Director, BD&L Search & Evaluation

Job Description

Our Company's Business Development & Licensing (BD&L) organization is focused on building strong partnerships with the external life-science community to bring new and life-changing therapies to waiting patients.  The Pacific BD&L team, which operates out of our Company's state-of-the-art R&D site in South San Francisco, Shanghai and Tokyo is seeking to add an experienced Search & Evaluation business development professional. We focus on identifying and transacting on differentiated science across all therapeutic areas and modalities. We look for assets before human proof of concept and our geographic focus includes California, the Pacific Northwest, western Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand and India.

For the Director, Search & Evaluation (S&E) role, based in South San Francisco, we seek an experienced business development professional with deep scientific expertise and acumen, excellent communication skills, demonstrated experience sourcing, evaluating and/ or negotiating partnering deals and at least 10 years of applicable industry experience. The S&E Director’s primary responsibilities will include identifying and assessing innovative therapeutic assets, conducting landscape and competitive analysis, leading scientific cross-functional teams to evaluate and perform due diligence, sourcing and reviewing potential partnering opportunities, building effective coalitions across a global organization and working with deal teams to negotiate and execute transactions. With guidance from R&D and BD&L leadership, the Director will communicate our Company's partnering wants and needs to external companies while also remaining open to identifying and advocating for potentially game changing science. Importantly, the Director will manage a large portfolio of complex projects focused on specific therapeutic areas and be responsible for continuous and active engagement with potential partners.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Identify, screen and evaluate cutting-edge science across all therapeutic areas (preclinical through pre-proof of concept in humans) and modalities to enhance and expand our Company's pipeline. Your geographic area of focus will be the west coast of North America with secondary support of opportunities in China and Asia Pacific. 

• Work closely with our Company's 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. 

• 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 our Company's R&D 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 opportunities.

• Manage large portfolio of business development projects. Work closely with search and evaluation colleagues across BD&L to ensure comprehensive coverage of the relevant biology/ mechanism of action and assessment of the best assets to evaluate and bring forward. Ensure timely consideration of all business development opportunities and open and prompt communication with potential partners.

• Contribute to deal teams 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.

Education:

• Required:  PhD in a life sciences discipline.

Required Experience and Skills: 

• At least 9-10 years of experience within the biopharmaceutical industry or related role (e.g. management consulting, equity research, university technology transfer), of which at least 3-5 years have been focused on business development. 

• Broad-based scientific knowledge across human health therapeutic areas, coupled with strong business acumen and ability to translate scientific and technical information to frame attractive business opportunities. 

• Demonstrated understanding of small molecule and/or biologics drug discovery and development, biopharmaceutical industry trends and competitive landscape. 

• Superior presentation and communication skills.  Demonstrated experience presenting complex science and/or business topics to management/ boards/ investors, including preparation of slides and cogent scientific and business rationale for decision-making. 

• 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 leading cross-functional teams, including demonstrated experience in project management and/or contract negotiations and the ability to build effective coalitions to move projects forward.

• Sound judgment and comfort in high visibility situations; good executive presence and ability to gain trust and respect of research and development colleagues.

• Strong networking, organizational and analytical skills. 

• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office.

Preferred Experience & Skills:

• Demonstrated ability to learn new science in therapeutic areas outside of your primary area of scientific expertise a plus.
• Experience in neuroscience and/or oncology preferred
• Experience with cross-border business development helpful but not required

#EligibleforERP

Current Employees apply HERE

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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.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.  For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

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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, 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 Company is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the salary range for this job in certain states and cities within the United States. 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 US salary range:

Available benefits include bonus eligibility, long term incentive if applicable, health care and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, paid holidays, vacation, and sick days. A summary of benefits is listed here.

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. 

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