Director, Strategic Alliances (Hybrid)

Job Description

Global Project and Alliance Management (GPAM) resides within our company Research and Development (R&D) organization, which is known as our company's Research & Development division. The Project, Portfolio and Alliance Managers in GPAM are core members of discovery, development, and alliance teams at our company and lead these cross-functional teams to deliver products that improve human health.  The GPAM Alliance Managers focus on achieving the goals of alliance collaborations by ensuring activities, resources, communications, and decisions are coordinated and maximized with our R&D partners.

Position Description/Summary:

The Director, Strategic and Sponsored Alliances is responsible for establishing, managing, and maximizing the value of pipeline‑enabling alliance programs arising from government, Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), and other drug and vaccine R&D sponsors seeking partnerships with our company's Research & Development division to address global and national public health and health security needs. This role engages internal stakeholders and external partners at all levels to identify sponsored partnership opportunities, lead solicitation and transaction execution, and oversee ongoing relationship and contract management across discovery and clinical‑stage assets.  Additional responsibilities include pipeline‑enabling alliance programs resulting from Corporate Business Development transactions, partnering with internal and external leaders to maximize the strategic and scientific value of assigned R&D‑stage alliances for our company and its partners.

Primary Responsibilities:

• 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.

Education Minimum Requirement:

• Bachelor’s degree required; concentration in a scientific or applied discipline preferred.

 

Required Experience and Skills:

• 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.  Keeps team members, departmental colleagues (as appropriate), and management fully appraised of project initiative status and issues.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Advanced degree (MBA, MS, PhD or equivalent)

• Experience managing public or global health or health security R&D alliances

• Experience in understanding and interpretation of contractual language 

This position may be based in either Rahway NJ, Upper Gwynedd PA, Boston MA, or San Francisco, CA

Required Travel:

• Yes, up to 25%

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Required Skills:

Acquisitions Divestitures, Acquisitions Divestitures, Alliance Management, Biopharmaceutical Industry, Business Administration, Business Development, Business Management, Driving Continuous Improvement, Environmental Scanning, Global Health, Governance Structures, Intercultural Management, Interpersonal Relationships, Management Process, Market Research, Negotiation, Operational Reporting, Organizational Analysis, Performance Metrics, Proposal Writing, Resource Allocation, Risk Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Strategic Alliances, Strategic Licensing {+ 1 more}

Preferred Skills:

Contract Language, Global Health Policies, Global Public Health

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

$173,200.00 - $272,600.00

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 https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (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:

25%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

05/11/2026

*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.