Associate Director, External Engagement

Zealand Pharma

2d

About The Position

As Associate Director, External Engagement Logistics Management, this role leads the strategy, governance, and performance of third-party logistics vendors supporting external engagements across the organization. The position drives operational excellence, strengthens end-to-end compliance, and optimizes vendor delivery across engagement types (e.g., advisory boards, healthcare professional (HCP) and key opinion leader (KOL) engagements, and congresses). Acting as a strategic partner to cross-functional stakeholders, the role shapes scalable solutions that enhance stakeholder experience while aligning with business objectives and regulatory requirements.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 7+ years of experience in vendor management, outsourcing, or operations leadership within pharmaceutical, biotech, or healthcare environments
• Demonstrated experience with external engagement logistics, events operations, and/or HCP interaction support
• Strong vendor management capabilities, including negotiation and performance management
• Strong knowledge of global compliance and regulatory requirements relevant to external expert engagements, including fair market value (FMV) and aggregate spend reporting principles
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing budgets, forecasting, and invoice/contractual governance

Nice To Haves

• An enterprise mindset and continuous improvement approach are important to scale sustainable, compliant solutions.
• Success requires strong judgment, a customer-oriented mindset, and the ability to influence across teams while maintaining high standards for quality, compliance, and consistency.

Responsibilities

• Lead vendor strategy and governance, including RFP support, vendor selection, contract negotiation input, and ongoing relationship management in partnership with Procurement
• Own end-to-end planning and oversight of vendor-delivered logistics across external engagement types (advisory boards, HCP/KOL engagements, congresses, and partner meetings)
• Ensure compliant, timely contracting, honoraria processing, expense payments, and accurate reporting for external expert interactions in collaboration with Medical Affairs Operations
• Drive clear cross-functional communication before and after major engagements to ensure alignment, readiness, and continuous improvement
• Own vendor-related budget planning, forecasting, tracking, invoice review/approvals, and financial governance aligned with contractual terms
• Identify and implement cost-saving opportunities, operational efficiencies, and value realization from vendor partnerships, with a strong risk and compliance mindset

Benefits

• The applications will be reviewed as they come in.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior