Job Purpose and Key Responsibilities:

The Global Head of Lab Systems & Automation is accountable for the strategy and global end-to-end lifecycle management of Vaccines R&D laboratory computerized systems, including robotics and automation solutions. This role provides strong leadership, strategic direction, and focus to implement and maintain automated and/or computerized systems & applications in an ever-changing environment in terms of GSK Vaccines’ growth profile, laboratory science innovation, regulatory requirements, and quality/EHS standards.

The Global Head of Lab Systems & Automation plays a pivotal role in supporting the organization in generating high quality structured data to drive our R&D projects forward. This role is focused on strong collaboration between Tech, Digital & Data, and Quality – applying business acumen, deep technical experience in laboratory instrumentation & automation, and process knowledge to drive innovative, pragmatic solutions for Vaccines R&D Scientists.

The Global Head of Lab Systems & Automation will act as the Operational Technology (OT) Officer for Vaccines R&D ensuring that OT risk is appropriately assessed, prioritized, and mitigated across Vaccines R&D. This role will ensure that centrally defined OT security standards and controls are appropriately considered and adopted / adapted in the labs and is accountable for OT cybersecurity controls and compliance.

Role based in Cambridge, MA and requires 3 days minimum on-site presence.

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership

• With strategic vision, guides the Lab Systems & Automation organization, partners, and customers to deliver innovative solutions for Vaccines R&D’s Scientists. Promote advancement of automation systems through a focus on automation innovation to drive scientific/business process improvement and the generation of high-quality structured data.

• Leads country-based Lab Systems and Automation teams ensuring business-as-usual lifecycle management support for Vaccines R&D lab systems; appropriate planning, resourcing, and successful execution of multiple operational/innovation projects conducted in parallel with business-as-usual operations.

• Drive employee engagement within the global Lab Systems & Automation team with emphasis on people development, enriching roles, effective recognition, and open & honest conversations.

• Play a leadership role to ensure standards, policies, and procedures are fit-for-purpose (e.g. Computer System Validation, Data Integrity, OT design / cybersecurity risk assessments & mitigations).

Stakeholder Management

• Work in partnership with a broad range of stakeholder groups including the R&D scientific functions as well as Tech, Computer System Validation, and Quality to define and implement fit-for-purpose system solutions to optimize the value of lab equipment and the productivity of Scientists.

• Proactively define lab automation technology standards, identify process improvement/cost saving opportunities, and accelerate generation of scientific results.

• Application of agile methodology to quickly respond and deliver in a fast pace changing environment.

• Manage, coordinate, supervise external partners throughput the entire systems lifecycle.

• Maximizing investment value for GSK while negotiating with external partners.

• Liaise with other GSK sites / orgs as well as external companies on benchmarks and best practices.

• Liaises with stakeholders across the Vaccines R&D sites (Belgium, Italy, US) and with Pharma R&D to promote leveraging of technology, systems/applications, and automated solutions between functions and sites.

OT Officer responsibilities

• Vaccines R&D representative at the R&D OT Operations Forum and Data Governance Risk Council

• OT Cybersecurity Risk Assessment and Compensation Process: 

  • Responsible for carrying out risk assessments with respect to OT cybersecurity across the business area and managing the risk compensation process.

  • Understand new threats, the potential for business impact and how GSK will respond via our cybersecurity standards and controls.

  • Appropriate risk escalation of any issues and exceptions in accordance with the R&D OT Cybersecurity escalation process

• Risk Mitigation:

  • Feed critical deliverables into VxRD Digital and Data Strategy to drive investment

  • Collaborate with R&D Digital & Tech and Central Tech, including the Cybersecurity Office (CSO), and Global Products & Technology (GP&T) stakeholders to ensure the controls proposed to mitigate risks are appropriate for the business area, correctly implemented and adopted consistently.

  • Review and approval of Firewall (FW) rules, reference architecture, VLAN strategy and high-level strategy for local deployment.

  • Understand and action on OT vulnerabilities and crisis management, OT alerts, OT responses and recovery processes

• Cybersecurity Technical expertise and Business Analysis:

  • Actively participate in and provide business input into the design, documentation, implementation and continued support of OT cybersecurity standards and associated tools (e.g., access management tool) and controls, including maintenance of the controls and their associated documentation post deployment.

  • In collaboration with GSK Tech, input into the design and documentation for Network Segmentation for the business area.  

  • Application of GSK’s cybersecurity standards is maintained across the laboratory environment (e.g. robust system inventory maintenance) and critical risks are escalated for remediation to the Risk Management Board and the Capital Allocation process.

  • Liaise with business line leaders, science, and engineering SMEs within the business area, in making cybersecurity decisions.

  • The role holder will play an active role in the OT Change Advisory Board (CAB) ensuring the business area’s requirements and deliverables are adequately represented. This includes responsibility for review and approval of firewall (FW) rules, OT architecture, VLAN strategy and local deployment strategy.

Why you?

Basic Qualifications:

We are looking for professionals with these required skills to achieve our goals:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business or Science, Engineering, Information Technology related discipline

• 10+ years leading a global team; operational laboratory experience in lab automation, lab systems and data flows, robotics and the implementation of these technologies in both validated and non-validated environments.

• Experience leading large global teams

• Stakeholder management capabilities – applying deep technical knowledge and lab systems experience, effectively partner with the Tech organization to drive fit-for-purpose system solutions and reliable provision of service to Vaccines R&D

• Problem solving abilities suitable for handling the highly complex issues associated with cross organizational boundaries

• Decision making and application of risk management principles

Preferred Qualifications:

If you have the following characteristics, it would be a plus:

• Masters, PhD or MBA, or post-graduate professional qualification in Business or Science, Engineering, Information Technology related discipline

• Ability to think strategically and act with a high level of integrity to establish effective plans of action to deal with conflicting issues in a manner consistent with GSK’s global requirements

• Ability to work with an agile methodology to quickly respond and deliver in a dynamic environment.

• Change management strategies and implementation

• Large technical program implementation experience

• Demonstrated ability, when working under pressure, to decisively adjust a course of action in a rapidly changing and highly uncertain environment

• Excellent verbal and written communication with strong presentation skills

Closing Date for Applications: June 21, 2024 (COB) 

Please take a copy of the Job Description, as this will not be available post closure of the advert.  
When applying for this role, please use the ‘cover letter’ of the online application or your CV to describe how you meet the competencies for this role, as outlined in the job requirements above. The information that you have provided in your cover letter and CV will be used to assess your application. 

#LI-GSK

Please visit  GSK US Benefits Summary to learn more about the comprehensive benefits program GSK offers US employees.

Why GSK?

Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together.

GSK is a global biopharma company with a special purpose – to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together – so we can positively impact the health of billions of people and deliver stronger, more sustainable shareholder returns – as an organisation where people can thrive. We prevent and treat disease with vaccines, specialty and general medicines. We focus on the science of the immune system and the use of new platform and data technologies, investing in four core therapeutic areas (infectious diseases, HIV, respiratory/ immunology and oncology).

Our success absolutely depends on our people. While getting ahead of disease together is about our ambition for patients and shareholders, it’s also about making GSK a place where people can thrive. We want GSK to be a place where people feel inspired, encouraged and challenged to be the best they can be. A place where they can be themselves – feeling welcome, valued, and included. Where they can keep growing and look after their wellbeing. So, if you share our ambition, join us at this exciting moment in our journey to get Ahead Together.

If you require an accommodation or other assistance to apply for a job at GSK, please contact the GSK Service Centre at 1-877-694-7547 (US Toll Free) or +1 801 567 5155 (outside US).

GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer and, in the US, we adhere to Affirmative Action principles. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, disability, genetic information, military service, covered/protected veteran status or any other federal, state or local protected class.

Important notice to Employment businesses/ Agencies

GSK does not accept referrals from employment businesses and/or employment agencies in respect of the vacancies posted on this site. All employment businesses/agencies are required to contact GSK's commercial and general procurement/human resources department to obtain prior written authorization before referring any candidates to GSK. The obtaining of prior written authorization is a condition precedent to any agreement (verbal or written) between the employment business/ agency and GSK. In the absence of such written authorization being obtained any actions undertaken by the employment business/agency shall be deemed to have been performed without the consent or contractual agreement of GSK. GSK shall therefore not be liable for any fees arising from such actions or any fees arising from any referrals by employment businesses/agencies in respect of the vacancies posted on this site.

Please note that if you are a US Licensed Healthcare Professional or Healthcare Professional as defined by the laws of the state issuing your license, GSK may be required to capture and report expenses GSK incurs, on your behalf, in the event you are afforded an interview for employment. This capture of applicable transfers of value is necessary to ensure GSK’s compliance to all federal and state US Transparency requirements. For more information, please visit GSK’s Transparency Reporting For the Record site.