Role Purpose

Lead Japan’s Technology organization as a hands-on technologist and business partner who accelerates strategic outcomes through simplification, automation, and data‑driven decisioning. This role combines product engineering leadership with stakeholder partnership to deliver measurable business impact at speed. The leader embeds Technology into the affiliate’s planning and execution rhythms, proactively shaping “what good looks like” with the business and ensuring reliable execution against the Forward 12‑Quarter (F12Q) roadmap.

 

What Success Looks Like (12-18 Months)

Execution at speed: Deliver the agreed F12Q technology portfolio with >85% on‑time, on‑scope outcomes; reduce average cycle time for priority initiatives by 30%.

Simplification & automation: Re‑engineer ≥8 high‑volume processes; realise ≥5,000 hours of annual manual effort reduction through Power Platform, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and workflow elimination; publish a simple benefits tracker viewed monthly at Japan Operations Committee (JOC).

Data & Artificial Intelligence (AI) enablement: Stand up a governed data and AI foundation (e.g., Databricks/Genie SQL, Microsoft 365 (M365) Copilot guardrails) with ≥5 production use cases demonstrating clear business value.

Operating model uplift: Establish a three‑tier capability model (Local Solutions & Operations; Business Partnering/Technical Translation; Strategic Product & Architecture). Clarify RACI with Transformation Office and Business Excellence; improve internal Net Promoter Score (NPS) of Technology by ≥15 pts.

Team capability: Shift the team composition and ways of working toward an engineering‑first, product organization; achieve ≥2x growth in in‑house build capability (cloud, integration, Power Platform) while leveraging AIN India as a right‑sourced extension of the team.



Key Responsibilities

1) Strategy & Business Partnership

Serve as a strategic thought partner to the GM, Transformation Office, and Business Excellence; co‑shape quarterly priorities and the F12Q roadmap that balance near‑term execution with long‑term platform bets.

Translate business problems into simple, testable product increments with clear KPIs; bring forward options and recommendations (not just status).

Run light‑weight, evidence‑based governance (monthly steering / benefits reviews) with a focus on outcomes and decision velocity.



2) Product Engineering & Delivery

Evolve Japan Technology team to a product‑centric, engineering‑led model; stand up durable product teams (e.g., Automation & Workflow; Data & Insights; Field & Healthcare Professional (HCP) Engagement; Core Platforms).

Set and enforce engineering standards (architecture runway, Application Programming Interface (API)‑first integration, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD), automated testing, Service‑Level Objectives (SLOs)/observability, security by design).

Lead delivery across a mixed portfolio: low‑code (Power Platform), Software as a Service (SaaS) (Veeva, Microsoft 365 (M365)), cloud services (Azure/Databricks), and integration (MuleSoft/Logic Apps).



3) Data, Analytics & AI

Partner with Global Commercial Data & Analytics (CDNA) as the product owner of the commercial data stack, and with Global Data & Analytics (GDNA) and Regional Technology data teams that operate and extend the underlying platforms. Leverage the global CDNA platform - adopting common models, governed pipelines, and self‑service semantics - while shaping and prioritising Japan‑specific needs (local sources, rules, semantics) through CDNA/GDNA backlogs and change control. Deliver Japan use cases on the global stack to enable fast insight generation and responsible AI.

Partner with Compliance and Security to define AI guardrails; prioritize applied AI/automation use cases with measurable ROI.



4) Portfolio, Planning & Execution

Own the affiliate F12Q technology plan and Objectives and Key Results (OKRs); maintain a single, transparent view of demand vs. capacity (incl. AIN India, contractors) and trade‑offs.

Operate with Agile/Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) principles scaled pragmatically; run quarterly planning, sprint reviews, and retros that drive learning and speed.



5) Stakeholder Engagement & Governance

Create a simple service catalogue and Roles and Responsibilities (R&R) model that clarifies “who does what” across Local Tech, AIN India, Regional/Global, and the Transformation Office.

Proactively communicate progress, risks, and benefits to senior stakeholders (Japan Operations Committee (JOC) / Japan Commercial Council (JCC) / Affiliate Management Team (AMT)); publish a monthly one‑page benefits dashboard.



6) Service Management & Reliability

Ensure stable run operations (incident, problem, change) with clear Service‑Level Agreements (SLAs)/Service‑Level Objectives (SLOs) and continual improvement; eliminate chronic issues through engineering fixes, not workarounds.



7) Talent, Culture & Ways of Working

Hire, develop, and retain builders: cloud engineers, integration developers, automation specialists, data engineers, and product owners.

Foster a culture of ownership, simplicity, and psychological safety; coach managers to delegate effectively and grow successors.



8) Sourcing & Vendor/Partner Management

Right‑source with AIN India as a dedicated capacity pool for Japan; define intake, quality gates, documentation, and knowledge‑transfer expectations.

Manage strategic partners and SOWs for value, speed, and accountability; reduce vendor dependency by increasing internal capability.



9) Security, Risk & Compliance

Meet or exceed Amgen security/privacy standards (Information Security Risk Assessment (ISRA)/Third‑Party Risk Assessment (TPRA), change control); maintain audit‑ready artefacts and risk registers; partner early with QA/Compliance.