Senior Director, Head Launch Excellence
Career Category
MarketingJob Description
Join our team at AMGEN Capability Center Portugal, consistently recognized among the top companies in the Best Workplaces™ ranking by Great Place to Work® in Portugal. In 2026, we were once again distinguished as one of the top Best Workplaces in the country (category 201-500 employees), reinforcing our commitment to an exceptional employee experience and workplace culture.
We are a team of over 500 talented individuals, spanning more than 30 functions and areas of expertise, and representing over 40 nationalities. Together, we bring diverse perspectives and professional backgrounds to help shape the future of healthcare through innovation and technology.
This is your opportunity to explore a world of possibilities across areas such as Data & Analytics, Digital, Technology & Innovation, Cybersecurity, R&D Operations, Global Distribution, Finance, Regulatory Affairs, General & Administrative, Human Resources, and many more.
Located in the heart of Lisbon, our AMGEN office fosters a culture of innovation, excellence, and purpose. Come thrive with us at AMGEN, supporting our mission To Serve Patients.
What we do at AMGEN matters in people’s lives
SENIOR DIRECTOR, HEAD LAUNCH EXCELLENCE
LIVE
WHAT YOU WILL DO
The Senior Director, Head Launch Excellence is a strategic and operationally experienced serial launch leader in Amgen's Global Marketing organization, bringing pattern recognition from multiple biopharmaceutical launches to shape and run Launch Excellence (LEX) as a practical global launch operating capability.
This role partners across Global, Regional and Affiliate teams to establish an enterprise LEX capability as part of the Global with Local (GwL) model. The LEX lead will define hands-on, guided and self-service support levels, identify critical-path risks early and build the Launch Excellence capability in the Amgen India Capability Center (AIN), including AI-enabled automation for repeatable launch activities.
The responsibilities of the role will include:
LEX Operating Model Leadership
Define and operationalize the LEX operating model, including launch-clock scope, global-to-local handoffs, governance, decision rights, service levels and escalation paths.
Launch Readiness Standards & Launch Judgment
Set quality standards for launch readiness planning, milestone preparation, LRRs, leadership touchpoints, risk and decision logs and launch performance, using serial launch judgment to pressure-test plans.
Global-to-Local Marketing Integration
Partner with Global teams, ABM, regions and affiliates to translate launch strategy into high-quality launch preparation, integrated launch plans and practical market activation support. Partner with Marketing and ABM teams to identify and close launch-specific guidance and process gaps.
Service-Level & Market Archetype Management
Implement clear rules for hands-on, guided and self-service LEX support based on brand priority, market relevance, launch complexity, critical-path risk and escalation triggers.
AIN Capability Center Leadership
Hire, onboard and manage the AIN Launch Excellence team, setting role clarity, intake processes, service menus, quality expectations and ways of working with Global, Regional and Market teams. This team acts as the scalable delivery engine for LEX, with clear interfaces to Global, Regional and Market stakeholders.
Tools, Templates & AI Enablement
Build and maintain practical LEX assets such as launch dashboards, LRR tools, quality checks, GM checklists, self-assessments, KPI dictionary, playbooks and AI-enabled workflows.
Governance, Reporting & Risk Management
Establish launch readiness routines, readiness heatmaps, KPI definitions, risk triggers, decision records and escalation mechanisms that give senior leaders clear visibility into launch readiness and trade-offs.
Learning Loop & Capability Building
Develop onboarding, learning modules, communities of practice, reusable launch cases, after-action reviews and post-launch retrospectives so learnings scale across brands and markets. Establish global launch forums to share lessons learned and best practices across brands, accelerating cross-brand learning for teams working toward similar launch timelines.
Stakeholder Engagement
Location / Travel: This role is being posted in multiple locations, including the US, India and Europe. Travel expected ~0-20%.
WIN
WHAT WE EXPECT OF YOU
We are all different, yet we all use our unique contributions to serve patients. The professional we seek is an individual with these qualifications.
Minimum requirements
- Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.
- Extensive biopharmaceutical commercial experience, ideally 12-15+ years across global, regional and local marketing and commercial roles.
- Demonstrated serial launch track record: personally led, shaped or played a senior cross-functional role in multiple product launches across brands, markets and launch archetypes.
- Direct experience leading launch excellence, launch readiness, launch operations or multi-market execution, including integrated launch plans, critical-path milestones, risk mitigation and launch governance.
- Proven people management experience, including building teams, setting operating models and coaching talent in complex matrix environments.
- Demonstrated ability to engage senior stakeholders, influence across functions and communicate clearly with executive audiences.
- Strong project management, organizational and analytical skills, with comfort using dashboards, KPIs and risk-based decision-making.
- Experience with digital tools, dashboards, AI-enabled workflows or automation in commercial operations, launch readiness or launch execution preferred.
Preferred requirements
- Serial launch leadership: Proven pattern recognition from multiple biopharmaceutical launches, with the ability to pressure-test plans, anticipate risks and know what good readiness looks like across launch types and markets.
- Global and local marketing expertise: Deep experience across global brand strategy, regional translation and local execution, ideally across launch, in-line and lifecycle brands.
- People leadership: Demonstrated success hiring, leading and developing teams, ideally including offshore or capability-center teams.
- Strategic and operational judgment: Ability to connect brand strategy, launch sequencing, market needs, governance, milestones and execution into a practical operating model.
- Stakeholder influence: Strong credibility with senior leaders and ability to align Global, Regional and Market stakeholders without relying on formal authority.
- Pragmatic innovation mindset: Ability to apply AI, automation, dashboards and knowledge management to improve speed, quality and reuse.
THRIVE
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT OF US
As we work to develop treatments that take care of others, we also care deeply for our teammates’ well-being and growth.
Vast opportunities to learn, develop, and move up and across our global organization.
Diverse and inclusive community of belonging, where colleagues are empowered to bring ideas to the table, take risks, and act.
Generous AMGEN Total Rewards Plan comprising healthcare, finance, wealth, and career benefits.
Flexible work arrangements.
The median gross pay for this role in the posted location is EUR 145,000. Actual pay will vary based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant skills, experience, and qualifications.
APPLY NOW
Objects in your future are closer than they appear. Join us.
CAREERS.AMGEN.COM
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT
AMGEN is an Equal Opportunity employer and will consider you without regard to your race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request an accommodation.
.Salary Range
EUR - EUR