Head of External Innovation

Merck•Bedford, MA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

This role will own and accelerate external innovation partnerships to unlock breakthrough bioprocessing technologies complementary to the Process Solutions portfolio, and scale them through market introduction. The position will establish holistic innovation collaborations with global pharma customers. The role reports to the VP, Process Solutions Innovation and can be placed in Darmstadt, Germany or Burlington, USA.

Requirements

10+ years’ experience leading medium- to large scale organizations in a global technology and/or business context.
10+ years’ experience of leading a global team, with the ability to hire, mentor, and retain top talent.
Deep technical understanding of biomanufacturing workflows, current challenges and novel approaches to address them.

Nice To Haves

Proven technical leadership experience in translating early-stage innovations into scalable market-ready solutions.
Track record of establishing and growing strong partnerships with (bio)pharma companies.
Customer-centric mindset with excellent communication, negotiation, and cross-functional leadership skills.
Strong understanding of and network across the global Life Science Venture Capital and innovation incubator ecosystem.
Entrepreneurial mindset, ability to take calculated risks and take decisions in ambiguous situations.

Responsibilities

Lead a global organization responsible for building and maintaining relationships with academic institutions, industry consortia, customers, and KOLs in bioprocessing.
Build and mentor a high-performing team and cultivate a culture of empowerment, quality, and delivery discipline.
Serve as the primary liaison with KOLs to gather insights, validate research directions, and enhance field credibility.
Seek ideas from outside the organization, cultivate an ecosystem for disruptive bioprocessing innovation, and harness world-class external partners to co-create the future of pharma manufacturing.
Identify and establish collaborations with innovative academic institutions and think-tanks to co-develop novel technologies, methodologies, and solutions that advance bioprocessing practices.
Organize and lead scientific advisory boards to drive collaboration, capture industry trends and challenges, and integrate feedback into the innovation strategy.