Strategy & Portfolio Lead

Roche • Boston, MA

3d

About The Position

A healthier future. It’s what drives us to innovate. To continuously advance science and ensure everyone has access to the healthcare they need today and for generations to come. Creating a world where we all have more time with the people we love. That’s what makes us Roche. This role is based in the Innovation Accelerator (IA), the innovation engine and connective tissue for Design, Data and Data Science innovation strategy within Product Development Data Sciences (PDD). We translate our long-term PDD vision into actionable strategy, shaping and prioritizing innovative cross-functional use cases that span PDD, PD, and Pharma. As both integrators and incubators, we explore, prototype, and help productize solutions to deliver impact in close partnership with internal Roche teams and external collaborators. With a mindset rooted in openness, value creation, and adaptability, we navigate the innovation ecosystem to drive transformative impact and future readiness across the organization. The Opportunity: The Strategy & Portfolio Lead is responsible for orchestrating Roche’s PDD innovation portfolio, ensuring transparency, strategic alignment, and impactful decision-making. This role drives portfolio prioritization, reporting, and risk management while enabling agile oversight of cross-functional initiatives. As a strategic partner to the Function Head, the Strategy & Portfolio Lead also supports governance, resource allocation, and stakeholder engagement. This is a critical leadership role to ensure that innovation efforts deliver value across the enterprise.

Requirements

• You have an advanced degree (e.g., Master’s in a life sciences-related field, Business Administration, Engineering, or related field)
• You have 12+ years of experience in portfolio management, strategy, innovation, or R&D operations
• You have 3+ years in a leadership role managing multidisciplinary technical teams
• You have demonstrated ability to manage large, complex portfolios in matrixed or global environments
• You have strong skills in cross-functional coordination, strategic prioritization, and executive communication
• You are proficient with portfolio management tools, reporting frameworks, and data visualization
• You have experience in agile and adaptive planning methods
• You have strong problem-solving, analytical, and critical thinking abilities
• You have a passion for continuous learning
• You have a passion for mentoring colleagues of all backgrounds
• You have capacity for independent thinking and ability to make decisions based upon sound principles
• You exhibit excellent strategic agility including problem-solving and critical thinking skills, and agility that extends beyond technical domain
• You demonstrate respect for cultural differences when interacting with colleagues in the global workplace
• You possess excellent verbal and written communication skills, specifically in the areas of presentation and writing, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts in clear language

Nice To Haves

• Experience in pharmaceutical, biotech, or healthcare innovation settings
• Familiarity with product development lifecycle, innovation governance, or investment decision processes
• Prior exposure to business case modeling and strategic planning
• Change management or transformation experience in complex organizations

Responsibilities

• You lead the coordination, planning, and execution of the Innovation Accelerator portfolio and in-silico strategy, applying deep functional and business knowledge to align efforts across Product Development (PDD), PD, and broader Roche innovation priorities
• You manage the operationalization of short-term departmental plans by driving initiative-level and portfolio-level prioritization, scenario planning, and trade-off decisions in collaboration with senior stakeholders
• You own the implementation of agile portfolio management processes and tools that support data-driven decision-making, transparency, and efficient execution
• You leverage your understanding of organizational drivers to ensure the portfolio delivers strategic value, business case realization, and measurable outcomes
• You independently identify and resolve portfolio interdependencies, delivery risks, and resource constraints by applying structured problem-solving and cross-functional coordination
• You represent the Innovation Accelerator portfolio in governance settings, synthesizing progress, risks, and value contributions to influence enterprise decisions
• You design and maintain tracking frameworks that monitor performance metrics, initiative milestones, and investment impact across the portfolio
• You partner with program and product leaders to embed portfolio strategy into initiative-level planning, benefit realization, and continuous improvement
• You execute short-term department plans by managing priorities, budget, and capacity in coordination with function leadership
• You lead a small team of program managers, user research specialists, and potentially others, taking full accountability for performance, delivery, and capability development within the portfolio operations function
• You set team priorities and manage resource allocation across a diverse and evolving project landscape, ensuring alignment with departmental goals and business needs
• You manage short-term planning cycles by delegating responsibilities, aligning workload, and balancing capacity within the team
• You support individual development planning and succession readiness by mentoring direct reports, identifying growth opportunities, and guiding career advancement
• You build a collaborative and inclusive team culture grounded in strategic problem-solving, experimentation, and learning
• You guide the team through ambiguity and change, using a combination of structured planning and adaptive leadership to meet shifting organizational demands
• You influence senior functional leaders and enterprise stakeholders to secure alignment, resources, and sponsorship for strategic portfolio priorities
• You act as a representative of the portfolio team in engagements with external vendors or partners, negotiating deliverables and ensuring alignment to Roche standards

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level