Business Operations Analyst / BizOps
What this job does:
Serves as the connective tissue between scientific teams and business leadership in a life sciences organization, using data and process analysis to help the organization run more efficiently. Gathers and analyzes operational data (budgets, timelines, resource utilization, pipeline metrics), identifies bottlenecks in workflows, and presents actionable recommendations to management. Spends significant time in cross-functional meetings coordinating between R&D, regulatory, commercial, and finance teams.
This job is similar to these lab/research tasks:
Coordinating timelines, budgets, personnel and collaborators on multi-year projects, analyzing complex datasets to draw actionable conclusions, communicating findings to diverse audiences, identifying inefficiencies in lab workflows
Typical starting salary range
$90k to $140k
Salary estimate represented as 25th to 75th percentile. Gathered from recent job postings, Glassdoor.com, and Salary.com
Daily task breakdown
- Data analysis, reporting, and dashboard management (30%)
- Cross-functional coordination and meetings (25%)
- Process improvement and workflow optimization (20%)
- Strategic planning and project management (15%)
- Other: ad hoc leadership requests, vendor management, industry trends (10%)
Skills you'll use in this job:
Data analysis (Excel, SQL, Tableau, Power BI); process improvement and optimization; project management; cross-functional communication and collaboration; strategic and analytical thinking; presentation and data visualization; stakeholder management; business acumen and financial literacy; knowledge of pharma/biotech regulatory environment (GxP, FDA); written communication and report writing; problem-solving; change management
Talk about these PhD skills in your resume and interview:
Talk about managing a multi-year research project - coordinating timelines, budgets, personnel, equipment, and collaborators - which is functionally identical to the project management at the core of BizOps. Highlight your experience analyzing complex datasets to draw actionable conclusions, communicating findings to diverse audiences in committee meetings and conference talks, and bridging scientific and non-scientific stakeholders. If you identified inefficiencies in lab workflows, implemented new protocols, or coordinated multi-lab collaborations, frame these as direct evidence of process improvement and operational optimization.
Alternative job titles to search:
BizOps Analyst; Operations Business Analyst; Research Operations Analyst; Strategic Operations Analyst; Business Analyst (Life Sciences); Program Operations Analyst; R&D Operations Analyst; Pipeline Operations Analyst; Business Process Analyst; Business and Strategy Operations Associate
*Note:
-Job titles are inconsistent between companies. Try various keywords.
-PhDs tend to undershoot seniority level. Target higher than you think.
