Job Description

The Head of R&D China will drive the transformation and evolution of our innovation footprint within the country.

Responsibilities*

Single Point of Accountability

• Serve as the primary accountable leader for all R&D activities at the Nansha site, for the Automatization Center of Excellence (CoE) and for external partnerships
• Ensure clear ownership and decision-making authority across the chemical and Bioconjugation delivery domains.

Leadership & Alignment

• Provide R&D leadership at the site level and represent the site at the global R&D Leadership Team (LT) level.
• Ensure alignment of site activities and of R&D pipeline and strategy with global R&D strategy.

End-to-End Pipeline Ownership

• Take entrepreneurial ownership of the local Chemical/Bioconjugation pipeline from strategy definition to execution.
• Manage pipeline prioritization, governance milestones, resource allocation, and short- to long-term planning.
• Interface with key internal and external stakeholders to ensure timely delivery and strategic impact.

Functional Line Leadership

• Lead and develop the Nansha site R&D team and Automation hub, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and accountability.
• Establish strong talent and key opinion leaders network through external partnerships.
• Ensure organizational capability building, succession planning, and talent development.

Scientific Leadership

• Drive strategic customer interactions, establish partnering models, and represent the organization in scientific forums.
• Influence industry trends and maintain leadership in the field through publications, conferences, and collaborations.

Innovation & Service Creation

• Develop new local services, including digital solutions, in collaboration with Marketing and Commercial Development.
• Identify opportunities for differentiation and value creation through advanced technologies and data-driven approaches.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build strong relationships with global R&D leadership, commercial teams, operations, and enabling functions.
• Act as a key interface between site operations and global strategy to ensure seamless integration and execution.

Qualifications

• Education/Degree：Ph.D. in Science, an equivalent professional qualification or occupational experience​​
• Field of Study: Chemistry, biology, biochemical engineering, biochemistry or equivalent
• Minimum of 10 years’ relevant experience in a pharmaceutical /CDMO setting

Required Skills & Competencies

Technical & Scientific Expertise

• Strong knowledge of pharmaceutical development, in particular synthetic chemistry and bioconjugation.
• Strong understanding of R&D processes, pipeline management, and governance frameworks.
• Familiarity with automation, digital innovation, data science and modeling applications in R&D.

Leadership & Management

• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and manage organizational transformation.
• Experience in functional line leadership, including talent development and succession planning.
• Strong strategic thinking and ability to align site-level activities with global objectives.

Business & Entrepreneurial Acumen

• Capability to take end-to-end ownership of the local Chemical and Bioconjugation innovation pipeline, including resource prioritization and financial oversight.
• Skilled in short- and long-term planning, risk management, and decision-making under uncertainty.
• Ability to create new services and business models, including digital offerings, in collaboration with commercial teams.

Stakeholder Management & Collaboration

• Excellent skills in building partnerships internally and externally (customers, academic institutions, technology providers).
• Ability to influence and engage at executive and scientific forums, driving thought leadership.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills for cross-functional alignment.
• Confidently prepares high-quality technical analyses and reports for internal or external use

Innovation & Change Leadership

• Track record of driving innovation and embedding enabling functions (automation, data science) into R&D.
• Ability to lead organizational change and foster a culture of agility and continuous improvement.