Position Summary:

The Director in Portfolio Strategy & Alliance Leadership is responsible for both leading / liaising with global development teams to prepare and deliver strategic, operational and integrated plans in alignment with corporate goals and maintaining the relationship and driving collaborations with external alliances and partners.  Reporting into the VP of Program Management, he/she will oversee or lead development programs and partner closely with key stakeholders to implement strategy, execute deliverables, achieve milestones and adhere to timelines. Additionally, he/she will ensure strategic alignment and consistency in engagement, support, and communication with all external alliance partners.  Leveraging drug development, project management and cross-functional team experience, he/she will have the opportunity to provide content expertise on the timing, costs and resources required to deliver according to the agreed project strategic goals and facilitate team risk assessment and scenario planning. Overseeing contractual obligations, he/she will serve as the primary escalation point for unresolvable issues at the project team level and facilitate the governance model established by this relationship.  This role is pivotal to drive development programs forward globally, enhance the quality of our partnerships, and drive impactful collaborations that advance our organizational goals. It provides an opportunity to work for a U.S. Company and be based in U.S., help drive strategy in North America, Europe and APAC, and coordinate and communicate across teams globally and among external partnerships to ensure implementation of strategy and implementation of deliverables.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership, liaise and partner with global Development Team(s)(DT) / global Program Leader (GPL) to ensure transparency and one common vision and voice from the team
• Ensure accountability for timely execution of program activities globally, in partnership with GPL
• Collaborate globally, with teams located throughout Europe and APAC, to ensure delivery of strategy and enrollment of clinical trials with clear and transparent communication
• Lead/ coordinate, in conjunction with strategic and tactical partners, the development and delivery of an Integrated Development Plan for assigned projects (in alignment with corporate goals) and ensure integration with each function
• Pro-actively communicate cross-functionally and manage stakeholder expectations
• Champion the program(s) through the Corporate Governance process, facilitating decision-making, including scenario plans and risk/ benefit analysis, and ensure outcomes and decisions are communicated
• Facilitate program, development and alliance team meetings including developing agenda and minutes, and maintenance of action item logs, detailed integrated timelines, risk registers, etc.
• Drive the cross-functional team to deliver agreed goals and milestones
• Partner with the Finance team, and represent the DT in budget planning
• Establish effective relationships with external alliances
• Liaise with partners ensuring contractual obligations are met and ensure roles, responsibilities and obligations are understood and adhered to
• Ensure strategic alignment and consistency in engagement, support, and communication with all external alliance partners
• Coordinate internal efforts and collaborate with program leader to ensure on track execution of commitments
• Communicate progress at all levels and escalate critical issues
• Contribute to the development, roll-out and compilation of project management processes and tools, including use of Project Management software Wrike. Provide training and support to team members and technical subject matter experts as needed.

Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree required
• 10+ years of experience working in one or more functional roles in pharmaceutical development, with 5 in a cross-functional leadership / project management / project leader / alliance manager role and a solid understanding of the components of drug development. Experience in biotechnology development strongly preferred. PMP certification a plus.
• Self-starter who is pro-active, motivates others, and has tact and diplomacy. Independent creative thinker able to challenge concepts and facilitate discussions resulting in a unified team voice.
• Strong interpersonal and influential skills – including negotiation, managing group dynamics, resolving conflict and driving alignment to ensure “one-voice”
• A genuine team player; able to partner with core team members, coordinate cross-functional teams and stakeholders, and problem-solve while ensuring transparency and alignment across all functions and alliances without “direct line authority”
• Technical and interpersonal skills required to develop and maintain relationships with senior executives internally and externally
• Previous involvement in managing partnership relationships / collaboration with Alliance Management
• Demonstrated ability to work in a dynamic and high-paced environment, preferably in at least one small/start-up company environment. Ability to adapt to frequent change, solve problems, be flexible and thrive in a dynamic and entrepreneurial environment.
• Flexibility in working hours to accommodate management of global partnerships, interact and interface across regions, and ability to prioritize and balance multiple projects from a virtual home office setting
• Technical proficiency in one or more project planning tools (including MS Project, Smartsheet, Wrike)
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to do some domestic and international travel [up to 40%] – when appropriate and necessary

#LI-Hybrid

Zenas is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The base salary pay range for this role is $180,000 to $220,000.  Actual compensation packages will depend on various factors, including, but not limited to depth of experience, education, skillset, overall performance and/or location. 

Zenas believes in providing a competitive compensation and benefits package to all employees. Our base salary is just one component of Zenas’ competitive total rewards strategy that also includes annual performance bonus, equity, full range of benefits and other incentive compensation plans.