External Innovation, Associate Director

Vertex Pharmaceuticals•Boston, MA

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director, External Innovation reports into the Executive Director, External Innovation and Portfolio Operations, and is responsible for conducting scientific, clinical and commercial analysis, monitoring company/technology evolution across the bio pharma landscape and contribute to the evaluation of collaboration/acquisition opportunities that are aligned with the corporate strategy. As a member of the External Innovation team, you will contribute across phases of evaluation of external opportunities, participate in cross-functional projects with the transactions and alliance management teams, and manage cross-functional relationships to ensure communication and alignment across stakeholders.

Requirements

Broad-based scientific training supporting high learning agility across fields relevant to drug discovery, development and commercialization
Understanding and application of basic economic, commercial and financial factors driving value creation (business acumen)
Ability to apply scientific, clinical, regulatory and commercial expertise as well as knowledge of the external landscape, to help shape program strategy and drive program decisions
Ability to synthesize diverse data and information sources into actionable insights and recommendations
Ability to develop independently and deliver clear audience-tailored slide decks and other communications to build internal stakeholder support and alignment (inclusive of senior management)
Effective communication and negotiation skills
Demonstrated leadership skills including impact on cross-functional teams output
Advanced scientific degree (Ph.D., M.D., Pharm.D., D.V.M., etc.)
7+ years of biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry experience, preferably with drug discovery and early development experience; equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
Experience as a sell-side or consulting analyst preferred; experience modeling mature markets a plus.

Responsibilities

Conducts analysis and tracks opportunities and topics for landscape analysis, and companies for evaluations
Prepares materials and evaluation summaries to inform decision-making, including organizing, documenting, interpreting and coherently summarizing cross-functional input of new technology landscaping projects & external business opportunities in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and academic arenas
Participates as a member of evaluation teams in planning, coordinating, and executing rigorous research and evaluation of assigned idea/target
Builds and maintains relationships with transaction and alliance management teams, and ensures communication and coordination across departments
Participates in engagement with scientific and clinical subject matter experts, across various functional areas (R&D, Regulatory, Manufacturing etc.)
Coordinates organizational governance meetings including BD meetings internally and externally with appropriate evaluation teams
Utilizes technology-enabled tools to increase scientific insights and improve operations, process and knowledge management.