Director, Change Management - Labs of Tomorrow

By clicking the “Apply” button, I understand that my employment application process with Takeda will commence and that the information I provide in my application will be processed in line with Takeda’s Privacy Notice and Terms of Use .  I further attest that all information I submit in my employment application is true to the best of my knowledge. Job Description Purpose / Overview Takeda is seeking a strategic and execution-focused Change Management leader to drive adoption and value realization for the Labs of Tomorrow initiative across Research. Reporting to the Head of Research Program Management, this role is accountable for ensuring that transformation efforts—including lab automation, digital enablement, and new operating models—are not only delivered, but adopted, embedded, and sustained to achieve measurable impact. This role operates as a peer to Labs of Tomorrow Program Managers, where the PMs own delivery and this role owns adoption, behavior change, and value realization. This is not a passive support role. The incumbent will drive change across the organization, challenge legacy ways of working, identify barriers to adoption, and ensure that transformation efforts result in measurable improvements in research productivity, operational efficiency, decision velocity, and organizational readiness. Key Responsibilities / Accountabilities Change Management Leadership Lead and drive change management strategies for the Labs of Tomorrow program that includes lab automation, digital enablement, new operating models, and future transformation workstreams. Define change impacts, stakeholder needs, adoption risks, and behavior changes required for successful implementation. Ensure all initiatives have clear adoption, readiness, and value realization plans. Adoption of New Ways of Working Drive adoption of new cultural pillars, behaviors, processes, tools, and organizational practices across Research. Partner with workstream leads and PM counterparts to ensure impacted teams understand what is changing, why it matters, and how success will be measured. Identify resistance, ambiguity, and adoption gaps early; develop and execute targeted interventions to maintain momentum. Stakeholder Engagement Enable leaders to act as visible sponsors of change, reinforcing new behaviors Act as a central change management partner across Research, Digital / IT, Operations, Quality, Finance, Communications, HR / Talent, and senior leadership. Build alignment across diverse stakeholder groups and ensure leaders actively sponsor and reinforce required changes. Serve as a trusted advisor to Labs of Tomorrow leaders on stakeholder readiness, change risks, and adoption strategy. Communications & Training Develop audience-specific communications strategies for senior leaders, scientific teams, lab users, enabling functions, and impacted stakeholders. Translate complex cross-functional transformation information into clear, practical, and digestible formats. Design and deliver training, playbooks, onboarding materials, workshops, town halls, and engagement sessions that build capability and accelerate adoption. Program Integration Work in peer partnership Labs of Tomorrow PMs to integrate change milestones, stakeholder dependencies, and adoption risks into broader program plans. Provide a “wide-angle lens” on cross-functional change impacts that may affect execution, adoption, or sustainability. Support governance materials and executive updates by clearly communicating adoption progress, change risks, decisions needed, and mitigation plans. Metrics & Continuous Improvement Ensure transformation efforts translate into measurable improvements in productivity, efficiency, and decision velocity. Define and monitor change adoption metrics, including readiness, engagement, behavior adoption, tool usage, training effectiveness, stakeholder sentiment, and realized impact. Conduct regular readiness assessments and use feedback to refine change interventions. Capture lessons learned and codify repeatable change management practices for future Labs of Tomorrow initiatives. Qualifications Education Sound scientific knowledge with Bachelor’s degree 18 years, MS 16 years or PhD 10 years in Science or Management related discipline Expected of 5-7 years of change management experience with experience in early drug discovery (e.g., target identification, hit to-lead stages) and late drug discovery (e.g., candidate stage, preclinical/IND enabling stages) in the capacity as a program manager. Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification and/or Change Management certification (e.g., Prosci, CCMP) required Experience Experience in biopharma R&D, lab operations, digital transformation, automation, or research operations strongly preferred. Demonstrated experience interacting with senior executives and influencing cross-functional stakeholders in a matrixed environment. Strong understanding of organizational change management methodologies and practical application in complex scientific or technical environments. Experience developing stakeholder engagement plans, readiness assessments, communication strategies, training plans, and adoption metrics. Ability to integrate change management with project management disciplines, including planning, risk management, dependency tracking, milestone tracking, governance, and budget oversight. Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret adoption data and translate insights into action. Familiarity with lab automation, digital workflow tools, R&D transformation, or change management platforms preferred. Leadership & Soft Skills Exceptional leadership, communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills. Ability to influence, negotiate, and build consensus across multiple levels of the organization. Comfortable challenging the status quo and driving adoption of new behaviors and operating