Vice President, Head of Strategy & Operations

Vice President, Head of Strategy & Operations

Your work will change lives. Including your own.

Recursion is reimagining drug discovery through the integration of automated cell biology, high-dimensional data, and AI-driven analytics. As Head of Strategy & Operations, you will be our CEO's closest strategic partner a trusted right hand who combines the analytical rigor of a top-tier management consultant with the operational instincts of a seasoned biopharma executive.

This is a rare role: you will shape where Recursion is going (corporate strategy, competitive positioning, board and investor narrative) while ensuring the company's leadership engine runs with precision (executive decision-making, cross-functional alignment, regulatory filings, and governance). You will serve as a force multiplier for our CEO, translating ambition into executable strategy and holding the organization accountable to its commitments.

The ideal candidate brings principal- or partner-level consulting experience, deep biopharma strategy expertise, and a genuine appreciation for how AI platforms are transforming drug discovery. You are as comfortable shaping a board deck as you are redesigning an operating rhythm and you thrive at the intersection of science, technology, and enterprise leadership.

Corporate Strategy & Competitive Intelligence

• Own corporate strategy in partnership with our CEO - translating vision into annual priorities, resource allocation, and multi-year roadmaps.
• Monitor the external landscape (competitive dynamics, scientific advances, regulatory shifts, AI-in-biotech) and synthesize implications for leadership.
• Define and communicate Recursion's platform differentiation to support investor, partner, and board narratives.
• Evaluate BD opportunities - partnerships, licensing, acquisitions, and platform expansions - with rigorous analytical framing.

Executive Operations & Decision-Making

• Design and manage the executive operating rhythm: leadership meetings, offsites, decision forums, and escalation frameworks.
• Partner with our CEO on agendas, briefing materials, and cross-functional follow-through.
• Build dashboards and frameworks that give leadership real-time visibility into performance, program progress, and strategic KPIs.
• Identify organizational gaps and implement scalable solutions; act as CEO proxy in cross-functional forums.

Board, Investor & External Communications

• Lead board materials - strategic updates, financial reviews, program readouts, and governance docs.
• Support earnings communications, SEC filings, and investor presentations in partnership with Finance, Legal, and IR.
• Ensure narrative consistency and strategic alignment across all high-stakes external communications.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Alignment

• Bridge Platform, Discovery, Clinical, Commercial, Finance, and People teams to maintain strategic coherence.
• Partner with Director of Strategy & Operations and Portfolio Strategy to align program execution with corporate priorities.
• Champion clarity, accountability, and disciplined execution across the organization.

The Team You'll Join

You will sit at the apex of Recursion's Strategy & Operations function, working as a direct partner to our CEO. You will lead and mentor the Strategy & Operations team and will have deep working relationships across the entire executive leadership team.

This is a high-visibility, high-impact role at the center of Recursion's mission. You will be a key voice in defining the company's future while ensuring the organization operates with the focus and discipline required to deliver it. The role demands someone who is equally comfortable in the boardroom, the data room, and the operations room.

The Experience You'll Need

• Advanced degree required; MBA from a top-tier program strongly preferred. Life sciences, data science, or related scientific background is a significant advantage.
• 6+ years at a leading management consulting firm at the Principal, Associate Partner, or Partner level, with deep exposure to biopharma, biotech, or healthcare clients.
• Significant in-house experience in strategy, corporate development, or operations within a pharma or biotech company.
• Strong familiarity with AI platforms, machine learning applications, or digital health tools and genuine curiosity about their role in transforming drug discovery and development.
• Proven track record shaping executive-level strategy, leading complex cross-functional initiatives, and influencing without direct authority.
• Experience preparing and presenting board materials, earnings communications, investor presentations, or regulatory filings.
• Exceptional analytical, communication, and storytelling skills able to distill complexity into clear, compelling narratives for diverse audiences.
• High EQ and political acumen; skilled at navigating ambiguity, managing competing priorities, and building trust across all levels of an organization.
• Adaptability and resourcefulness; thrives in a fast-moving, high-growth environment where roles evolve and ambiguity is the norm.

Working Location & Compensation:

This is an office-based, hybrid position at our offices located in New York City, New York. Employees are expected to work in the office at least 50% of the time.

At Recursion, we believe that every employee should be compensated fairly. Based on the skills, experience, and qualifications needed for this role, the estimated annual base salary range is: $321,860$385,990. In addition to base salary, this role is eligible for an annual bonus, equity compensation, and a comprehensive benefits package.

The Values We Hope You Share:

• We act boldly with integrity. We are unconstrained in our thinking, take calculated risks, and push boundaries, but never at the expense of ethics, science, or trust.
• We care deeply and engage directly. Caring means holding a deep sense of responsibility and respect - showing up, speaking honestly, and taking action.
• We learn actively and adapt rapidly. Progress comes from doing. We experiment, test, and refine, embracing iteration over perfection.
• We move with urgency because patients are waiting. Speed isn't about rushing but about moving the needle every day.
• We take ownership and accountability. Through ownership and accountability, we enable trust and autonomyleaders take accountability for decisive action, and teams own outcomes together.
• We are One Recursion. True cross-functional collaboration is about trust, clarity, humility, and impact. Through sharing, we can be greater than the sum of our individual capabilities.

Our values underpin the employee experience at Recursion. They are the character and personality of the company demonstrated through how we communicate, support one another, spend our time, make decisions, and celebrate collectively.