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Job Description

General Summary:

The External Innovation Associate Director is responsible for enabling the team by planning of analysis, monitoring surveillance, tracking company/technology evaluation and project manage external opportunities & strategic disease area opportunities that are aligned with the corporate strategy. The External Innovation Associate Director will ensure efficient and effective coordination across all research and evaluation process phases, lead cross-functional partnerships with the transaction and alliance management teams and manage meetings to ensure communication and alignment across stakeholders.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Executes workflows and ensures effective and efficient integration across process phases and working teams under current processes and operating procedures
• Develops plans, goals and processes for External Innovation projects, gaining alignment with partners across the business
• Processes evaluations under Vertex processes and provides visibility to the appropriate members at a right time
• 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.
• Conducts analysis and tracks opportunities, topics for landscape analysis and companies for evaluations; evaluates quality of work, and reviews materials prior to EC presentations
• Participates as a member of evaluation teams in planning, coordinating, and executing high quality research and evaluation of assigned idea/target
• Regularly provides feedback to improve efficiency and work product
• Builds and maintains relationships with transaction and alignment management teams, and ensures communication and coordination across departments (i.e research)
• Participates in engagement with scientific and clinical subject matter experts and across various functional leaders (R&D, Regulatory, Manufacturing etc.).
• Coordinates organizational governance meetings including BD meetings internally and externally with appropriate evaluation teams
• Provides input towards improvement and maintenance of knowledge management resources and tools/technologies
• Refines and maintains technology-enabled tools to increase scientific insights and improve operations, process and knowledge management.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Broad-based scientific training: the ability to quickly understand a novel mechanism of action or disease indication or a drug discovery technology is important.
• Business Acumen: the ability to understand basic economical, commercial and financial project valorization
• Project management skills and the ability to lead cross-functional teams for scientific and medical projects, setting clear goals and meeting timelines
• Problem-solving: The ability to analyze, solve problems and propose solutions in complex situations are essential
• Risk assessment: good appreciation of methodologies for risk assessment and how to translate to mitigation strategies
• Communication and negotiation skills: for effective interaction with internal partners such as R&D function heads and business leaders, as well as senior management
• Leadership: demonstrated leadership skills including leading transverse teams
• Experienced creating visual and written content for executive-level audience
• Proven analytical skills with the ability to use data to frame, dissect and solve problems – quantitative strength and an ability to see patterns in data

Education and Experience:

• Typically requires PhD and 4+ years of biotech or pharmaceutical experience in drug discovery and/or early development or equivalent relevant experience

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