Director, Strategic Alliances

MSD

Director, Strategic Alliances at biopharmaceutical company focusing on public health partnerships. Managing key alliances and leading collaborative R&D projects with global health stakeholders.

Posted 4/28/2026full-timeRahway • California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $173,200 - $272,600 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

In partnership with the Senior Director, Strategic Alliances identify, shape, and present external R&D sponsorship/partnership opportunities aligned with our company therapeutic and capability priorities.
Lead end‑to‑end alliance formation, including opportunity articulation, proposal development, and support of contractual negotiations in collaboration with technical, Business Development, Legal, Compliance, and Finance partners.
Drive timely and effective implementation of new alliances by leading kick‑off planning, establishing governance structures, and aligning internal and partner stakeholders to agreement intent.
Serve as the primary alliance interface, overseeing scientific and operational collaboration, managing ongoing technical, financial, and operational reporting, and enabling efficient decision‑making through appropriate governance forums and senior‑management engagement.
Build and sustain strong, trust‑based relationships with sponsors and alliance partners, ensuring open communication, effective issue resolution, and accurate internal representation of sponsor/partner perspectives.
Support alliance lifecycle management, including contract amendments, financial obligations and disclosures, and, where required, orderly alliance transitions or terminations, in partnership with Finance, Investor Relations, Global Communications, and Legal.
Contribute to the continuous improvement of our company Research Laboratories Alliance Management by sharing best practices and lessons learned, representing our company externally as a Partner of Choice, and informing the development of future external partnerships.

Requirements

What you’ll need

A minimum of 10 years of experience in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry.
A minimum of 3 years of experience in an alliance manager role or equivalent relationship management role with involvement in public-private biopharmaceutical R&D partnerships.
Broad understanding of national and international public/global health and/or health security policy arena and associated R&D sponsor entities, including an established network in government or global health NGO space.
A comprehensive understanding of global pharmaceutical and biotech industries with a strong understanding of drug discovery and clinical 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.
Proven 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, and accomplishing goals.
Strong collaboration and problem-solving skills; able to establish good working relationships with internal and external colleagues at all levels, to resolve conflicts and provide feedback, and to 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.

Benefits

Comp & perks

medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family)
retirement benefits, including 401(k)
paid holidays
vacation
compassionate and sick days

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

alliance formationproposal developmentcontractual negotiationsfinancial reportingoperational reportingalliance lifecycle managementdrug discoveryclinical developmentpublic-private partnershipsR&D sponsorship

Soft Skills

interpersonal skillsteam playercollaborative relationshipsleadershipaccountabilityproblem-solvingcommunication skillsconflict resolutioncreative solutionsstakeholder engagement