COO Jobs in Cambridge, MA
COO jobs in Cambridge, Massachusetts are concentrated in Kendall Square, Central Square, and the Alewife corridor, with active demand across life sciences, biotech, and university-linked ventures. Employers hiring right now include Harvard University, Flagship Pioneering, and Agios Pharmaceuticals. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
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About This Role
The Associate Director, Medical Strategy & Operations (S&O) Lead is a strategic operations leader within North America (NA) Medical Affairs and a core member of Rare Disease LT. The role drives strategy-to-execution integration, enterprise alignment, and coordination of governance processes and operating rhythm across Biogen North America.
The role partners closely with the Head of Rare Disease and Medical leadership team to help advance strategic integration across Medical leadership, Field teams, Medical Excellence, Operations, Global Medical, and Biogen North America stakeholders (including Commercial and Market Access). The role identifies opportunities and supports alignment between BNA enterprise priorities and NA Medical strategy and helps ensure clarity, coordinated execution, and effective flow of information and decisions across functions.
The S&O Lead supports the design and maintenance of governance, alignment, and operating structures that pull through strategy to enable coordinated execution across functions. This includes clarifying decision rights, ensuring appropriate ownership, and maintaining visibility of priorities and performance across the Therapeutic Area.
The role plays an important part in advancing the Medical S&O function’s strategic integrator model, helping connect strategy, governance, and execution across the Therapeutic Area while building toward broader enterprise leadership responsibilities.
What You’ll Do
Serve as a strategic thought partner to the Head of Rare Disease and Medical leadership team, supporting the identification of execution risks, operational challenges, and opportunities for alignment.
Drive and facilitate the integration of strategy-to-execution planning across planning cycles (AOP, ICP, long-range planning), helping translate strategic priorities into coordinated execution plans and measurable milestones.
Drive and coordinate the operating rhythm for the Rare Disease Medical team, including milestone tracking, governance forums, KPI integration, and preparation for leadership reviews.
Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to ensure Medical priorities and activities are appropriately represented within the broader BNA operating cadence.
Facilitate effective information flow and strategic communication across Medical leadership, enterprise partners, and key governance forums.
Develop and support preparation of executive materials and strategic narratives that communicate Medical priorities, progress, risks, and key decisions for leadership audiences.
Partner with Finance and medical Rare Disease LT to lead budget planning, monitoring, and performance tracking for the Therapeutic Area.
Help identify execution risks, structural barriers, and cross-functional dependencies, facilitating alignment and resolution with appropriate stakeholders.
Support coordination between NA Medical and Global Medical teams to ensure alignment across strategic initiatives and key workstreams.
Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives that enhance operating clarity, governance effectiveness, and enterprise collaboration.
Promote a culture of accountability, transparency, and cross-functional partnership within the Therapeutic Area and broader Medical organization.
Who You Are
You are a strategic leader who operates effectively at the intersection of strategy, governance, and execution in a complex matrixed organization. You are comfortable navigating ambiguity, influencing stakeholders without formal authority, and helping drive alignment across cross-functional teams. You combine strong business acumen, financial discipline, and operational rigor with clear communication and structured problem-solving. You balance enterprise perspective with Medical integrity and scientific rigor.
Required Skills
BA/BS required; advanced degree (MBA, MS, PhD) preferred.
7+ years of pharmaceutical/biotech industry experience required.
7+ years of relevant experience in biopharma strategy, operations, consulting, Medical Affairs, or related enterprise-facing roles required.
Experience supporting cross-functional planning, governance processes, or program management required.
Demonstrated business and financial acumen.
Strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
Strong communication and presentation skills.
Ability to influence across a matrixed organization without direct authority.
Strong command of core business tools (Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).
Preferred Skills
Experience working in alliance or cross-enterprise environments.
Global Medical or affiliate experience.
Experience in financial planning.
Change management experience.
Job Level: Management
Additional Information
Base salary offered is determined through an analytical approach utilizing a combination of factors including, but not limited to, relevant skills & experience, job location, and internal equity.
Regular employees are eligible to receive both short term and long-term incentives, including cash bonus and equity incentive opportunities, designed to reward recent achievements and recognize your future potential based on individual, business unit and company performance.
In addition to compensation, Biogen offers a full and highly competitive range of benefits designed to support our employees’ and their families physical, financial, emotional, and social well-being ; including, but not limited to:
- Medical, Dental, Vision, & Life insurances
- Fitness & Wellness programs including a fitness reimbursement
- Short- and Long-Term Disability insurance
- A minimum of 15 days of paid vacation and an additional end-of-year shutdown time off (Dec 26-Dec 31)
- Up to 12 company paid holidays + 3 paid days off for Personal Significance
- 80 hours of sick time per calendar year
- Paid Maternity and Parental Leave benefit
- 401(k) program participation with company matched contributions
- Employee stock purchase plan
- Tuition reimbursement of up to $10,000 per calendar year Employee Resource Groups participation
Why Biogen?
We are a global team with a commitment to excellence, and a pioneering spirit. As a mid-sized biotechnology company, we provide the stability and resources of a well-established business while fostering an environment where individual contributions make a significant impact. Our team encompasses some of the most talented and passionate achievers who have unparalleled opportunities for learning, growth, and expanding their skills. Above all, we work together to deliver life-changing medicines, with every role playing a vital part in our mission. Caring Deeply. Achieving Excellence. Changing Lives.
At Biogen, we are committed to building on our culture of inclusion and belonging that reflects the communities where we operate and the patients we serve. We know that diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives make us a stronger and more innovative company, and we are focused on building teams where every employee feels empowered and inspired. Read on to learn more about Biogen.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, race, color, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law. Biogen is an E-Verify Employer in the United States.
About This Role
The Associate Director, Medical Strategy & Operations (S&O) Lead is a strategic operations leader within North America (NA) Medical Affairs and a core member of Rare Disease LT. The role drives strategy-to-execution integration, enterprise alignment, and coordination of governance processes and operating rhythm across Biogen North America.
The role partners closely with the Head of Rare Disease and Medical leadership team to help advance strategic integration across Medical leadership, Field teams, Medical Excellence, Operations, Global Medical, and Biogen North America stakeholders (including Commercial and Market Access). The role identifies opportunities and supports alignment between BNA enterprise priorities and NA Medical strategy and helps ensure clarity, coordinated execution, and effective flow of information and decisions across functions.
The S&O Lead supports the design and maintenance of governance, alignment, and operating structures that pull through strategy to enable coordinated execution across functions. This includes clarifying decision rights, ensuring appropriate ownership, and maintaining visibility of priorities and performance across the Therapeutic Area.
The role plays an important part in advancing the Medical S&O function’s strategic integrator model, helping connect strategy, governance, and execution across the Therapeutic Area while building toward broader enterprise leadership responsibilities.
What You’ll Do
Serve as a strategic thought partner to the Head of Rare Disease and Medical leadership team, supporting the identification of execution risks, operational challenges, and opportunities for alignment.
Drive and facilitate the integration of strategy-to-execution planning across planning cycles (AOP, ICP, long-range planning), helping translate strategic priorities into coordinated execution plans and measurable milestones.
Drive and coordinate the operating rhythm for the Rare Disease Medical team, including milestone tracking, governance forums, KPI integration, and preparation for leadership reviews.
Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to ensure Medical priorities and activities are appropriately represented within the broader BNA operating cadence.
Facilitate effective information flow and strategic communication across Medical leadership, enterprise partners, and key governance forums.
Develop and support preparation of executive materials and strategic narratives that communicate Medical priorities, progress, risks, and key decisions for leadership audiences.
Partner with Finance and medical Rare Disease LT to lead budget planning, monitoring, and performance tracking for the Therapeutic Area.
Help identify execution risks, structural barriers, and cross-functional dependencies, facilitating alignment and resolution with appropriate stakeholders.
Support coordination between NA Medical and Global Medical teams to ensure alignment across strategic initiatives and key workstreams.
Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives that enhance operating clarity, governance effectiveness, and enterprise collaboration.
Promote a culture of accountability, transparency, and cross-functional partnership within the Therapeutic Area and broader Medical organization.
Who You Are
You are a strategic leader who operates effectively at the intersection of strategy, governance, and execution in a complex matrixed organization. You are comfortable navigating ambiguity, influencing stakeholders without formal authority, and helping drive alignment across cross-functional teams. You combine strong business acumen, financial discipline, and operational rigor with clear communication and structured problem-solving. You balance enterprise perspective with Medical integrity and scientific rigor.
Required Skills
BA/BS required; advanced degree (MBA, MS, PhD) preferred.
7+ years of pharmaceutical/biotech industry experience required.
7+ years of relevant experience in biopharma strategy, operations, consulting, Medical Affairs, or related enterprise-facing roles required.
Experience supporting cross-functional planning, governance processes, or program management required.
Demonstrated business and financial acumen.
Strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
Strong communication and presentation skills.
Ability to influence across a matrixed organization without direct authority.
Strong command of core business tools (Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).
Preferred Skills
Experience working in alliance or cross-enterprise environments.
Global Medical or affiliate experience.
Experience in financial planning.
Change management experience.
Job Level: Management
Additional Information
Base salary offered is determined through an analytical approach utilizing a combination of factors including, but not limited to, relevant skills & experience, job location, and internal equity.
Regular employees are eligible to receive both short term and long-term incentives, including cash bonus and equity incentive opportunities, designed to reward recent achievements and recognize your future potential based on individual, business unit and company performance.
In addition to compensation, Biogen offers a full and highly competitive range of benefits designed to support our employees’ and their families physical, financial, emotional, and social well-being ; including, but not limited to:
- Medical, Dental, Vision, & Life insurances
- Fitness & Wellness programs including a fitness reimbursement
- Short- and Long-Term Disability insurance
- A minimum of 15 days of paid vacation and an additional end-of-year shutdown time off (Dec 26-Dec 31)
- Up to 12 company paid holidays + 3 paid days off for Personal Significance
- 80 hours of sick time per calendar year
- Paid Maternity and Parental Leave benefit
- 401(k) program participation with company matched contributions
- Employee stock purchase plan
- Tuition reimbursement of up to $10,000 per calendar year Employee Resource Groups participation
Why Biogen?
We are a global team with a commitment to excellence, and a pioneering spirit. As a mid-sized biotechnology company, we provide the stability and resources of a well-established business while fostering an environment where individual contributions make a significant impact. Our team encompasses some of the most talented and passionate achievers who have unparalleled opportunities for learning, growth, and expanding their skills. Above all, we work together to deliver life-changing medicines, with every role playing a vital part in our mission. Caring Deeply. Achieving Excellence. Changing Lives.
At Biogen, we are committed to building on our culture of inclusion and belonging that reflects the communities where we operate and the patients we serve. We know that diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives make us a stronger and more innovative company, and we are focused on building teams where every employee feels empowered and inspired. Read on to learn more about Biogen.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, race, color, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law. Biogen is an E-Verify Employer in the United States.
See All 176+ COO Jobs in Cambridge
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Find COO JobsCOO Job Market in Cambridge
Who's Hiring
- Flagship Pioneering36
- Harvard University35
- Agios Pharmaceuticals18
- Ipsen9
Top Industries Hiring
- Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals35
- Science & Research26
- Education9
COO Jobs in Cambridge: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a coo job in Cambridge?
Candidates who land coo roles in Cambridge typically come from operational leadership backgrounds in biotech, life sciences, or university spinouts, the sectors that dominate local hiring. Kendall Square and the Alewife corridor see the most activity. An edge comes from experience scaling research-stage companies through commercialization, strong ties to the Cambridge startup ecosystem, and familiarity with the operational demands of regulated industries like pharma and medical devices.
Which companies hire coos in Cambridge?
Employers hiring coos in Cambridge right now include Harvard University, Flagship Pioneering, and Agios Pharmaceuticals, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Cambridge's employer base leans heavily toward biotech startups, academic medical institutions, and growth-stage technology companies, many with ties to Harvard and MIT.
Are there remote coo jobs in Cambridge?
Yes, though coo roles are less commonly fully remote given the cross-functional leadership they require. About 50% of coo openings tied to Cambridge are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, reflecting a preference for hybrid arrangements over fully off-site work. Strategic and financial oversight duties are the most portable remotely, while culture-building and lab or operations oversight tend to require an on-site presence.
How can I get a coo job in Cambridge with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is through operations or chief-of-staff roles at Cambridge's earlier-stage biotech and tech startups, where scope expands quickly. Harvard and MIT spinouts frequently hire operations leads who grow into executive roles as the company scales. Titles like VP of Operations, Director of Business Operations, or Senior Operations Manager at growth-stage Cambridge firms are the closest stepping stones, especially for candidates who can demonstrate cross-functional coordination experience.
Which industries hire the most coos in Cambridge?
The sectors hiring the most coos in Cambridge are Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals, Science & Research, and Education, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Cambridge's concentration of research institutions, academic medical centers, and venture-backed startups in the life sciences and technology corridor makes it one of the most active markets in the country for executive operations talent.
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