Associate Director, CAPTIVATE (Planisware) Business Administrator

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Job Description

Are you looking for a patient-focused, innovation-driven company that will inspire you and empower you to shine? Join us as an Associate Director, CAPTIVATE (Planisware) Business Administrator in our Cambridge, MA office.

At Takeda, we are transforming the pharmaceutical industry through our R&D-driven market leadership and being a values-led company. To do this, we empower our people to realize their potential through life-changing work. Certified as a Global Top Employer, we offer stimulating careers, encourage innovation, and strive for excellence in everything we do. We foster an inclusive, collaborative workplace, in which our global teams are united by an unwavering commitment to deliver Better Health and a Brighter Future to people around the world.

Here, you will be a vital contributor to our inspiring, bold mission.

POSITION OBJECTIVES:

The CAPTIVATE (Planisware) Business Administrator serves as the business owner and subject matter expert for the Planisware Enterprise platform, ensuring it effectively supports pharmaceutical R&D project planning, portfolio management, resource planning, and financial forecasting. This role bridges business and IT, combining deep understanding of project and portfolio management processes with hands-on system administration expertise to drive configuration, compliance, adoption, and continuous optimization. The individual in this role enables strategic, data-driven decision-making across research, clinical development, and commercialization.

This role ensures the platform operates as a strategic enabler for project management, portfolio planning, resource management, and financial forecasting and delivers real-time insights, compliance readiness, and operational efficiency across the portfolio.

POSITION ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Business Engagement & Requirements Management

• Function as the primary business owner of the CAPTIVATE Planisware platform for business related opportunities and partner with IT for technical system/product ownership responsibilities.  
• Partner with stakeholders across R&D, finance, and operations to capture, analyze, and translate business requirements into functional specifications and user stories.
• Assess feasibility of enhancement requests and recommend solutions aligned with Planisware capabilities and best practices.
• Support portfolio governance and compliance with corporate standards and regulatory expectations.

Business Administration & Configuration

• Configure, maintain, and optimize Planisware Enterprise modules including, planning, scheduling, cost management, resource allocation, and portfolio reporting.
• Manage workflows, formulas, algorithms, templates, KPIs, dashboards, and reports to support portfolio planning, scenario modeling, and decision-making.
• Administer user roles, access rights, and security settings in alignment with governance and compliance requirements.
• Oversee daily system operations and data quality including refining a backlog and partnering with IT Administrator on upgrades, patches, releases, and system health checks.

Data, Integration & Performance

• Lead and conduct regular data integrity audits and implement data quality checks
• In partnership with IT Product Administrator, support and coordinate integrations with ERP (e.g., SAP), CTMS, Workday, BI tools, and other enterprise systems to ensure unified and reliable data flow.
• Plan and execute unit testing, integration testing, and user acceptance testing (UAT) for new releases and enhancements.
• Troubleshoot and resolve system issues in collaboration with IT teams and external vendors.

Resource & Financial Planning Support

• Develop and maintain resource forecasting and cost estimation models using Planisware’s parametric estimation algorithms and PTRS (Probability of Technical and Regulatory Success) capabilities.
• Support annual operating planning, budgeting, forecasting, and portfolio optimization through scenario planning and risk modeling.
• Enable accurate financial and resource insights to inform strategic trade-off decisions.

User Support, Training & Change Management

• Provide day-to-day user support and how-to assistance.
• Develop and maintain user documentation, FAQs, and training materials.
• Deliver onboarding, training, and UAT support for new users, features, and releases.
• Partner with super-user network to drive adoption, consistency, and compliance.
• Create and facilitate the CAPTIVATE Business Working Group (BWG) to support ongoing engagement and continuous improvement.

Continuous Improvement

• Stay current with Planisware product enhancements, new versions, and industry best practices.
• Lead adoption of new functionality and process improvements that enhance usability, performance, and business value.

EDUCATION, BEHAVIORAL COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences, Business Administration, Information Systems, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 7–10 years of experience in pharma R&D operations or portfolio management.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience with Planisware or comparable PPM platforms.
• Strong understanding of the clinical development lifecycle, portfolio governance, and regulatory considerations.
• Planisware Administrator certification (Associate or Specialist).
• Experience with ERP systems (e.g., SAP), BI tools (Power BI, Tableau), and enterprise integrations.

This position is currently classified as “ hybrid” in accordance with Takeda’s Hybrid and Remote Work policy.

Empowering Our People to Shine

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Takeda Compensation and Benefits Summary

We understand compensation is an important factor as you consider the next step in your career. We are committed to equitable pay for all employees, and we strive to be more transparent with our pay practices.

For Location:

Boston, MA

U.S. Base Salary Range:

$153,600.00 - $241,340.00

The estimated salary range reflects an anticipated range for this position. The actual base salary offered may depend on a variety of factors, including the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, specific and unique skills, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job. The actual base salary offered will be in accordance with state or local minimum wage requirements for the job location. 

U.S. based employees may be eligible for short-term and/ or long-term incentives. U.S. based employees may be eligible to participate in medical, dental, vision insurance, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, a tuition reimbursement program, paid volunteer time off, company holidays, and well-being benefits, among others. U.S. based employees are also eligible to receive, per calendar year, up to 80 hours of sick time, and new hires are eligible to accrue up to 120 hours of paid vacation. 

EEO Statement

Takeda is proud in its commitment to creating a diverse workforce and providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, parental status, national origin, age, disability, citizenship status, genetic information or characteristics, marital status, status as a Vietnam era veteran, special disabled veteran, or other protected veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws, and any other characteristic protected by law.

Locations

Boston, MA

Worker Type

Employee

Worker Sub-Type

Regular

Time Type

Full time

Job Exempt

Yes

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.