Chief Operating Officer — Specialty-Medicines Portfolio

The mandate

A listed pharmaceutical enterprise is preparing a specialty-medicines portfolio for possible divestment. The products share supply, safety, regulatory, medical and commercial services with retained assets, and many dependencies remain known only to experienced operators. The current COO will leave through planned succession. The replacement must make the portfolio independently operable before any transfer.

Approximately 1,050 employees and material partners span technical operations, supply, quality, safety, medical, regulatory, commercial operations and shared services from Basel across international markets. The COO owns operating separation, service performance, workforce, vendors, continuity and transformation, reporting to the Group Chief Executive or nominated sponsor. Authorised quality, safety and regulatory officers retain independent responsibility.

The opening task is an operational dependency map by product and market. Order, forecast, batch, release, distribution, complaint, safety case, medical information and regulatory activity must have an owner and system. A financial allocation or organisation chart cannot establish separability.

Day-one design will distinguish transferred, retained and transition services. Each service needs scope, level, data, authority, price, duration and exit. The COO will ensure temporary arrangements can operate under realistic volumes and incidents. Agreements that rely on goodwill or undocumented specialists are not ready.

Supply continuity is central. Manufacturing slots, materials, testing, release, import and inventory may cross legal perimeters. The COO will create product-level cut-over plans, buffers and alternatives, balancing expiry and shortage. Completion cannot proceed if the buyer or retained organisation cannot execute a critical release or replenishment decision.

Pharmacovigilance and complaint operations must be tested through every channel. Cases may arrive through employees, distributors, programmes, digital sites or partners. Routing, duplicates, follow-up and reconciliation need validated ownership. Old contact routes will remain monitored until evidence supports retirement.

Regulatory work has long horizons. Variations, renewals, commitments and local representation may remain with the seller temporarily. The COO will integrate these obligations into operating plans and transition services, ensuring deadlines and data access survive organisational change.

Technology separation needs operational leadership. Identity, system access, interfaces, archives and data migration affect daily work. The COO will require user acceptance and backlog reconciliation, not accept a technical green status alone. Manual fallback and recovery will be rehearsed.

Workforce plans must protect product knowledge. Specialists serving both portfolios may transfer, remain or provide temporary support. Selection and retention will follow future work and fair process, with explicit knowledge-transfer outcomes. External backfill will be included in net economics.

Third-party readiness includes manufacturers, laboratories, distributors, call centres and regulatory agents. The COO will confirm contractual authority, instructions, systems, contacts and incident escalation. Notices sent are not evidence that a partner can operate the new model.

Operational performance will remain visible during transaction work. Service, supply, complaints, safety intake, regulatory milestones and cost will be monitored by product. Teams cannot allow separation activity to crowd out ordinary obligations or conceal declining service.

The retained organisation also needs right-sizing. Shared functions may become stranded when the portfolio leaves. The COO will sequence role and supplier changes after transferred services stabilise, avoiding premature reduction. Benefits must be realised in ledgers without hidden backfill.

Succession from the incumbent requires documented and observed transfer. The new leader will challenge inherited readiness, run simulations and establish an executive bench for both pre- and post-transaction possibilities. If divestment does not proceed, the future model must still improve accountability and cost.

Product-level readiness evidence will remain auditable after transaction completion.

What you will own

• Specialty-portfolio operational separation.
• Product and market dependency mapping.
• Transition services and executable exits.
• Supply, safety, complaint and regulatory continuity.
• Technology, workforce and third-party cut-over.
• Retained organisation and stranded-cost action.
• Board readiness and operational performance.
• COO succession and leadership depth.

The first 12 months

Within 45 days, trace priority products through every obligation, expose undocumented dependencies and secure immediate continuity risks. Agree day-one readiness gates.

By month six, test transition services, partner and system cut-over, complete critical knowledge transfer and establish retained cost actions. Run integrated product simulations.

At twelve months, achieve 100% evidenced ownership for regulated and supply obligations, 95% transition-service readiness and no product shortage, missed safety case or regulatory lapse attributable to separation. Remove 80% of agreed stranded operating cost after stable transfer and complete all critical supplier transitions on schedule.

What the sponsor will examine

• Separability proven through operating work.
• Transition services defined to exit.
• Supply cut-over balancing expiry and shortage.
• Safety channels reconciled through overlap.
• Partners demonstrating readiness beyond notice.
• Retained cost removed after continuity stabilises.

The person

You bring 28+ years in pharmaceutical operations, including COO, business-unit or major-network accountability. Your record includes a product or portfolio divestment, global supply, regulated service and multi-country workforce change.

Candidates must show a completion date they challenged because operational evidence failed and a transition service that exited successfully. The permanent role is onsite in Basel with global counterparty and site engagement.

Compensation and terms

Base compensation is CHF 500,000–700,000 plus annual incentive and long-term participation linked to separation, continuity, cost, control and leadership. The permanent onsite Basel appointment reports to the Group Chief Executive or nominated executive-committee sponsor. Planned replacement supports an orderly incumbent transition.

Confidentiality

The enterprise, portfolio, products, employees, buyers, suppliers, systems and separation plans remain confidential. Further material follows conflicts and signed confidentiality. Applicants must not approach possible parties or advisers to infer the client.