XD Lab Lead, DD&T, Chengdu

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Job Description

ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Lead design and ecosystem innovation efforts in Takeda China Innovation Center by planning and driving strategic workshops, sprints, and user research in collaboration with XD Labs Global Network.
• Build and maintain strong partnerships with internal and external stakeholders to identify digital opportunities and prioritize business-aligned solutions.
• Oversee co-development, commercialization, and go-to-market strategies for digital solutions in collaboration with strategic partners and ICC colleagues.
• Champion Design Thinking, human-centered design, and agile methodologies to strengthen organizational innovation capabilities.
• Drive training programs and workshops utilizing AI and digital tools, fostering team growth and embedding innovation-focused practices across the organization.
• Guide and oversee XD Labs events, ensuring alignment with strategic goals and enhancing visibility and engagement with both internal and external audiences.
• Enhance XD Labs’ impact by leveraging new communication channels and creative platforms to amplify its presence within Takeda.
• Optimize Design Operations and internal processes to align with organizational objectives, ensuring smooth execution of innovation initiatives.
• Collaborate with Takeda Spark on discovery projects and New Product Development to ensure successful delivery of Target Digital Product Profiles.
• Bridge the China digital innovation ecosystem with global teams including Digital Health, Digital Product Excellence, and Digital Business Development.

DIMENSIONS AND ASPECTS ：

• Over 10 years of leadership experience in service design, design strategy, digital ecosystem development and/or driving innovation at an organizational level.
• Proven expertise in guiding and overseeing user research, translating insights into strategic opportunities and business impact.
• Significant experience in the consulting industry, managing external partnerships, and aligning collaborations with organizational goals.
• Demonstrated experience in leading global teams and managing multidisciplinary groups, including Designers and Digital Partnership specialists, to deliver impactful results.
• Strong background in managing projects or teams within the digital health domain, with a focus on advancing innovation and business objectives.
• Visionary leader with a strategic mindset, capable of challenging the status quo and introducing new ways of working aligned with business and digital strategies.
• Skilled at building trusted relationships and influencing senior stakeholders across a global matrix organization to drive alignment and innovation.
• Deep understanding of emerging technologies and innovation trends, applying them to advance Takeda’s digital and business priorities.

Leadership

• Demonstrates strong leadership with excellent self-management, time management, and program management skills, capable of driving complex initiatives at a strategic level.
• Possesses advanced analytical and strategic thinking abilities, with strong business acumen to understand and align with organizational priorities and digital innovation goals.
• Skilled at communicating and influencing at all levels of the organization, fostering alignment and driving transformational change and new ways of working.
• A collaborative leader who fosters teamwork and innovation by working closely with multidisciplinary teams, including Designers and Digital Partnership specialists, to deliver impactful solutions.
• Strongly customer-oriented, with exceptional organizational skills and a creative, forward-thinking mindset to unlock new opportunities.
• Brings an enthusiastic and inspiring leadership style, motivating others to embrace a culture of innovation and excellence.
• Provides strong people leadership by empowering, mentoring, and developing team members to reach their full potential and drive organizational success.

Innovation

• Demonstrated ability to think creatively and develop unique, forward-thinking solutions to complex challenges.
• Expertise in identifying business or user needs, analyzing root causes, and driving innovative, impactful outcomes.
• Strong adaptability to embrace change and refine strategies to meet evolving organizational and market demands.
• Proven skill in leading diverse, cross-functional teams to foster a culture of innovation and collaboration.
• Willingness to take strategic, calculated risks and explore new ideas to advance digital health and design initiatives.
• Commitment to staying informed on emerging technologies, digital health trends, and design innovations, integrating these insights to drive progress.
• Responsibility for overseeing Innovation Operations, ensuring processes and initiatives align with organizational goals and strategies.

Complexity

• Manages global stakeholders both within and outside the organization.
• Understands and adheres to industry regulations and compliance standards.
  

EDUCATION, BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS:

Education

• 10+ years of experience leading service design efforts using human-centred design techniques.
• BA/BSc in Design, business, health management, business or related field. MA/MSc is preferred.
• Certification in Interaction Design, Human-Computer interaction or related field a plus

Skills and Behaviors

• Exceptional verbal, written, organizational, and interpersonal communication skills, with extensive experience creating executive-level communications and strategic business frameworks.
• Collaborative leader and team player with strong conflict resolution skills, able to navigate and engage with diverse cultures effectively.
• Proven ability to excel in high-performance, global corporate environments, quickly adapting to changing priorities and demonstrating tolerance for ambiguity.
• Skilled in process mapping, business alignment, and strategy workshops, with expertise in future thinking, system thinking, and other innovation methodologies.
• Extensive experience in planning and facilitating design workshops and innovation sprints, coupled with excellent presentation and storytelling abilities.
• Familiarity with highly regulated industries, with experience in the pharmaceutical or healthcare sector being a significant advantage.
• Strong understanding of Agile methodologies and digital product development processes, ensuring alignment with innovation and business strategies.
• Project and Product Management expertise is a valuable asset, supporting the execution and delivery of strategic initiatives.

What you’ll do: 

• Be human-centered: Advocate for the end-user through human-centered design methodologies (such as design research, service blueprinting, collaborative working sessions, rapid prototyping, etc.). 
• Create clarity: Visualize complex ideas into understandable concepts that evolve and enhance product and service experiences.
• Engage the Ecosystem: Build strong relationships with digital, academic and industry partners who share our co-creation vision for better health, brighter future.
• Bias towards action: Engage in portfolio prioritization to help set the strategy for the team. 
• Radical collaboration: Create and facilitate design-led workshops to engage and build alignment across different stakeholders, partners, and teams. 
• Storytelling: Radiate information and celebrate success and failure. 
• Be mindful of the process: Keep a critical eye on “how” we work, as well as “what” we are working on, and make improvements.

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