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Meet Maria Alvarez

We are thrilled to introduce one of our exceptional employees, Maria Alvarez, people development lead, Global Manufacturing & Supply, and Global Quality 'GMS/GQ'. Maria is a valuable member of our team and her contributions have been critical to the success of our organization.

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Our Career Moves series showcases the inspiring stories of individuals who have taken remarkable strides in their careers at Takeda across five career path categories.

Maria is a shining example of our Career Move - Expand

  • Venture into Uncharted Territories - Navigate diverse industries and roles to expand your skill set and perspectives.

  • Adaptability and Resilience - Thrive in dynamic environments, embracing change and challenges with an open mind.

  • Unique Perspective - Cultivate versatility and unconventional thinking, emerging as a pioneer with a distinctive outlook.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR CAREER MOVES

Describe an experience where you navigated diverse roles at Takeda. How did it broaden your skills?  

During my tenure at Takeda, I had the opportunity to navigate through various roles and functions, significantly enhancing my professional capabilities and understanding of the organization. 
 
This journey began with my role as a learning and development specialist in the Global HR team. Then, I transitioned to the people and culture change lead in GMS / GQ and moved into the learning and leadership development space. 
 
Each position provided me with invaluable insights and broadened my skill set in different ways, connecting with and learning from different colleagues, and understanding the different employee needs and realities, helped me develop my empathy and identify how I could best contribute to our people's experience. 

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How do you show resilience and adaptability in Takeda's dynamic environment?

Developing relationships with colleagues, stakeholders and peers has always been an anchor, as you develop trust and partnership for the long term, especially when facing challenges or tackling complex situations, as it is easier to ask for support or raise a concern to talk things through. 
 
I do not think everyone always has the answers. I rather look at each of us as having a unique piece of the puzzle, and together, we can make it work. 
 
Also, holistically, I normally try to take a step back and look at the bigger picture, how at the end of the day, we want to help our patients and our people thrive to help our patients. 
 
Breaking up challenges or problems and taking them one by one is a simple and very tactical tip I'd give to anyone. 

Share an example of moving between functions at Takeda. What skills did you gain or transfer?  

Moving from Global HR to GMS/GQ and learning about the diverse employee population, functions, types of roles, cultures, realities and learning needs and preferences was an enriching experience. 
It helped me develop empathy, become more agile and strengthen my communication and business partnership skills. 

I really enjoy working closely with business leaders and employees when it comes to their development journey as individuals and as teams. 
 
This move also allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the business operations and strategies, as well as the importance of aligning HR initiatives with the overall business goals. 
 
I have also been able to transfer my expertise in talent development and employee engagement from the HR function to GMS/GQ, bringing an enterprise perspective while combining it with local and functional needs.

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Can you highlight a project where your role exploration directly benefited Takeda?

One project I am particularly proud of was the relaunch of the ExecOnline program portfolio in FY23. This initiative was aimed at making our learning programs more relevant and accessible to our employees and leaders. 
 
We tailored the programs by specific skills and employee populations, which enhanced the democratization of learning within our organization as we aim to create a lifelong learning culture tied closely to our re-skilling efforts. This approach provided more transparency and increased accountability among employees and leaders for their development. 
 
As a result of these efforts, we saw a remarkable 186% increase in enrollments, doubled the number of single learners utilizing ExecOnline and led to more than 4,000 hours spent in learning. Our satisfaction rate soared to 86%, reflecting the positive impact and engagement from participants. 
 
We are not only providing different types of programs based on skills, levels and depth but also learning beyond on-demand and class training – we introduced peer-to-peer learning through group coaching, which for a collaborative learning environment. 

How do you collaborate with colleagues from various areas to drive innovation at Takeda?  

I try to build and maintain my network of colleagues, having regular catch-ups, asking for input and brainstorming together. These colleagues can also suggest other peers or partners to tap into or socialize ideas with. Creating trustful partnerships helps me encourage an open dialogue where we can raise concerns, ask for support and bring up any questions. 
 
It is also great to be part of innovative ways of working such as design thinking, where I was able to participate in a project with other HR colleagues and involve employees in the actual prototypes to solve complex and employee-focused challenges. 

Takeda Career Moves

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