Head of Ethics and Compliance Europe

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Job Description

At our heart we are committed colleagues. We offer interested people numerous opportunities and strongly believe in, and promote, diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a company we offer roles based on merit, welcoming candidates of any gender, age, religious belief, sexual orientation, race, color, ethnic or social origin, or disability.

Our team is growing and for this we need bright minds with creativity and flexibility – what talent do you have?

About the role

At Takeda, Ethics & Compliance is a strategic enabler of sustainable business growth. As Head of Ethics & Compliance Europe, you will provide leadership across European Markets, partnering with senior business leaders to help drive innovation, responsible growth, and patient-focused decision-making.

Reporting to the Head of Ethics & Compliance International Business Unit, you will lead the regional Ethics & Compliance function across Europe, providing strategic oversight of compliance, governance, risk management, and organisational culture. As a key member of both the European Markets Leadership Team and the International Business Unit Ethics & Compliance Leadership Team, you will help shape business strategy while ensuring the highest standards of integrity and accountability.

This role leads a team of 6 direct reports and plays a critical role in fostering a culture where ethical behaviour, sound judgement, and compliance excellence support long-term business success.

How you will contribute

• Partner with senior leaders to provide strategic advice on ethics, compliance, governance, risk management, and organisational culture.

• Develop and execute the Ethics & Compliance strategy for European Markets in alignment with global and International Business Unit priorities.

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing regional Ethics & Compliance organisation, building capabilities and succession pipelines.

• Integrate compliance and ethics considerations into business planning, transformation initiatives, launch readiness activities, and operational decision-making.

• Oversee the identification, assessment, mitigation, monitoring, and escalation of ethics and compliance risks across the region.

• Strengthen governance frameworks, internal controls, and risk-based compliance programmes that support responsible and agile business operations.

• Use data, insights, and external trends to improve decision-making and proactively address emerging risks and regulatory developments.

• Champion a culture of integrity, accountability, inclusion, and speak-up behaviours across European Markets.

• Partner with leaders across Legal, HR, Finance, Medical, Internal Audit, DD&T, Privacy, Communications, and business functions to solve complex challenges and drive compliance excellence.

• Provide oversight of monitoring, auditing, investigations, corrective actions, and assurance activities to ensure effective risk management and continuous improvement.

• Drive modernisation and simplification of compliance processes, leveraging data, technology, digital solutions, and AI-enabled approaches where appropriate.

• Represent European Markets within global and international Ethics & Compliance leadership forums, contributing regional insights and best practices to shape future strategy.

What you bring to Takeda

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in Law, Business, Healthcare, Compliance, or a related field preferred.

• 10+ years of leadership experience in Ethics & Compliance, Legal, Risk Management, or a related function within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, or another highly regulated industry.

• Significant experience leading regional or multinational compliance organisations within complex, matrixed environments.

• Deep expertise in healthcare compliance, governance, ethics, internal controls, and risk management.

• Strong understanding of pharmaceutical industry regulations, codes of practice, and compliance requirements across European Markets.

• Proven ability to act as a trusted advisor to senior executives and leadership teams.

• Strong business acumen with the ability to balance risk management and business performance.

• Experience designing and leading compliance programme elements, including risk assessment, policy implementation, monitoring, investigations, remediation, governance, and reporting.

• Demonstrated success leading and developing diverse, high-performing teams across multiple countries and cultures.

• Excellent stakeholder management, influencing, communication, and relationship-building skills.

• Ability to navigate ambiguity, exercise sound judgement, and effectively lead through change.

• Strong commitment to ethical leadership, inclusion, and continuous improvement.

• Fluency in English is required; additional European languages and international experience are advantageous.

Empowering our people to shine

At Takeda, we earn the trust of society and our customers through our values of Takeda-ism: Integrity, Fairness, Honesty, Perseverance. We incorporate these values in everything we do. They represent who we are and how we act. They help us make decisions that we can be proud of today and in the future. We enable our employees to develop their full potential. As a global top employer, we offer exciting career paths, promote innovation, and strive for top performance in everything we do. Takeda fosters an inclusive, collaborative, and international work environment where our teams are united by their relentless commitment to our goal of improving people's health and creating a better future for the world.

Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion

Takeda is committed to foster diversity, equality, and inclusion. Hiring decisions are based entirely on qualifications and are made regardless of gender, ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, or disability.

If you are interested in this opportunity, we look forward to receiving your application via our online tool!

Learn more at takedajobs.com

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