Chief of Staff

At APC & VLE Therapeutics, The Medicine Accelerator, we are transforming medicine development & manufacture through breakthrough science, industry first digitalisation and science-led manufacturing. The Medicine Accelerator Group has grown organically since our inception in 2011, with our value chain in Pharma R&D, Manufacturing and Digital products and services expanding over time. We are currently the largest employer of pharma R&D scientists in Ireland and have created a HQ, The Medicine Accelerator Campus, symbolic of our ambition to transform the medicine development possibilities for patients.

As we look to the €100M Medicine Accelerator Campus expansion key considerations within our Strategic Growth Plan are being diagnosed, agreed and delivered. The Chief of Staff Role is seen as a pivotal role in supporting the delivery of our strategic growth plan, cultural evolution and much more. Helping the leadership team and total organisation close the gap on our growth plans direction, scaling workstreams, key strategic initiatives, associated change management and measurable performance against our strategy. 

Purpose of the Role

The Chief of Staff (CoS) is a strategic partner to the CEO and broader management team, acting as a force multiplier to ensure the smooth execution of the company’s strategic growth plan and associated scaling workstreams and priorities. This role requires a high degree of business acumen, operational insight, and interpersonal effectiveness. The Chief of Staff streamlines executive activities, drives cross-functional alignment across our growth plan, and ensures the leadership team is focused, informed, and accountable.

Reporting directly to the CEO, the CoS will work closely with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and functional and areas owners to ensure we optimise our total change management associated to our growth plan.

Key Impact on the Business

• Enables the CEO and senior leadership to operate at peak strategic efficiency.
• Aligns organizational focus around key initiatives and operational priorities.
• Enhances decision-making through the preparation of insights, reporting, and analysis, resulting in better planning and ultimately conversion of ideas into actions
• Ensures internal communication and collaboration at all levels is streamlined and effective.
• Improves executive time allocation and priority management.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Planning & Execution

• Drive the development, delivery, communication, and tracking of strategic growth plan initiatives.
• Connects strategy across all aspects of the business, existing, developing and new ventures.
• Ensure alignment across departments on strategic goals and deliverables.
• Co-ordination of Board papers and associated preparation. Board level actions and minutes, co-ordination and delivery.
• Lead special projects and cross-functional initiatives on behalf of the CEO.

Executive Support

• Serve as a trusted advisor and right-hand to the CEO.
• Prepare briefing materials, presentations, and talking points.
• Represent the CEO in key internal and external meetings where appropriate.

Delivery of Growth Plan/Operational Alignment

• Co-ordination of Growth Plan delivery, Scaling Challenges Workstream, Leadership Model, Basecamps etc.
• Facilitate leadership team meetings, track actions and outcomes.
• Coordinate quarterly and annual planning cycles, business reviews, monthly business reports and KPI tracking.
• Identify inefficiencies and support business process improvements.

Stakeholder Communication

• Manage internal and external communications from the CEO.
• Site wide communication: own, co-ordinate and deliver enhanced site communication strategy to enhance Teams understanding of plans, challenges and needs.
• Interface with board members, investors, and key partners as needed.
• Ensure timely and consistent flow of information across teams.

Organizational Culture & Leadership

• Drive employee engagement initiatives in partnership with HR, strengthening cultural cohesion in a complex and evolving environment.
• Be a cultural ambassador, reinforcing leadership values and behaviours.
• Maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive matters with discretion.

Working Relationships

• Internal: Regular interaction with the CEO, executive team, and department heads.
• External: Frequent communication with external partners, clients, and stakeholders.

Ideal Candidate Profile

Experience

• 15 + years of experience in management consulting, strategic operations, executive advisory roles, or senior project management.
• Experience in fast-paced, complex environments; ideally within scaling businesses or multinational organizations. A knowledge of Tech, Pharma, Biotech, Life Science Business or strategy consulting would be advantageous.

Skills & Competencies Required for this role.

• High emotional intelligence with an ability to understand team dynamics within a broad ecosystem (internally and externally) while using diplomacy and discretion.
• Exceptional communication skills, both in capability and delivery, appropriate to the audience
• Sound judgement and demonstrated integrity of action.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and changing priorities and is comfortable pivoting quickly without losing effectiveness of direction and delivery
• Ability to influence without authority across all levels of the organization.
• Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities.
• High degree of business acumen and operational insight including the ability to process and synthesise large volumes of information to enable better informed decisions
• Proven experience delivering Change Management initiatives and proven reliability in terms of delivery on commitments made.

Education

Bachelor's degree required; Master's in Business Administration (MBA) or similar field preferred.