Senior Principal - Business Operations Manager

About the Team:
Enterprise Systems is the backbone of GSK’s internal operations in Digital & Tech, enabling GSK Global Functions teams such as Finance, Procurement, HR, Legal, Compliance, WREF, CGA and Corporate Secretariat to run seamlessly. This team designs and delivers cutting-edge digital platforms that power critical processes, ensuring efficiency, compliance, and scalability across the enterprise.
Enterprise Systems Management & Business Operations delivers digital solutions that support Enterprise Systems running as a high-performing organization. This team drives financial discipline, operational rigor and strategic alignment across the ES portfolio that safeguard GSK’s integrity and reputation globally. By joining this team, you’ll help shape systems that support thousands of employees worldwide, driving innovation and reliability in the tools that keep GSK moving forward.
Job Purpose:
GSK’s Global Supply Chain D&T team is the front facing business tech group supporting GSK’s critical business of Global Manufacturing across all product portfolios. The team comprises of multiple business tech disciplines from site specific D&T partnering through to above site and global services like Data & Analytics and Global Demand & Supply Planning processes.
The Team consists of a set of portfolio and business operations manager aligned to GSC D&T Towers and VPs. The team is responsible for defining as well as ensuring portfolio delivery processes, standards, reporting and governance are adhered to and understood by product owners and VPs across GSC D&T. The team is also responsible for the PMO delivery toolset and its maintenance.
In addition the team is accountable for business operations for each of the towers, in ensuring all Finance, HC and Contracts are clearly understood and driven with the respective GSC D&T LT members, VPs.
The Senior Principal - Business Operations Manager role is a key position for to setup and execute standards and processes on business operations for each of the GSC D&T Towers, to ensure all Finance, HC and Contracts are clearly understood and controlled.
Key Responsibilities
Deploy and run a robust financial management service in close collaboration with the GSC D&T Finance Business Partner for the specific function. Keep the Tower's financial, headcount and contract plan integrated with the delivery plan, and manage the dependencies, risks and decisions that affect budget and supplier commitments. Define and execute clear processes for capturing, reviewing and allocating financial requirements across GSC D&T LT members and their portfolios. Lead monthly management of the GSC D&T financial summary and tower-level views across employment costs (FTE and non-FTE), contracts, depreciation, training and T&E. Own the discretionary budget allocation process and support the decisions across the Tower using data-driven insights on Capex/Opex, benefits, risks and impacts. Ensure every funded item has a baseline, a named benefit owner and a measurement schedule, and track benefits beyond closure. Deploy and run a proactive vendor and contract management service for the GSC D&T function, with clear structure and stakeholder accountabilities. Manage vendor risk, keep contract records audit-ready, and apply supplier controls proportionate to GxP requirements. Establish a unified vendor and contract management approach that can be applied consistently across all parts of GSC D&T. Coach Product Directors, Product Owners and Tower teams on budget ownership and contract discipline and raise the maturity of the business-operations method across towers. Design, improve and operate governance systems and processes, working with senior business stakeholders to provide independent, consistent governance across GSC D&T. Ensure finance and contract decisions use the same demand route and prioritisation criteria as portfolio management, and that every funded item links to strategy and OKRs. Lead your team in using approved AI tools to improve productivity and ways of working, role-modelling responsible use and follow GSK’s Responsible AI, privacy and security requirements.
Basic Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business, Technology, Computer Science, or a relevant discipline. Minimum 10 years of job-related experience in a technology or digital environment. Experience managing Capex and Opex budgets valued in the millions of pounds or equivalent currency. Experience managing financial planning, budget allocation and cross-charging models. Experience managing vendors and commercial contracts. Experience managing supplier commitments, vendor risks, contract records and contract governance processes. Experience establishing and operating business operations, financial management or governance processes. Experience working with Director, VP or equivalent leadership-level stakeholders on financial, vendor, contract, workforce or business-operations decisions. Experience managing delivery against defined budget, timeline and quality requirements. Experience using Microsoft Excel for financial/budget analysis and Microsoft PowerPoint for management reporting and presentations. Availability for business travel as required.
Preferred Qualifications
Master’s degree with a specialization in Finance, or a professional finance/accounting qualification such as CIMA, ACCA, or equivalent. Finance/accounting qualification, such as CIMA, ACCA or equivalent. PMP, PRINCE2 Practitioner or equivalent project/programme management certification. Qualification/certification related to portfolio management or governance. Qualification/certification related to procurement or vendor management. The education section specifically states that a Finance-focused master's degree is preferred.
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Skills Change Management, Compliance Risk Management, Dependency Analysis, Executive Reports, Financial Acumen, Portfolio Performance Management, Portfolio Prioritization, Problem Solving, Project Management Governance, Shareholder Communications, Stakeholder Management
Why GSK?
Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together.
GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade, as a successful, growing company where people can thrive. We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with innovation in specialty medicines and vaccines. We focus on four therapeutic areas: respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV; and infectious diseases – to impact health at scale.
People and patients around the world count on the medicines and vaccines we make, so we’re committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive and focus on what matters most. Our culture of being ambitious for patients, accountable for impact and doing the right thing is the foundation for how, together, we deliver for patients, shareholders and our people.
Inclusion at GSK:
As an employer committed to Inclusion, we encourage you to reach out if you need any adjustments during the recruitment process.
Please contact our Recruitment Team at to discuss your needs.
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