Associate Director - Business Process Management & Operational Excellence

About this role

Join our Mission to Protect Humankind!

Vaxcyte is a clinical-stage vaccine innovation company engineering high-fidelity vaccines to protect humankind from the consequences of bacterial diseases, which have serious and costly health consequences when left unchecked. Working to eradicate or treat bacterial infections such as invasive pneumococcal disease, Group A Strep, and Shigella is just the beginning. Our path to success is clear and well-defined, and Vaxcyte is set up to go the distance.

WHAT we do is every bit as important as HOW we do it! Our work together is guided by four enduring core values:

\*RETHINK CONVENTION: We bring creative and intellectual diversity to every facet of the work we do in order to innovate and re-innovate the way vaccines are delivered.

\*AIM HIGH: We embody our collectively audacious goal to courageously make the most complex biologics ever attempted to protect humankind.

\*LEAD WITH HEART: Everyone leads at Vaxcyte with a kindness-first, inclusive approach to collaboration and vigorous debate that advances our business objectives.

\*MODEL EXCELLENCE: The magnitude of our challenge requires our shared commitment to demonstrating integrity, accountability, equality and clarity across communications and decision making.

Summary:

This role within Technical Operations’ Capabilities & Business Operations function is critical for strengthening how Technical Operations translates strategy into executable work and builds repeatable, scalable ways of working as the organization advances toward commercialization and future growth.

This role partners closely with Technical Operations leaders and cross-functional teams across Vaxcyte to shape strategic priorities into well-defined initiatives, strengthen end-to-end business processes and operating practices, and improve execution readiness through continuous improvement. The Principal also leads select high-priority cross-functional initiatives where additional coordination, specialized expertise, or execution capacity creates the greatest business value.

The successful candidate brings a combination of business process management, operational excellence, strategy realization, and strong cross-functional execution capability. A core expectation of the role is that every initiative strengthens both business outcomes and organizational capability - building better processes, clearer governance, stronger ways of working, and reusable learning through the work itself.

Essential Functions:

Strategy Realization & Execution Readiness:

• Partner with leaders to translate Technical Operations strategy and priorities into executable initiatives, with clear roadmaps, milestones, ownership, governance, decision rights, and measures of success.
• Establish and apply project-shaping and execution-readiness practices so high-priority work is well defined, resourced, governed, and ready before execution begins.
• Support demand intake and prioritization by helping leaders assess business value, readiness, dependencies, risk, resource implications, and sequencing.
• Connect strategy, priorities, and execution by identifying gaps, interdependencies, and decisions needed to move work forward.

Business Process Management & Operational Excellence:

• Design, map, optimize, and sustain end-to-end business processes and cross-functional workflows that improve execution, scalability, and clarity across Technical Operations.
• Establish practical process ownership, governance, operating rhythms, roles, decision rights, and performance measures where they create value.
• Identify operational friction, duplication, bottlenecks, and handoff gaps, and simplify work across functional boundaries.
• Lead continuous-improvement efforts using fit-for-purpose problem-solving and process-improvement methods, applying Lean/Six Sigma tools where useful without limiting the role to a single methodology.
• Capture lessons learned, codify best practices, and build repeatable processes and playbooks that reduce dependence on individual effort or expertise.

Cross-Functional Initiative Leadership:

• Lead select high-priority cross-functional initiatives that call for neutral leadership, organizational coordination, specialized expertise, or added execution capacity.
• Facilitate complex cross-functional decisions, working sessions, and problem-solving efforts that build alignment and accelerate action.
• Strengthen the interfaces between Technical Operations and other functions so interdependent work stays integrated while functional ownership remains clear.
• Build trusted relationships with leaders and technical experts, bringing an objective, business-minded perspective to execution challenges and tradeoffs.

Organizational Capability:

• Ensure major initiatives build organizational capability alongside near-term outcomes.
• Help leaders establish sustainable ways of working that strengthen accountability, decision-making, coordination, and operational performance.
• Partner with the Principal, Business Operations & Digital Enablement so business processes, portfolio visibility, data, systems, and digital solutions reinforce one another.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Operations, Engineering, Life Sciences, Organizational Development, or a related discipline; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in business process management, operational excellence, strategy execution, transformation, business operations, program leadership, or related disciplines.
• Experience in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical manufacturing, Technical Operations, or another complex regulated environment strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience designing and improving end-to-end business processes, including process architecture, process ownership, process mapping/redesign, governance, and performance management.
• Demonstrated ability to translate broad strategy into executable plans and lead complex cross-functional initiatives from ambiguity through execution.
• Strong understanding of operating models, governance, decision rights, continuous improvement, and organizational change and adoption.
• Exceptional facilitation, communication, problem-solving, and executive presentation skills, with the ability to influence without direct authority.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, evolving environment and move comfortably between strategic thinking and hands-on execution.
• Other combinations of education and/or experience may be considered.

Reports to:Executive Director, Commercialization Capabilities & Strategic Projects

Location:San Carlos, CA

Work Arrangement (may be adjusted based on business needs, job responsibilities, or changes to company policy):

Hybrid (minimum of 3 days per week onsite)

Compensation:

The compensation package will be competitive and includes comprehensive benefits and an equity component.

Salary Range: $170,000 - $200,000 (SF Bay Area). Salary ranges for non-California locations may vary.

Relocation:

This role is not eligible for relocation assistance.

Equal Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.