Strategic Planning and Operations Lead I - US Medical Affairs

Bayer•Hanover Township, NJ

12d

About The Position

At Bayer we’re visionaries, driven to solve the world’s toughest challenges and striving for a world where 'Health for all Hunger for none’ is no longer a dream, but a real possibility. We’re doing it with energy, curiosity and sheer dedication, always learning from unique perspectives of those around us, expanding our thinking, growing our capabilities and redefining ‘impossible’. There are so many reasons to join us. If you’re hungry to build a varied and meaningful career in a community of brilliant and diverse minds to make a real difference, there’s only one choice. Strategic Planning and Operations Lead I - US Medical Affairs The Strategic Planning & Execution Lead I serves as a critical integrator and orchestrator across US Medical Affairs (USMA). This role ensures disciplined 90-day planning, strategic alignment, and high quality execution across therapeutic areas, products, and priorities. Working in partnership with Heads of Therapeutic Areas, USMA Functions (Clinical Ops., PIM, MIE, & CEC), Financial/Operational partners and DSO practitioners. The Strat. & Ops Lead anchors USMA’s strategic rhythm of business — translating strategy into executable plans, monitoring progress against outcomes, and ensuring organizational readiness to pivot as the landscape evolves. This role directs the development of the long-term and multi-year strategic plan for all therapeutic areas and ensures alignment across the greater organization. The role is essential to shaping USMA strategy, establishing execution excellence, advancing operational rigor, and accelerating medical impact across pre-launch, launch, and post launch portfolios.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in related field (BA/BS/BSN)
Demonstrated strategic thinking and ability to translate insights into plans that drive measurable outcomes.
Expertise in project and portfolio management, with strong financial acumen.
Strong communicator able to distill complex information to its essential elements.
Excellent relationship‑building skills to influence across a matrixed organization.
Proven ability to lead through ambiguity, solve complex problems, and adapt quickly in a dynamic environment.
Strong grounding in VACC leadership principles: Visionary, Architect, Catalyst, Coach.
Commitment to continuous learning, innovation, experimentation, and coaching others.

Nice To Haves

Advanced Degree
Pharmaceutical or related experience in medical affairs, field medical affairs, marketing, medical education agency, scientific publications or key opinion leader activities and a financial analysis/budget management experience.
Management experience

Responsibilities

Lead the USMA 90‑day strategic planning cycle, ensuring clear priorities, measurable outcomes, and cross-portfolio alignment.
Partner with TA Heads and product leads to define, refine, and operationalize short-, mid-, and long‑term strategic medical outcomes.
Ensure cohesive, evidence‑based medical plans across products and indications, aligned with evolving enterprise strategy, competitive landscape, clinical profile, and treatment pathways; ensuring alignment with USPH short/long term outcome strategy.
Serve as a strategic advisor to USMA leaders, enabling scenario planning, resource optimization, and effective prioritization.
Guide development of medical plan sections including strategic foundation, prioritization, activation plans, resourcing, and outcomes.
Oversee financial planning in a beyond‑budgeting environment, collaborating with Finance and USMA leadership to manage forecasts, spending, and resource adjustments.
Drive disciplined execution of medical initiatives by managing timelines, budgets, and cross‑team interdependencies.
Lead 90‑day retrospectives and prospective planning forums, ensuring transparency of progress, risks, and required pivots.
Maintain cross‑portfolio oversight to maximize synergies and reduce duplication across products, indications, and functional partners.
Partner with Medical Directors, researchers, and cross‑functional colleagues to ensure alignment from planning through execution, measuring outcomes, applying insights, and determining next steps.
Coordinate and streamline submissions, approvals, and dissemination paths with Legal, Compliance, PRT, and other internal stakeholders.
Develop and maintain project dashboards offering clear visibility into progress, risks, budget health, and decision‑making needs.
Lead USMA quarterly planning meetings, driving clarity, accountability, and continuous improvement in execution.
Oversee vendor strategy and performance, including RFPs, proposal reviews, contract alignment, and quality standards.
Identify, define, and measure outcomes that demonstrate the value and impact of Medical Affairs.
Enable consistent use of tools, platforms, and processes to monitor outcomes and metrics across TAs.
Facilitate insights integration, stakeholder reviews, and adaptive planning cycles to ensure the strategy remains responsive to evidence and external shifts.
Champion new ways of working that enhance operational efficiency, collaboration, and agility.
Maintain strong understanding of competitive and therapeutic landscape trends to inform strategy and execution.