What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director, U.S. Operational Excellence position at Ipsen?
The Director, Operational Excellence is a critical leadership role supporting the Head of U.S. Field Operations, responsible for orchestrating the day-to-day execution of high-impact operational programs that enable Ipsen’s U.S. business and improve outcomes for HCPs and patients.
This role serves as the operational backbone across Fleet, Congress Planning, Strategic Operations, and Project Management, ensuring seamless execution of core processes and removing barriers to performance across the organization.
The Director leads enterprise-wide initiatives including Brand Planning, U.S. meetings and congress strategy, and field resource management, while continuously identifying and implementing improvements to drive efficiency, scale, and executional excellence. Operating with high influence and limited formal authority, this role requires strong cross-functional leadership, the ability to align stakeholders across Commercial, Medical, Value & Access and Global teams, and a disciplined approach to delivering complex programs.
As a trusted partner to Business Operations and Strategy Leadership Team and North America Leadership, the Director contributes to the development and execution of strategic business plans while advancing sales and marketing effectiveness. This role also plays a key part in building organizational capability, developing talent, strengthening ways of working, and shaping the future operating model, making it an ideal position for a high-potential leader preparing for broader enterprise leadership responsibilities.
WHAT - Main Responsibilities
Commercial Planning & Field Alignment
Knowledge & Experience (essential):
The annual base salary range for this position is $177,000 - $260,000
This job is eligible to participate in our short-term incentives program. At Ipsen we are proud to offer a comprehensive employee benefits package, including 401(k) with company contributions, group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, short- and long-term disability insurance, as well as flexible spending accounts. Ipsen also provides parental leave, paid time off, a discretionary winter shutdown, well-being allowance, commuter benefits, and much more.
The pay range displayed above is the range of base pay compensation within which Ipsen expects to pay for this role at the time of this posting. Individual compensation within this range depends on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, prior education and experience, job-related knowledge and demonstrated skills.
This role serves as the operational backbone across Fleet, Congress Planning, Strategic Operations, and Project Management, ensuring seamless execution of core processes and removing barriers to performance across the organization.
The Director leads enterprise-wide initiatives including Brand Planning, U.S. meetings and congress strategy, and field resource management, while continuously identifying and implementing improvements to drive efficiency, scale, and executional excellence. Operating with high influence and limited formal authority, this role requires strong cross-functional leadership, the ability to align stakeholders across Commercial, Medical, Value & Access and Global teams, and a disciplined approach to delivering complex programs.
As a trusted partner to Business Operations and Strategy Leadership Team and North America Leadership, the Director contributes to the development and execution of strategic business plans while advancing sales and marketing effectiveness. This role also plays a key part in building organizational capability, developing talent, strengthening ways of working, and shaping the future operating model, making it an ideal position for a high-potential leader preparing for broader enterprise leadership responsibilities.
WHAT - Main Responsibilities
Commercial Planning & Field Alignment
- Own end-to-end commercial planning (annual cycles, brand planning, field deployment) to ensure strategy translates into consistent execution across all U.S. BUs
- Align Sales, Marketing, and Operations to drive coordinated execution and eliminate gaps
- Standardize and improve planning processes to increase speed, quality, and decision-making
- Lead execution of field-facing activities (national sales meetings, brand planning, congresses, communications, fleet, logistics) across the U.S.
- Ensure operational readiness for launches and key initiatives across Business Units
- Optimize vendors and spend to deliver high-quality execution with cost efficiency
- Drive consistency and scalability of field execution practices
- Identify and remove operational barriers to improve field productivity and experience
- Own field operations processes, systems, and governance to enable scalable, compliant execution
- Define and track KPIs to drive performance and continuous improvement
- Establish SOPs and standards to ensure consistency across all field activities
- Partner cross-functionally to improve ways of working and execution effectiveness
- Lead a multi-functional operations team
- Set priorities aligned to commercial goals and business impact
- Drive a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement
- Influence cross-functional stakeholders to ensure aligned execution
Knowledge & Experience (essential):
- 12 years of experience in pharmaceutical field operations, commercial operations, or business operations with an advanced degree; or 15 years with a Bachelor’s degree
- Strong understanding of U.S. commercial model, field execution, and operational processes
- Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and supporting multi-Business Unit environments
- Proven ability to drive operational excellence, planning processes, and execution support at scale
- Bachelor’s degree required (Business, Life Sciences, or related field)
- Advanced degree (e.g., MBA, MS) preferred
The annual base salary range for this position is $177,000 - $260,000
This job is eligible to participate in our short-term incentives program. At Ipsen we are proud to offer a comprehensive employee benefits package, including 401(k) with company contributions, group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, short- and long-term disability insurance, as well as flexible spending accounts. Ipsen also provides parental leave, paid time off, a discretionary winter shutdown, well-being allowance, commuter benefits, and much more.
The pay range displayed above is the range of base pay compensation within which Ipsen expects to pay for this role at the time of this posting. Individual compensation within this range depends on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, prior education and experience, job-related knowledge and demonstrated skills.
Salary : $177,000 - $260,000