Associate Director, Real-World Evidence, China

By clicking the “Apply” button, I understand that my employment application process with Takeda will commence and that the information I provide in my application will be processed in line with Takeda’s Privacy Notice and Terms of Use.  I further attest that all information I submit in my employment application is true to the best of my knowledge.

Job Description

OBJECTIVES/PURPOSE

• Leads the development and execution of integrated evidence generation plans (IEPs) for China, particularly real-world evidence (RWE) strategies, translating local medical, patient, payer, health-system, and business questions into scientifically robust, feasible, and compliant evidence plans.
• Serves as the strategic China RWE lead and trusted advisor for assigned pipeline and in-line assets [current focus: Oncology, Gastroenterology (GI), Rare Disease (RD), and Plasma-Derived Therapy (PDT), with scope determined by portfolio priorities], ensuring prioritized China needs are incorporated into local and global IEPs.
• Provides scientific leadership for RWE that demonstrates treatment impact and value in routine practice, including treatment patterns, real-world effectiveness and outcomes, comparative effectiveness, healthcare resource utilization, patient-centered research, and market access evidence.
• Provides authoritative oversight of the China RWE portfolio, including prioritization, study strategy, budgets, external partnerships, resources, timelines, risk management, scientific quality, communication, and compliant delivery.
• Drives responsible innovation by leveraging fit-for-purpose real-world data (RWD), advanced analytics, visualization, automation, and AI-enabled tools to strengthen evidence planning, study delivery, and decision-making, with appropriate human oversight, validation, verification, transparency, confidentiality, and accountability.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Develops and communicates integrated China RWE strategies and evidence plans for assigned assets, aligned with product development stage, China medical and access priorities, brand and launch plans, and global IEPs.
• Leads cross-functional identification, prioritization, and communication of China evidence needs, partnering with TA Evidence Heads, Medical Affairs, HE/HTA, Market Access, Commercial, Clinical Development, Safety, other regional and global evidence generation teams, and other relevant functions.
• Generates evidence on treatment impact and value in routine practice, including treatment patterns, real-world effectiveness and outcomes, comparative effectiveness, healthcare resource utilization, costs, patient-reported outcomes, patient-preference evidence, and unmet needs.
• Provides strategic recommendations on evidence investment, study sequencing, data and partnership strategy, resource allocation, and portfolio prioritization based on patient impact, decision value, feasibility, timing, quality, risk, scalability, and potential for reuse.
• Leads the scientific design and delivery of fit-for-purpose observational, database, pragmatic, and patient-centered research, including retrospective database studies, chart reviews, prospective cohorts, registries, natural-history studies, drug-utilization studies, external or historical controls, pragmatic trials, Delphi studies, and post hoc or post-trial analyses.
• Provides scientific leadership across the study lifecycle, including concept development, governance review, protocol and analysis plan development, feasibility, data-source assessment, interpretation, reporting, publication, and evidence application.
• Partners with China Study Operations on the operational execution of interventional and site-based non-interventional studies.
• Evaluates whether real-world data are fit for the intended research question by assessing data provenance, relevance, completeness, accuracy, representativeness, timeliness, coding quality, outcome validity, linkage feasibility, regulatory compliance, and long-term sustainability.
• Applies and critically evaluates epidemiologic, biostatistical, comparative-effectiveness, and causal-inference methods, ensuring that assumptions, bias, uncertainty, limitations, and generalizability are transparently assessed and communicated.
• Prepares and critically reviews study concepts, protocols, analysis plans, data and output specifications, reports, abstracts, posters, manuscripts, and other scientific deliverables, ensuring analyses are robust, transparent, reproducible, and fit for purpose.
• Leads China-specific data landscaping and data-vendor evaluation, and provides strategic and scientific input into data feasibility, common data models, analytics, visualization, digital solutions, and responsible AI-enabled innovation.
• Contributes RWE and health-outcomes inputs to economic models, value narratives, HTA or payer evidence packages, payer and health-system partnerships, and market access decisions in collaboration with HE/HTA and Market Access colleagues.
• Leverages digital platforms, advanced analytics, visualization, automation, and AI-enabled tools for evidence planning, targeted literature review, feasibility, analytics, quality checks, portfolio oversight, and communication; critically evaluates AI-assisted outputs and ensures human accountability, verification, transparency, data confidentiality, and compliant use.
• Represents China in relevant global product, evidence, development, and launch workshops; contributes China healthcare-system, RWD, payer, policy, method, and feasibility insights; and supports local adaptation of global evidence approaches and deliverables.
• Forms and leads agile, cross-functional study teams without formal authority, promotes streamlined governance and review, and maintains clear strategic communication on priorities, tradeoffs, decisions, progress, and risks.
• Leads external research partnerships and provides scientific oversight of academic collaborators, research organizations, investigators, data providers, consultants, medical writers, and other vendors, ensuring delivery of high-quality, compliant, and fit-for-purpose outputs within agreed scope, budget, and timelines.
• Builds trusted, compliant scientific relationships with external experts, academic institutions, research networks, data organizations, payers, health systems, and professional societies; leads advisory boards, expert consultations, and scientific exchange where appropriate.
• Provides RWE expertise, coaching, and training to colleagues and contributes to standardization and continuous improvement of RWE methods, governance, templates, vendor management, quality controls, innovation pilots, and ways of working.
• Ensures all evidence generation, data use, external engagement, publication, and dissemination activities comply with applicable laws and regulations, research ethics, company policies and procedures, pharmacovigilance requirements, scientific good practice, and data privacy and security requirements, and supports local audit and inspection readiness.

EDUCATION, BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS

Required:

• Master’s degree in epidemiology, health outcomes research, public health, data science, biostatistics, medicine, pharmacy, life sciences, health economics, or a related field; a doctoral degree is strongly preferred.
• At least 10 years of relevant experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, academia, consultancy, a contract research organization, or a related environment, including demonstrated leadership of evidence generation activities.
• Demonstrated experience shaping RWE strategy and leading or overseeing a portfolio of noninterventional, observational, database, pragmatic, or other medical evidence generation studies across multiple product lifecycle stages.
• Demonstrated application of RWE to meaningful medical, payer, health-system, market access, development, or lifecycle decisions in China.
• Strong knowledge of observational research, epidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology, biostatistics, causal inference, comparative effectiveness research, patient-centered and patient-preference methods, good research practices, and applicable ethical and regulatory requirements.
• Strong understanding of China’s healthcare and reimbursement system and evolving evidence expectations, together with in-depth knowledge of RWD sources and the respective strengths and limitations of electronic medical or health records, claims, registries, medical charts, patient-generated data, and linked datasets.
• Ability to translate medical, patient, payer, health-system, and business questions into clear research questions, evidence needs, fit-for-purpose study designs, data strategies, analytical plans, and executable research plans.
• Strong scientific judgment, with the ability to assess RWD are fit for purpose and critically evaluate study designs, protocols, analysis plans, programming and output specifications, data quality, analytical methods, potential bias, uncertainty, generalizability, and scientific conclusions. Ability to provide effective scientific oversight of programming and analytics.
• Strong understanding of applicable requirements in China related to research ethics, data privacy and security, human genetic resources, pharmacovigilance, scientific publication, study governance, and audit or inspection readiness.
• Demonstrated project, portfolio, vendor, and budget leadership, with the ability to manage multiple complex studies, external partners, priorities, timelines, risks, and tradeoffs.
• Experience collaborating with regional or global teams, HE/HTA, Study Operations, or Data, Digital & Technology functions in a large matrixed organization.
• Proven ability to influence senior local, regional, and global stakeholders and lead agile, cross-functional, and matrix teams without direct authority.
• Strong strategic communication, facilitation, negotiation, and presentation skills, including the ability to translate complex methods and findings into clear, balanced, and decision-relevant recommendations.
• Ability to work independently, manage ambiguity, adapt to evolving methods and technologies, and deliver high-quality outcomes in a changing environment.
• Experience engaging external scientific experts, academic institutions, research networks, data partners, payers, health systems, professional societies, or relevant authorities.
• A record of scientific publication, congress presentation, and evidence dissemination; experience mentoring colleagues or providing functional leadership is an advantage.
• Professional fluency in written and spoken Chinese and English.

Desired:

• Working proficiency in at least one programming language, such as R, SAS, Python, or SQL; familiarity with relevant data standards and advanced RWE methods, including common data models and target trial emulation.
• Demonstrated experience using digital tools, RWD platforms, analytics, visualization, automation, or AI-enabled tools to support evidence strategy and delivery, with sound judgment regarding validation, confidentiality, transparency, human oversight, verification, and compliant use.
• Experience using advanced analytics, automation, machine learning, or generative AI in RWE, including responsible evaluation and implementation of AI-enabled processes.

Locations

Beijing, China

Worker Type

Employee

Worker Sub-Type

Regular

Time Type

Full time