Associate Director, Animal Health - Business Development & Alliance Management

Job Description

Associate Director, Animal Health Business Development & Alliance Management

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Reporting to Director, responsibilities span 4 primary areas with potential for different portfolio mix based on the needs of Department:

• Ownership, development and continuous improvement of the alliance management process;
• Operational support for global pharma, biologic and technology alliances as assigned;
• Liaison and mentor support for operations leaders who are assigned as Alliance Manager for pharma, biologic and technology alliances.
• Support for BD transactions

Alliance Management Responsibilities:
Business Development & Alliance Management focuses on global licensing deals, joint ventures, and complex regional transactions with the goal of realizing the value of late-stage development and commercial collaborations for both our Company and its partners. The Alliance Manager is a key point of contact between our Company and the partner organization with responsibility to establish and manage alliances to ensure that the goals of the collaboration are achieved and to advocate for additional synergies that would drive incremental value.

The Associate Director will support the Business Development Directors or assigned Alliance Managers on the responsibilities below. Specific duties will vary according to the scope and life cycle stage of the assigned portfolio, and may include:

• Provide a mechanism for evaluating and reporting status of the alliances and identify areas of risk and opportunity with the business areas.
• Plan and execute a comprehensive alliance launch plan for new alliances.
• Identify and align key stakeholders across internal and partner functions to ensure engagement and advocacy that support the goals of the alliance.
• Establish and manage the alliance governance processes, where appropriate, consistent with agreement intent, and ensure that joint governance committees' function efficiently with timely decision-making, taking into account necessary linkages to our Company's senior management/internal governance mechanisms.
• Provide an open and continuous channel of communication to ensure appropriate visibility of the alliance across both companies.
• Participate in internal business meetings where appropriate to keep a finger on the pulse of the business and the alliance to identify and communicate value drivers.
• Ensure that contractual responsibilities and obligations are clearly understood and met by both partners, including working with Finance, Business Partners, and alliance partners to appropriately manage financial obligations (FTE, milestone, royalty, etc.), information sharing. Clarify responsibilities and obligations, where and when necessary, either through governance mechanism or contract amendments.
• Manage and optimize the relationship between alliance partners to ensure a productive working environment. Proactively identify and resolve conflicts, and when appropriate, escalate conflicts/disputes to appropriate management or committees, consistent with the Agreement.
• Support evolution of alliances through the life cycle, including negotiation /drafting of contractual amendments and management of any necessary agreement terminations. Work within Business Development to address business risks that require clarification or revisions to the existing contract.

Alliance Process Excellence Responsibilities:

• Responsible for development, maintenance & enhancements of Alliance systems and continuous improvement initiatives in support of the alliance management processes, e.g. Business Development / Alliance Management Team space, Alliance Management Playbook, Alliance Report Cards, etc.
• Manage the Department's alliance reporting process to provide analytics & visibility to identify opportunities and risks within alliance

Education:

• Bachelor's degree (Technical degree preferred) with minimum 6 years of experience, OR an MBA/Master's degree with minimum 4 years of experience in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry.

Required:

• Minimum 2 years experience in Alliance Management, Project Management, Procurement, Business Development, or an external customer facing role.
• Comfortable operating with ambiguity and a self-starter requiring minimal direction.
• Comfortable interfacing with executive leadership both internal & externally.
• Strong business, commercial, development and financial acumen
• Superior collaborative skills, with an ability to work across cultural, geographic, and hierarchical boundaries
• Analytical skills with an ability to synthesize data/insights into actionable business recommendations.
• Excellent verbal & written communication skills.
• Proven team building skills in effectively managing diverse teams.
• Demonstrated leadership in business process development and continuous improvement.

Preferred:

• Experience as an alliance manager, project manager or equivalent relationship management role for a development and/or commercial stage alliance.
• Experience in reading and interpreting contracts.
• Six sigma experience and/or credentials.
• Broad functional experience/exposure in previous roles.
• CAAM/CSAP certification or desire to achieve
• Fluency in Microsoft Project, SharePoint or similar type IT tools.
• Strong change management skills

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Required Skills:
Biopharmaceutical Industry, Business Development, Business Management, Business Processes, Contractual Drafting, Data Analytics, Digital Business Development, Due Diligence, Environmental Scanning, Executive Presence, Financial Feasibility Studies, Financial Modeling, Joint Ventures, Management Process, Marketing, Operations Analysis, Pharmaceutical Systems, Private Equity, Procurement, Project Management, Senior Program Management, Stakeholder Engagement

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.--As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.- For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

EEOC Know Your Rights

EEOC GINA Supplement•

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another's thinking and approach problems collectively.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

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, Monday - 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".

The salary range for this role is
$156,900.00 - $247,000.00

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits.- Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at .

You can apply for this role through (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

San Francisco Residents Only: -We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: -We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

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:
No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:
No

Travel Requirements:
10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:
Hybrid

Shift:
Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:
No

Hazardous Material(s):
N/A

Job Posting End Date:
02/17/2026
*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE -the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Requisition ID: R384656