Process Management Practice Lead
About Astellas:
At Astellas we are a progressive health partner, delivering value and outcomes where needed.
We pursue innovative science, focusing initially on the areas of greatest potential and then developing solutions where patient need is high, often in rare or under-served disease areas and in life-threatening or life-limiting diseases and conditions.
We work directly with patients, doctors and health care professionals on the front line to ensure patient and clinical needs are guiding our development activities at every stage.
Our global vision for Patient Centricity is to support the development of innovative health solutions through a deep understanding of the patient experience. At Astellas, Patient Centricity isn’t a buzzword - it’s a guiding principle for action. We believe all staff have a role to play in creating a patient-centric culture and integrating an awareness of the patient into our everyday working practices, regardless of our role, team or division.
We work closely with regulatory authorities and payers to find new ways to ensure access to new therapies. We deliver the latest insights and real-world evidence to inform the best decisions for patients and their care-givers, to ensure the medicines we develop continue to provide meaningful outcomes.
Beyond medicines, we support our stakeholder communities to drive initiatives that improve awareness, education, access and ultimately standards of care.
The Opportunity:
In this role, you will lead the evolution of process management across the enterprise, driving standardization, transformation, and capability development at scale. As the Process Management Practice Lead, you will report directly to the Head of GBS and serve as a senior member of the leadership team, overseeing a global team of approximately 20 process professionals and Global Process Owners.
You’ll be responsible for building and embedding best-in-class process management capabilities—ensuring the organization has the right standards, tools, and talent to support high-performing, cross-functional pods and value teams. Beyond leading the capability, you will also be hands-on—deployed into agile teams to drive strategic initiatives, enable automation, and deliver measurable impact.
Hybrid Working:
At Astellas we recognize that our employees enjoy having balance between their professional and home lives. We are proud of our hybrid approach which empowers you to have flexibility on whether to work from home or in the office.
Key Responsibilities:
- Owning and evolving enterprise-wide Process Management capabilities, including mapping, mining, controls, and continuous improvement.
- Leading end-to-end process standardization initiatives to drive consistency, scalability, and efficiency across the organization.
- Providing strategic leadership and direct line management to Chapter Leads, building high-performing capability teams.
- Defining and enforcing process excellence standards, methodologies, and tools (e.g., LEAN, Six Sigma, Signavio).
- Collaborating with agile teams to deploy capabilities effectively, support delivery outcomes, and foster a strong community of practice.
Essential Knowledge & Experience:
- Substantial leadership experience managing senior teams and overseeing enterprise-wide process capabilities, including direct line management of Chapter Leads or equivalent roles.
- Proven ability to build, develop, and sustain high-performing teams within complex corporate environments.
- Demonstrated expertise in global process ownership, transformation, and operational excellence, with a strong background in business improvement across matrixed or multinational organizations.
- Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with a track record of effective collaboration across business units, senior leadership, and enabling functions in diverse geographic and cultural settings.
- In-depth knowledge of process improvement methodologies and tools, such as LEAN, Six Sigma, Signavio, process mining, and process mapping.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience designing, implementing, or governing process mining and automation technologies (e.g., Celonis, UiPath, low-code platforms).
- Background in Global Business Services (GBS), shared services, or similar enterprise operating models.
- Familiarity with regulatory and compliance frameworks impacting process governance (e.g., SOX, GDPR).
- Proven experience establishing and leading Communities of Practice, Centres of Excellence, or Global Capability Centres.
- Experience working in finance functions or within Japanese corporate environments is a strong advantage.
Education:
- University degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field or equivalent.
- Proficiency in business English is essential for effective cross-country collaboration.
Additional Information:
- This is a permanent, full-time position.
- This position is based in Warsaw (Poland)
- This position follows our hybrid working model. The role requires a blend of home and approx. two days per week in our offices during the initial six months. After this period, on-site presence may reduce, depending on business needs and individual arrangements. Candidates must be located within a commutable distance of the office.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
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