MSD Associate Director Business Development – Search & Evaluation 

Kenya, Nairobi County, Nairobi 

662869511

Job Description

Brief Description of Position

For the Associate Director, Search & Evaluation (S&E) role, we seek an experienced business development professional with deep scientific expertise and acumen, excellent communication skills and demonstrated interest and experience sourcing and/or negotiating partnering transactions. The Associate Director’s primary responsibilities consist of finding, reviewing and assessing innovative therapeutic assets, conducting landscape and competitive analysis, co-leading and/or leading scientific cross-functional teams to evaluate and perform due diligence, building effective coalitions across a global organization and working with the deal team to negotiate and execute transactions.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Act with urgency to identify, screen, monitor and evaluate business development opportunities with life science and biotech companies in China with a focus on cutting-edge science across all therapeutic areas (preclinical through pre-proof of concept in humans) and modalities to enhance and expand the pipeline of R&D department.
• Work closely with R&D department scientific leadership and stakeholders across therapeutic areas and functions to review and assess partnering opportunities and help set partnering strategy, in addition to bringing and advocating for new partnering opportunities based on differentiated science/ and or new modalities.
• Co-lead and/or lead cross-functional scientific due diligence teams. Integrate internal subject matter expert input to build strategic rationale and internal support for business development opportunities. Prepare slides and materials for presentation of partnering opportunities to senior leadership for approval.
• Conduct competitive landscape analysis to help guide business development strategy and approach. Work closely with search and evaluation colleagues across BD&L to ensure comprehensive coverage of the relevant opportunity space and assessment of the best assets in a given space. Serve as primary scientific contact for business development projects. Ensure prompt consideration of all business development opportunities both internally and externally with potential partners.
• Contribute to deal team and collaborate with scientific stakeholders, alliance management, intellectual property and legal counsel to support negotiation and completion of licensing deals, collaborations, acquisitions and strategic alliances.
• Individual contributor role.

Education:

• Required: PhD in a life sciences discipline.

Required Experience:

• At least 5-7 years of experience within the biopharmaceutical industry or related role (e.g. management consulting, equity research, university technology transfer, etc.), of which at least 2 years have been focused on sourcing and evaluation of business development opportunities.
• Broad-based scientific knowledge across human health therapeutic areas, coupled withstrong business acumen and ability to translate scientific and technical information to frame attractive business opportunities. Demonstrated ability to learn new science in therapeutic areas outside of your primary area of scientific expertise a plus.
• Demonstrated understanding of small molecule and biologics drug discovery and development, biopharmaceutical industry trends and competitive landscape.
• Strong presentation and communication skills. Demonstrated experience presenting complex science and/or business topics to management, including preparation of slides and cogent scientific and business rationale for a decision.
• Desire and proven ability to have an impact. Energetic self-starter with a strong work ethic, capable of thriving in a high growth, fast paced and intellectual environment.
• Experience working and collaborating with cross-functional teams, including demonstrated experience in project management and/or contract negotiations as well as the ability to build effective coalitions to move projects forward.
• Sound judgment and ability to present and succinctly explain scientific and technical topics.
• Strong networking, organizational, analytical and computing skills. Working knowledge of Microsoft Office.

Current Contingent Workers apply

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Job Posting End Date:09/30/2024

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