Associate Director, Strategic Alliances- Hybrid

Job Description

Global Project and Alliance Management (GPAM) resides within the Research and Development (R&D) organization at our company (our company's Research Laboratories). The Project, Portfolio and Alliance Managers in GPAM are core members of cross-functional discovery, development, and alliance teams responsible for discovering and developing products that improve human health. In addition, GPAM includes a Project Management Office (PMO), which is responsible for the development, sustainment, and training of GPAM-owned systems, tools, and business processes that serve our company's Research Laboratories more broadly. The GPAM our company's Research Laboratories Alliance Managers focus on achieving the goals of the alliance by ensuring activities, resources, communications, and decisions are coordinated and maximized with our Research & Development partners.

Position Description/Summary:

Under the broad direction of the Senior Director or Director, Strategic Alliances, the Associate Director, Strategic Alliances is responsible for ensuring successful relationship and contractual management of Research & Development licenses and Research & Development alliances/collaborations that result from agreements executed by Corporate Business Development (Corp BD). Responsibility includes engaging internal and partner leaders at all levels to maximally leverage assigned Research & Development stage alliances for both our company and its Research & Development partners.

This position may be based in either Rahway NJ, Upper Gwynedd PA, Boston MA, or San Francisco CA.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Participate in potential partner due diligence and/or late-stage negotiations to assess cultural fit, ensure understanding of strategic/critical issues, and provide input into governance/decision-making rights and relevant operational aspects of the agreement.

• Take responsibility for organization of timely and seamless implementation of new alliances at the internal and joint team/governance committee levels through comprehensive kick-off meeting planning and execution.

• Identify and align key stakeholders across internal and partner functions. Ensure alliance governance is established and functions efficiently, consistent with agreement intent. Enables joint research and development activities and timely decision-making, considering necessary linkages to our company's senior management/governance mechanisms.

• Proactively identify and resolve conflicts as needed or raise conflicts and dispute to appropriate management or committees for timely resolution.

• Facilitate, manage, and oversee the scientific and operational relationship between our company and assigned alliance partners to ensure a productive working environment.

• Provide to each alliance partner an open and continuous channel of communication to ensure partner perspectives are heard and well represented internally.

• Interface closely with the Corp BD and Transaction Legal groups to clarify contractual aspects of collaboration agreements with intent of providing guidance internally to team, committee members and senior management to enhance the value of alliances, ensure appropriate boundaries are set and guide decision-making.

• Support evolution of alliances through their life cycles, including negotiation/drafting of contractual amendments, through management of any necessary agreement terminations.

• Work closely with Finance, Investor Relation, Public Affairs and partners to manage appropriate financial obligations / disclosures material to our company and/or its partners.

• Contribute to goal of establishing our company's Research Laboratories Alliance Management as a learning organization by sharing lessons learned and best practices in alliance management within and across divisional alliance management areas.

• Become our internal expert on the partner company by building a deep understanding of the company's organization/leadership, strategies, financials, priorities, etc.

• Participate in relevant partnering and/or Alliance Management conferences to represent our company's Alliance Management, contribute to securing our company's reputation as a Partner of Choice and identify external best practices for internalization.

Education Minimum Requirement:

• Bachelor's degree required; concentration in a scientific or applied discipline preferred.

Required Experience and Skills:

• A minimum of 8 years' experience in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry

• A minimum of 1 years in an engagement and/or alliance manager role or equivalent relationship management role

• Broad understanding of global pharmaceutical and biotech industries with a solid understanding of drug discovery and development processes.

• Superior interpersonal skills and expert team player with ability to build and manage collaborative relationships at all levels inside and outside of the organization, specifically with senior management.

• Demonstrated leadership and ethics, including ability to hold others accountable for delivery.

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a team setting, including experience building and leading teams, accomplishing goals, etc.

• Strong collaboration and problem-solving skills; ability to establish good working relationships with internal and external colleagues at all levels, resolve conflict and provide feedback, and devise and implement creative solutions to problems.

• Strong communication skills, both oral and written; demonstrated ability to speak up appropriately and to raise issues to teams and management.

• Highly organized and capable of working with attention to detail. Able to relate project and alliance details to larger project and alliance objectives.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Advanced degree (MBA, MS, PhD or equivalent)

• Experience in understanding and interpretation of contractual language.

Required Travel:

• Yes, up to 25%

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NOTICE FOR INTERNAL APPLICANTS

In accordance with Managers' Policy - Job Posting and Employee Placement, all employees subject to this policy are required to have a minimum of twelve (12) months of service in current position prior to applying for open positions.

If you have been offered a separation benefits package, but have not yet reached your separation date and are offered a position within the salary and geographical parameters as set forth in the Summary Plan Description (SPD) of your separation package, then you are no longer eligible for your separation benefits package. To discuss in more detail, please contact your HRBP or Talent Acquisition Advisor.

Employees working in roles that the Company determines require routine collaboration with external stakeholders, such as customer-facing commercial, or research-based roles, will be expected to comply not only with Company policy but also with policies established by such external stakeholders (for example, a requirement to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to access a facility or meet with stakeholders). Please understand that, as permitted by applicable law, if you have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 and an essential function of your job is to call on external stakeholders who require vaccination to enter their premises or engage in face-to-face meetings, then your employment may pose an undue burden to business operations, in which case you may not be offered employment, or your employment could be terminated. Please also note that, where permitted by applicable law, the Company reserves the right to require COVID-19 vaccinations for positions, such as in Global Employee Health, where the Company determines in its discretion that the nature of the role presents an increased risk of disease transmission.

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U.S. Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, generally Tuesday, Wednesday and either Monday or Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence. This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as "remote".

Under New York State, Colorado State, Washington State, and California State law, the Company is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the salary range for this job. Final determinations with respect to salary will take into account a number of factors, which may include, but not be limited to the primary work location and the chosen candidate's relevant skills, experience, and education.

Expected salary range:

$135,500.00 - $213,400.00

Available benefits include bonus eligibility, health care and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, paid holidays, vacation, and sick days. For Washington State Jobs, a summary of benefits is listed here.

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully

Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

Domestic

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

25%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A