At Roche you can show up as yourself, embraced for the unique qualities you bring. Our culture encourages personal expression, open dialogue, and genuine connections,  where you are valued, accepted and respected for who you are, allowing you to thrive both personally and professionally. This is how we aim to prevent, stop and cure diseases and ensure everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Join Roche, where every voice matters.

The Position

Corporate Business Development (CBD) is dedicated to sourcing innovation outside of the Company by identifying compounds that fit into our pipeline, looking for technologies that can be integrated into our drug discovery process and diagnostics, establishing connections with academic institutions and other life sciences companies and entering into and managing collaborations. Together with R&D this is a key pillar of the Pharma business and our aim is to transform promising innovation into healthcare solutions of the future. Our approach to partnering is open and flexible. We aim to accelerate innovation in China by helping our partners expand their impact on patient health through joint development and delivery of novel therapies; the Global Alliance Management function within Roche is leading all strategic partnerships across the globe and we are proud to be recognized amongst the best in the industry. 

We are looking for a Global Alliance Director (GAD) to join our Global Alliance Management team in Shanghai.  You shall have the responsibility of managing a portfolio of China based alliances while closely interfacing with Alliance Directors in Basel and San Francisco. You will interact with senior leadership of partner companies and actively liaise with Asia Partnering as well as other Roche functions including PD, GPS, pRED, gRED, CiCor and Dia Partnering. The incumbent for the role shall be strongly connected to the China ecosystem including biotech companies and VCs and act as a facilitator and catalyst for our efforts and partnerships in China. This role will report to Beth Odeh-Frikert and is based in Shanghai. 

Your responsibilities shall include:

• Successfully lead and  manage a portfolio of China-based alliances.

• Establish and nurture strong, trust-based relationships with Chinese partners to align expectations, anticipate challenges, and effectively resolve operational issues as they arise. Drive alliance governance and operational processes, proactively identify and address key risks and issues, and lead by influence across cross-functional teams. Ensure adherence to contractual obligations and proactively manage conflicts and escalations in the best interest of the alliance.

• Partner closely with Basel and SSF based Global Alliance Directors (GADs) to support their alliance portfolios with Chinese partners. Act as an internal advisor and facilitator for Basel/SSF-led alliances and provide local context to help the global GADs navigate language, cultural nuances and business etiquette. 

• Act as a center of expertise for China partnerships and systematically share local market insights, regulatory knowledge and relationship best practices to empower and upskill global GADs in Basel and  SSF. 

• Actively build and sustain high-value relationships within the Chinese  biotech and VC ecosystems to drive collaborative initiatives and identify scalable partnership opportunities

• Identify, lead negotiations and implement necessary contractual amendments, and/or subsequent agreements in coordination with BD, Finance, Legal and all relevant internal stakeholders

• Brief Roche senior management on the strategy and status of assigned China alliances as needed

• Represent Corporate Business Development in public forums (conferences, congresses, other presentation opportunities) in China

In order to be successful in this role, you have:

• Advanced degree (i.e. Master, Diploma, MD, PhD, PharmD) in business, finance or science related field

• Significant professional experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry (ideally 10+ years with a focus on China ecosystem) including management of cross-functional teams and direct leadership responsibility.

• Solid understanding of the entire value chain of pharmaceuticals from R&D to commercial

• Good understanding of financial and contractual disciplines

• Successful record of interactions with senior leadership teams 

• Proven record of project management, consensus building and conflict management in challenging situations

• Proven record of working in a matrix environment with multiple interfaces across disciplines 

• Proven ability to build and lead teams, drive business decisions, and manage multiple projects effectively in a fast-paced and changing environment

• Energetic, result-driven, self-starter with a strong executive presence, collaborative mindset, and ability to think strategically and analytically

• Excellent oral and written communication, interpersonal, influencing and negotiation skills

• Ability to successfully manage multiple, concurrent high priority projects and work successfully in complex, high pressure, high visibility situations

• Excellent communication and presentation skills in both English and Chinese

Who we are

A healthier future drives us to innovate. Together, more than 100’000 employees across the globe are dedicated to advance science, ensuring everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Our efforts result in more than 26 million people treated with our medicines and over 30 billion tests conducted using our Diagnostics products. We empower each other to explore new possibilities, foster creativity, and keep our ambitions high, so we can deliver life-changing healthcare solutions that make a global impact.

Let’s build a healthier future, together.

Roche is an Equal Opportunity Employer.