experience designing or running operating cadences, governance forums, planning cycles, and cross-functional programs.

·       Experience supporting launch readiness or other complex, milestone-driven programs involving multiple functions and senior stakeholders is strongly preferred.

·       Strong enterprise mindset with the ability to influence without authority, align senior stakeholders around shared priorities, and respectfully hold peers and leaders accountable to commitments.

·       Demonstrated ability to navigate ambiguity, exercise sound judgment, and co-design practical solutions where roles, processes, or decision rights are still evolving.

·       Ability to translate strategy into measurable operational goals, clear execution plans, and effective governance mechanisms.

·       Strong facilitation, conflict-resolution, and stakeholder-management skills; comfortable challenging constructively and escalating with options.

·       Digital, analytics, and AI literacy sufficient to convert complex inputs into decision-ready narratives and improve operational effectiveness, while maintaining appropriate compliance and human oversight.

·       Exceptional written and verbal communication; produces concise, polished materials and presents complex recommendations effectively to senior leadership.

·       High integrity, discretion, bias for action, pragmatism, comfort with ambiguity, and systems thinking.

What Good Looks Like:

The successful candidate combines enterprise thinking with exceptional operational execution. This person creates clarity without creating bureaucracy, builds accountability without taking ownership away from the business, and brings together governance, insight, and cross-functional execution so leaders can make decisions and deliver on commitments. The successful candidate will thrive in a dynamic environment where agility, influence, judgment, and constructive challenge are essential.

Other:

·       Location: Toronto, Ontario (Head Office)

·       Work arrangement: Hybrid, 2 days per week minimum

·       Travel: approximately 10% domestically and/or internationally

·       Languages: English fluency required; French fluency a strong asset

Takeda Canada encourages applications from all qualified candidates. In accordance with our accommodation policies and applicable provincial accessibility legislation, please advise us if you need accommodation in order to participate in the recruitment process. Any information you provide relating to accommodation will be addressed confidentially.

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Base Salary Range:

The estimated salary range reflects an anticipated range for this position. The actual base salary offered may depend on a variety of factors, including the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, specific and unique skills, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job.

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