Global Head of Lab Systems & Automation

At GSK, we have bold ambitions for patients, aiming to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade. Our R&D focuses on discovering and delivering vaccines and medicines, combining our understanding of the immune system with cutting‑edge technology to transform people’s lives. GSK fosters a culture ambitious for patients, accountable for impact, and committed to doing the right thing, making sure that we focus our efforts on accelerating significant assets that meet patients’ needs and have the highest probability of success.

We’re uniting science, technology, and talent to get ahead of disease together. Our approach to R&D.

You will lead a global organization that designs, delivers and supports laboratory systems, automation and robotics for research and development. You will work with scientists, tech partners and quality teams to deliver reliable, secure and scalable solutions. You will guide strategy, manage risk and enable the lab to generate high quality structured data. We value people leadership, practical problem solving, and clear communication.

This role offers scope to grow, to shape technical direction across sites and to make meaningful impact on research that advances our mission of uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together.

PLEASE NOTE:

This career opportunity requires an on‑site office presence (minimum of two days a week) at one of the following GSK sites:
Cambridge, MA;
Siena, Italy or Rixensart, Belgium.

This role will provide YOU the opportunity to lead key activities to progress YOUR career. These responsibilities include some of the following:

• Define and own the global strategy and roadmap for laboratory systems, automation and robotics across Vaccines R&D labs in Belgium, Italy, and United States.
• Lead end‑to‑end lifecycle management for laboratory computerized systems and automation‑robotics platforms.
• Partner with Scientists, Tech, Quality and Cybersecurity to design fit‑for‑purpose solutions that deliver robust, structured data.
• Build and develop a multi‑site team, manage external vendor relationships and oversee capital and operating investments.
• Drive continuous improvement through standards, validation practices, data integrity and adoption of pragmatic automation solutions.
• You will be accountable for operational delivery, technical leadership and stakeholder collaboration across lab automation and systems.
• Key focus areas will be people leadership, technical strategy, lifecycle management, and risk & compliance.

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Science, Engineering, or Information Technology.
• Minimum of 7 years operational experience managing laboratory systems and automation in validated and non‑validated environments.
• Minimum of 3 years line management experience leading multi‑site or global technical teams.
• Experience working with laboratory instrumentation, Lab Data Management Systems (LDMS), lab robotics‑automation platforms.
• Experience partnering with Tech, Quality and Cybersecurity teams to deliver compliant, reliable solutions.
• Strong stakeholder management skills and experience managing external vendors through full systems lifecycle.

• Advanced degree (Master’s, PhD or MBA) in a relevant discipline
• Background in computer system validation, data integrity principles and regulatory expectations.
• Experience implementing lab automation at scale, including design, commissioning and change control.
• Familiarity with cloud and edge architectures for lab data, and network segmentation approaches for cyber security.
• Experience managing capital programs and building business cases for technical investment.

We look for leaders who communicate clearly, build trust and enable teams to do their best work. You will be pragmatic, accountable and focused on outcomes. You will welcome different perspectives and create an inclusive environment where people can grow. You will balance scientific needs with technical risk and governance. You will be comfortable working directly with scientists and with senior leaders.

• If you are based in Cambridge,…