At Roche you can show up as yourself, embraced for the unique qualities you bring. Our culture encourages personal expression, open dialogue, and genuine connections, where you are valued, accepted and respected for who you are, allowing you to thrive both personally and professionally. This is how we aim to prevent, stop and cure diseases and ensure everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Join Roche, where every voice matters.

The Position

We advance science so that we all have more time with the people we love.

Pharma Global Technical Operations (PT) is the organization that manufactures and delivers Roche’s groundbreaking therapies to 127 million patients around the world. PT is involved in producing every Roche medicine – from the development process through clinical trials – and continuing to product maturity. Our organization coordinates all aspects of production of Roche medicines in all disease areas and dosage forms.

Pharma Technical Development (PTD) is integral to Roche’s mission to develop innovative and transformative meaningful medicines for patients by applying leading technical expertise to design, develop, supply, and register clinical stage products globally.
Within PTD, Synthetic Molecules Technical Development (PTDC) leverages advanced science and technology to drive the development of synthetic molecules from first-in-human studies through commercialization. Based in Basel, Switzerland, our team of approximately 700 experts works collaboratively to bring our vision to life, delivering impactful solutions that support our mission and uphold our core values.

The Opportunity

In the position as Head of Pharmaceutical R&D , you will be accountable for consistently and effectively:

• Lead Pharmaceutical R&D by driving scientific excellence in solid-state sciences, formulation development, and drug delivery technologies.

• Develop robust, scalable manufacturing processes for clinical and commercial drug products, ensuring efficiency and regulatory compliance.

• Innovate and implement new technologies in pharmaceutical development, including digital solutions, predictive modeling, and automation.

• Ensure regulatory readiness for global health authorities, leading efforts in compliance, GMP standards, and Pre-Approval Inspections (PAI).

• Collaborate cross-functionally with research, process development, quality, and regulatory teams to streamline product development.

• Oversee clinical supply manufacturing, ensuring quality, efficiency, and on-time delivery of drug products for global trials.

• Build, mentor, and inspire high-performing teams, fostering a culture of continuous learning and technical excellence.

• Partner with external and internal stakeholders, including launch sites, contract manufacturers, and industry leaders, to enhance product development.

• Embed operational excellence and digital transformation, shifting from reactive problem-solving to predictive, data-driven decision-making.

Who You Are:

• Extensive experience in pharmaceutical development for Synthetic Molecules, including cross-functional team leadership and end-to-end process expertise.

• Extensive knowledge and experience in multiple facets of technical development with sound judgment and decision making framework

• Outstanding knowledge of regulatory guidelines and standards for pharmaceutical process development and manufacturing and cGMP and SHE requirements practices

• Consistent track record of developing diverse, high performing organizations and teams with high standards for scientific excellence, driving innovation and operational effectiveness

• Skilled in managing complex stakeholder relationships, leading transformative initiatives, and ensuring rapid, high-impact decision-making.

• Strong business acumen, with the ability to proactively identify and resolve issues that influence business direction and drive changes within the industry or discipline.

• Strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities, complemented by strong financial acumen and budget management experience.

Who we are

A healthier future drives us to innovate. Together, more than 100’000 employees across the globe are dedicated to advance science, ensuring everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Our efforts result in more than 26 million people treated with our medicines and over 30 billion tests conducted using our Diagnostics products. We empower each other to explore new possibilities, foster creativity, and keep our ambitions high, so we can deliver life-changing healthcare solutions that make a global impact.

Let’s build a healthier future, together.

Roche is an Equal Opportunity Employer.