The Position

In Roche’s Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development organization (pRED), we make transformative medicines for patients in order to tackle some of the world’s toughest unmet healthcare needs. At pRED, we are united by our mission to transform science into medicines. Together, we create a culture defined by curiosity, responsibility and humility, where our talented people are empowered and inspired to bring forward extraordinary life-changing innovation at speed.

About the program

The Strategy Portfolio Career Kickstart (SPOCK) program provides an exciting opportunity to explore pRED at Roche. This two-year rotational program is designed to develop and accelerate early career high potential leaders with strong strategic capabilities. We aim to attract individuals with diverse educational, professional, and cultural backgrounds in order to increase diversity among Roche’s future leaders. Throughout the program, you will be mentored by a member of the pRED Leadership Team who will support you in your development.

Year One

Most of your first year in the SPOCK program will be spent in the Strategy, Portfolio & Operations group, who is responsible for optimizing the pRED portfolio by providing objective insights and guiding quality decision making to maximize R&D productivity. You will also be given the opportunity to discover your own path by working with teams across other functions in pRED.

First year key responsibilities may include:

• Performing business analyses in support of strategic cross-portfolio projects.

• Planning, coordinating, and overseeing the successful completion of projects within their defined scope and timeline.

• Supporting project teams working on molecules in early development, preparing for governance decisions and creating key deliverables.

Working closely with leaders across the pRED organization will help you identify potential focus areas that suit your interests for your second year rotation.

Year Two

You will be able to choose where you make your mark on pRED by contributing on high visibility projects and senior level challenges. pRED will benefit from your leadership skills and innovative mindset throughout your second year rotation.

Examples of previous SPOCK rotations include:

• Oncology Insights - Supporting the oncology strategy review and implementation, as well as the organization's efforts to identify external innovation trends and assets.

• Finance enterprise partner for the Discovery Leaders Committee - Responsible for delivering on the pRED research portfolio within affordable capacity limits.

• Product owner of core scientific technology platforms - Developing the framework for a new scientific organization to enable broader access to cutting-edge technologies.

Your profile

• You have one to four years experience in the medical, pharmaceutical or scientific industries, are a life sciences or data sciences graduate with an advanced degree (MBA and/or PhD desirable but not essential).

• You show a well-developed strategic and analytical mindset with a demonstrable ability to integrate and synthesize findings from multiple sources to enable informed strategic decision-making.

• Excellent oral communication and presentation skills are needed. You can explain your ideas, are persuasive, and can demonstrate new approaches to problems.

• You have a “can do” attitude, are collaborative and show flexibility to compromise. You are proactive, solution-oriented and have the ability to see the bigger picture.

• An experience of influencing in a matrix organization is a real asset for this role.

• You have the ability to develop special skills, are open to new ideas, demonstrate curiosity, and have a thoughtful understanding of how previous experiences have shaped your attitudes, beliefs and behavior.

We are looking for a person who thinks beyond the job offered – someone who knows that this position can be a rare springboard to many other opportunities at Roche.

Please include a cover letter outlining why you want to work with us, your specific interest in our program, and how you would contribute to our success.

Closing date for applications: 18th September 2023

There will be an optional drop in session on the 4th of September for an introduction to the program and an outline of the application process. You can sign up for the drop in session through this form .

Planned start date: Q1 2024

We’d like to let you know that for this recruitment process, we are going to invite you to an Online Assessment in case the first review of your application was successful.

Our commitment

Roche commits to recognising talent and aptitude. We prioritize encouraging and supporting our employees in their personal journeys by providing a safe, creative space to help them reflect, make decisions and grow in their career.

We are confident that we find the most innovative solutions by gaining different perspectives, asking and answering hard questions, and challenging the status quo. Roche embraces diversity and equal opportunity in a serious yet enthusiastic way; we are devoted to building a team that represents a range of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

Who we are

At Roche, more than 100,000 people across 100 countries are pushing back the frontiers of healthcare. Working together, we’ve become one of the world’s leading research-focused healthcare groups. Our success is built on innovation, curiosity and diversity.

Basel is the headquarters of the Roche Group and one of its most important centres of pharmaceutical research. Over 10,700 employees from over 100 countries come together at our Basel/Kaiseraugst site, which is one of Roche`s largest sites. Read more.

Besides extensive development and training opportunities, we offer flexible working options, 18 weeks of maternity leave and 10 weeks of gender independent partnership leave. Our employees also benefit from multiple services on site such as child-care facilities, medical services, restaurants and cafeterias, as well as various employee events.

We believe in the power of diversity and inclusion, and strive to identify and create opportunities that enable all people to bring their unique selves to Roche.

Roche is an Equal Opportunity Employer.