Associate Director, BD

Role description

• Associate Director, Business Development, typically taking the lead role in a specialist area.  The specialist area will manage business alliance projects end to end, identification of business case, developing a proper business model with partners, engaging partners through to negotiation and finalization.
• Lead the company wide strategy development-life cycle management by identifying inorganic growth opportunity and executing projects with cross functional influence.
• Motivate and develop team to lead cross-functional project teams in global/local projects.
• Facilitate international BD projects with global network and BD experts.

Typical Accountabilities

• Identify business opportunity in local market with broader view of environment changes and company situation
• Evaluate the opportunities and drive business case for in/out licensing, divestment, acquisition, co-promotion, 3rd party promotion and 2nd brand business
• Work collaboratively and flexibly to accommodate the various routes through which projects of different natures may arise.
• Establish external and internal networks to ensure early identification and capture of relevant opportunities.
• Attend relevant external scientific conferences to search for and identify opportunities
• Interpret and synthesise data gathered from 3rd parties, desk sources and internal AZ knowledge in building a business proposition.
• Take responsibility to filter opportunities and to terminate evaluations that do not meet business requirements or standards.
• Establish and lead international, multifunctional teams for the technical, commercial and corporate evaluation of opportunities and their execution.
• Ensure that the evaluations are thorough and objective, with clear opportunity and risk assessment
• Manage the relationship with the potential partner in a timely and professional manner; ensure that AZ remains competitive in 3rd party deal process.
• Prepare and present deal propositions to relevant senior governance bodies.
• Lead the deal negotiation and closure.
• Ensure post deal activities are fully completed.
• Prepare activity and achievement reports for senior management
• Positively develop, manage and maintain stakeholder relationships with senior management, Legal and Finance.
• Monitor partner related issues and performance and lead relevant communication and solution finding
• Prepare and present overall pharmaceutical market situation and competitors’ analysis to increase organizational knowledge and to support best business decision making
• Own product responsibility for 3rd party promotion brands and 2nd brand from partner management to marketing, medical, legal, patent and P&L

Skills

• Broad knowledge of pharmaceutical business, process and activities
• Good knowledge of disease areas, and drug development activities and commercial processes and especially within AZ. Existing deep scientific knowledge and an established external network in a relevant therapy area is an advantage
• Knowledge of scientific, commercial and financial evaluation techniques.
• Experience in leading multiple, large, international, multi-functional project teams of senior professionals.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to ascertain the relevant issues from large masses of information.
• Strong interpersonal and team leadership skills
• Experience and effectiveness in the presentation of written and oral business cases to the most senior AZ Management.
• Knowledge of deal structures and legal principles
• Numerate and having financial literacy
• Proven negotiation skills and experience of working in an intense deal environment.
• Gravitas and experience to create a positive relationship with third parties as an AZ Ambassador.
• Tenacity and resourcefulness. Calmness under sustained  pressure of intense deal environment
• A flexible, team orientated attitude, willing to contribute own skills to deliver AZ priority projects
• Existing knowledge of governance procedures relevant to deal progression and business development work. (CDAs, delegation of authorities etc)
• Strong drive to lead the team and cross functional team

Qualifications

• Education: BA or MA preferred at Biz and bio related science
• Language: Fluent English
• Work Experience: + 10 ys BD experience – product acquisition, license in & out