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Strategic Business Specialist
Charles River
Source: Headcount Labs · original listing ↗
Job data: Headcount Labs, ODbL 1.0. Job descriptions belong to their employers.
Posted Oct 27
About this role
For 75 years, Charles River employees have worked together to assist in the discovery, development and safe manufacture of new drug therapies. When you join our family, you will have a significant impact on the health and well-being of people across the globe. Whether your background is in life sciences, finance, IT, sales or another area, your skills will play an important role in the work we perform. In return, we’ll help you build a career that you can feel passionate about. Job Overview The Strategic Business Specialist is a key contributor responsible for researching, designing, and evaluating advanced system and data-driven solutions to support organisational strategy as well as daily operations for the CRL Manufacturing Organization. This role requires a highly analytical, detail-oriented professional with strong project management, communication, and collaboration skills, as well as a deep commitment to innovation within a rapidly evolving digital and scientific environment. The position is responsible for solving moderately to highly complex business and technical challenges through data analysis, business intelligence, and systems integration. The role identifies strategic opportunities and performance gaps, transforms complex data into actionable insights, and ensures the accurate interpretation, integrity, and visibility of key business metrics to support informed decision-making and continuous improvement. Responsibilities include defining assignment objectives, supporting long-range organisational goals, and delivering meaningful performance indicators to drive informed decision-making. Operating under general supervision, the role exercises sound judgment, a high level of proactivity, and accountability, with work occasionally reviewed for quality, accuracy, and strategic alignment. The Specialist collaborates cross-functionally and engages periodically with senior internal and external stakeholders on matters requiring coordination and alignment, while potentially mentoring associate-level team members. The ideal candidate combines substantial experience in business optimisation with advanced analytical capabilities, including expertise in data analysis, visualisation, business intelligence platforms, and data management technologies. They demonstrate strong business acumen and strategic insight, enabling them to translate complex data into actionable business recommendations. A proven commitment to data integrity, governance, and quality standards, coupled with high personal and professional integrity, is essential for success in this role. Job Description • Develop and execute comprehensive project management plans, ensuring clear, transparent communication across all organisational levels. • Design, build, and refine data queries by consolidating multiple data sources within business intelligence platforms; develop complex logic to support dashboards, workflows, and analytics across systems. • Coordinate the development of visual workflows, rigorously validate metric definitions, and enable stakeholders to accurately interpret data, minimising misinterpretation and reducing time to insight. • Identify key collaborators and facilitate cross-functional coordination to ensure alignment with strategic objectives and business goals. • Establish and maintain strong, long-term partnerships to support optimised systems integration; respond to management and executive inquiries with thorough analysis, research, and actionable recommendations. • Perform routine systems analysis and data compliance reviews to enhance performance, ensure data integrity, and proactively diagnose and resolve issues. • Lead the delivery of key performance indicators and operational metrics to stakeholders, identifying opportunities for optimisation and driving continuous improvement initiatives. • Promote awareness of business and system requirements across organisational units, identifying and addressing process inefficiencies and underperforming systems. • Monitor global performance metrics to detect outliers or adverse trends, proactively escalating risks to internal stakeholders and evaluating process constraints and bottlenecks. • Train, mentor, and support associate-level team members to strengthen analytical and technical capabilities. • Perform additional duties as assigned to support organisational objectives. Qualifications & Experience Education • A Master’s degree (M.A. or M.S.) or equivalent in biotechnology or the biological sciences, with demonstrated experience in data analysis and a strong affinity for information and computer technology. An equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience may be considered in lieu of a formal degree. • A Bachelor’s degree or higher in computer science or software engineering, with prior experience in data analysis, preferably within a GMP environment, or a computer science degree preferably complemented by professional experience in the biological sciences within a regulated setting. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be accepted in place of a degree. • Language proficiency: Fluency in English is required with additional European Language advantageous. Experience • High proficiency in at least one programming or data analytics language, such as Python, SQL, DAX, VBA, Power Query M, C++, or equivalent technologies, with the ability to develop scalable analytical solutions and automate business processes. • Strong proficiency in Excel and Power BI is required; experience with other business intelligence tools, such as Tableau, is also acceptable. • A minimum of 5 years of experience working in a business environment is required. • Demonstrated strategic business acumen and a proven ability to translate complex data into meaningful business insights that drive strategic decision-making. • Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Power Apps is highly desirable. • Demonstrated experience in developing and executing business strategies. • Proven capability in managing complex projects from initial conception through implementation. • Documented success in business optimisation initiatives and change management efforts. • Comprehensive knowledge and practical experience with optimisation and efficiency methodologies, such as Dynamic Work Design, Six Sigma, Agile, or similar frameworks. • Demonstrated analytical strength, including hands-on experience with data analysis and advanced data visualisation techniques. • Proven ability to manage and analyse large datasets; experience with SQL and database management is strongly preferred. • Experience with software implementation and system rollouts is preferred. • Prior experience working in a GMP-regulated environment is desirable. Geographic Variations Please note that this role is advertising across a number of locations and as such salaries and benefits vary based on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, education, certifications and geographic location. If you are interested in contributing to the well-being of our communities, not only across the country but around the world, please join us. This is Your Moment. About Biologics Testing Solutions With more than 50 years of experience and proven regulatory expertise, the Charles River Biologics group can address challenging projects for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies worldwide. Offering a variety of services such as contamination and impurity testing, protein characterzation, bioassays, viral clearance studies and stability and lot release programs, we support clients throughout the biologic development cycle, from the establishment and characterization of cell banks through preclinical and clinical studies to marketed products. Whether clients need stand-alone services, a unique package of testing, or insourced support, our Biologics group can create a custom solution to suit their needs. Each year more than 20,000 biologic testing reports are sent each and over 200 licenses products are supported by our biologics testing solutions team. About Charles River Charles River is an early-stage contract research organization (CRO). We have built upon our foundation of laboratory animal medicine and science to develop a diverse portfolio of discovery and safety assessment services, both Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and non-GLP, to support clients from target identification through preclinical development. Charles River also provides a suite of products and services to support our clients’ clinical laboratory testing needs and manufacturing activities. Utilizing this broad portfolio of products and services enables our clients to create a more flexible drug development model, which reduces their costs, enhances their productivity and effectiveness to increase speed to market. With over 20,000 employees within 110 facilities in over 20 countries around the globe, we are strategically positioned to coordinate worldwide resources and apply multidisciplinary perspectives in resolving our client’s unique challenges. Our client base includes global pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, government agencies and hospitals and academic institutions around the world. At Charles River, we are passionate about our role in improving the quality of people’s lives. Our mission, our excellent science and our strong sense of purpose guide us in all that we do, and we approach each day with the knowledge that our work helps to improve the health and well-being of many across the globe. We have proudly supported the development of 80% of the drugs approved by the FDA in the last five years. At Charles River Laboratories, we recognize and recruit all talent. We are a company committed to the principle of diversity and inclusion and work daily in this direction.