Director, Vaccine Portfolio Strategy & External Partnerships

Job Summary

The Director, Vaccine Portfolio Strategy & External Partnerships leads execution of vaccine portfolio strategy, translating internal and external pipeline priorities into actionable plans aligned with enterprise objectives. This role leads cross-functional evaluation of strategic opportunities, integrating commercial, scientific, financial, and external partnership perspectives to translate complexity and ambiguity into clear recommendations that inform portfolio strategy, business development, and investment decisions. The Director enables trade-off decisions, stakeholder alignment, and prioritization of portfolio investments, lifecycle opportunities, and growth initiatives across short- and long-term horizons. The role requires strong cross-functional influence, executive communication, and the ability to align stakeholders around practical next steps.

The role also supports external opportunity assessment and negotiation readiness in close collaboration with Business Development, Transactions, and Legal, including support for CDAs, MTAs, service agreements, and related contracting needs during search and evaluation activities.

This is a hybrid role, which offers a combination of an onsite and remote work schedule.  #LI-Hybrid

Principal Accountabilities

1. Vaccine Portfolio Planning, Opportunity Assessment & Business Case Development - 40% of Time Spent

• Own the execution of vaccine portfolio planning across inline, lifecycle, pipeline, and external opportunities, applying strategic thinking to synthesize diverse insights, ask critical questions, pressure-test assumptions under ambiguity, shape recommendations, and drive clarity through a decision-gate approach that supports trade-off decision-making aligned with enterprise strategy, internal and external pipeline priorities, and business objectives.

• Translate internal and external pipeline priorities into actionable portfolio plans, investment recommendations, and execution roadmaps.

• Develop structured business cases, opportunity screens, prioritization frameworks, valuation inputs, scenario models, risk assessments, and strategic rationale to support portfolio and investment decisions.

• Lead commercial and portfolio assessments for internal and external opportunities by integrating market, epidemiology, clinical, access, pricing, competitive, financial, and R&D inputs.

• Apply knowledge of AI and its application to assess potential opportunities, including evidence synthesis, target/product profile evaluation, development feasibility, scenario modeling, assumption testing, and risk identification.

• Partner with R&D inclusive of Research, Clinical Development and Medical affairs, Global Market Access & Pricing, Business planning, Manufacturing & Supply, Legal, and regions to evaluate strategic fit, commercial attractiveness, risk-adjusted value, implementation feasibility, and ensuring these inputs are appropriately reflected in portfolio assessments and business cases.

• Lead external-facing commercial discussions with potential partners, vendors, and customer-facing stakeholders to frame opportunity assessments, clarify assumptions, support negotiation strategy, and advance business case alignment.

• Collaborate with Legal and External Partnerships/Business Development to support contract-related inputs for confidential disclosure agreements, material transfer agreements, services agreements, and related partner/vendor arrangements.

2. Strategic Diligence, Portfolio Prioritization & Governance - 30% of Time Spent

• Lead strategic diligence for new vaccine targets, platform opportunities, lifecycle investments, and portfolio expansion options through a commercial lens.

• Support transparent stage-gate and portfolio governance by preparing decision materials, tracking asset assessment status, escalating risks or evidence gaps, and capturing lessons learned.

• Influence prioritization, funding, resource allocation, and investment decisions across short- to long-term time horizons through concise, evidence-based recommendations.

3. Cross-Functional Leadership, Alignment & Value Optimization - 30% of Time Spent

• Influence and communicate effectively across all organizational levels and cross-functional audiences, adapting style and approach to drive alignment, clarity, and timely decision-making.

• Translate complex insights into simple, credible recommendations for senior leaders and stakeholders.

• Build strong internal and external partnerships to advance portfolio strategy, business case quality, negotiation readiness, executional excellence, and value optimization.

Project Work

The Director will lead or support time-bound strategic assessments and business case work, including:

• Commercial opportunity assessments for pipeline assets, platform technologies, market-entry options, and external partnership candidates.

• Decision-ready business cases and governance materials for investment, licensing, co-development, co-commercialization, and portfolio prioritization decisions.

• External-facing opportunity discussions and negotiation support with potential partners, vendors, and customer-facing stakeholders, including commercial input into CDA, MTA, services agreement, and related contracting processes in partnership with Legal and External Partnerships/Business Development.

• Application of AI knowledge and R&D capabilities to strengthen assessment of potential opportunities, including clinical-stage asset evaluation, evidence synthesis, development feasibility, scenario planning, assumption testing, risk visibility, and governance readiness.

Scope/Accountability

This global role provides strategic input into commercial diligence, portfolio prioritization, business case development, opportunity assessment , governance materials, and external opportunity engagement for Seqirus pipeline and external growth opportunities. The Director integrates clinical, commercial, access, financial, operational, legal/contracting, and risk assumptions into clear recommendations that support disciplined investment decisions, partner discussions, negotiation readiness, and future value creation.

Impact/Influence/Liaison

This role influences global, regional, and external stakeholders by aligning teams around opportunity attractiveness, strategic fit, evidence needs, investment logic, commercialization assumptions, and negotiation considerations. The Director represents the commercial perspective in external discussions with potential partners, vendors, and customer-facing stakeholders and collaborates with Legal and External Partnerships/Business Development on CDA, MTA, services agreement, and related contracting inputs. The role translates complex market, clinical, access, financial, legal, and competitive inputs into concise recommendations and governance-ready materials for senior decision-making.
 

Key Relationships

Internal

• Global Commercial Strategy & Planning (GCS&P) Leadership Team
• Commercial Operations and Regional Commercial Leadership
• Research & Development (Clinical Development, Medical Affairs, Regulatory)
• Global Market Access & Pricing
• External Partnerships/Business Development
• Finance
• Operations/Supply Chain
• Legal and Compliance

External

• Industry associations
• Policy organizations
• Scientific and commercial
• Market research agencies
• Potential partners, vendors, and customer-facing external stakeholders for opportunity assessment, commercial discussion, and negotiation support

Decision Making

This role makes and shapes recommendations on opportunity assessment, portfolio prioritization, business case assumptions, investment scenarios, risk mitigation, and commercialization implications. The Director must synthesize incomplete information, pressure-test assumptions, drive clarity through ambiguity, and use a disciplined decision-gate approach to align stakeholders on trade-offs, decision options, and practical next steps.

Innovation

The role requires entrepreneurship, curiosity, external orientation, and learning agility to identify future growth spaces and differentiated ways to win. The Director applies knowledge of AI to support assessment of potential opportunities, improve evidence synthesis, pressure-test development and commercial assumptions, identify risks, and strengthen the speed and quality of decision-ready recommendations.

Travel requirements

10-20% - Primarily Global

Knowledge, Skills & Competencies

Strategic thinking and commercial assessment expertise; ability to anticipate market shifts and create high-value deliverables from white space; strong pharmaceutical/vaccine commercialization knowledge, including lifecycle strategy, launch excellence, market access, pricing, business development, and strategic marketing frameworks; business case development, forecasting, market sizing, valuation, scenario planning, and investment prioritization capabilities; knowledge of AI and its application in R&D capabilities to assess potential opportunities, including evidence synthesis, target/product profile evaluation, development feasibility, assumption testing, scenario modeling, and risk identification; external-facing leadership with ability to guide commercial discussions, support negotiation strategy, and collaborate with Legal on CDA, MTA, services agreement, and related contracting processes; data-driven decision-making using clinical evidence, market research, competitive intelligence, policy, and regional insights; strong cross-functional leadership and ability to lead without authority; clear executive communication and stakeholder influence; executional excellence, prioritization, judgment, and learning agility.

Minimum Education Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a science, business, healthcare, or related discipline required; advanced scientific/medical degree, MS, or MBA preferred.

Minimum Experience Requirements

• Minimum 10 years of relevant experience in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, vaccines, healthcare strategy, portfolio planning, global commercial strategy, business development, market access, portfolio governance, or management consulting, with a scientific background or demonstrated ability to integrate scientific and clinical evidence into commercial and portfolio decisions.

• Experience leading commercial assessments, opportunity evaluations, strategic diligence, and business case development for pipeline, lifecycle, or external partnership opportunities.

• Strong knowledge of vaccine commercialization, including lifecycle strategy, launch planning, market access, pricing, payer dynamics, global commercial considerations, and regional market dynamics across U.S. and international markets.

• Advanced analytical and financial capabilities, including market sizing, scenario planning, valuation inputs, sensitivity analysis, investment trade-off assessment, and risk assessment.

• Demonstrated matrix leadership with ability to influence senior stakeholders, lead cross-functional teams, and communicate clear recommendations under ambiguity.

• Experience working with regional and global teams, with ability to understand and synthesize differences in U.S. and international market dynamics, access environments, customer needs, policy considerations, and commercial execution requirements.

Reporting Structure

Number of Direct Reports: 0

Number of Indirect Reports: 0

The expected base salary range for this position at hiring is $222,000 - $299,000. Please note this salary range reflects the minimum and maximum base pay that CSL expects to pay for this position in Summit, NJ and Waltham, MA as of the time of this posting. Individual base salary for a successful candidate is determined by qualifications, skill level, experience, competencies and other relevant factors. In addition to base salary, total compensation for this role may also include incentive compensation and equity.

About CSL Seqirus

CSL Seqirus is part of CSL. As one of the largest influenza vaccine providers in the world, CSL Seqirus is a major contributor to the prevention of influenza globally and a transcontinental partner in pandemic preparedness. With state-of-the-art production facilities in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, CSL Seqirus utilizes egg, cell and adjuvant technologies to offer a broad portfolio of differentiated influenza vaccines in more than 20 countries around the world.

To learn more about CSL, CSL Behring, CSL Seqirus and CSL Vifor visit https://www.csl.com/ and CSL Plasma at https://www.cslplasma.com/.

Our Benefits

For more information on CSL benefits visit How CSL Supports Your Well-being | CSL.

You Belong at CSL

At CSL, Inclusion and Belonging is at the core of our mission and who we are. It fuels our innovation day in and day out. By celebrating our differences and creating a culture of curiosity and empathy, we are able to better understand and connect with our patients and donors, foster strong relationships with our stakeholders, and sustain a diverse workforce that will move our company and industry into the future.

 To learn more about inclusion and belonging visit https://www.csl.com/careers/inclusion-and-belonging

Equal Opportunity Employer

CSL is an Equal Opportunity Employer. If you are an individual with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please visit https://www.csl.com/accessibility-statement.

Watch our ‘On the Front Line’ video to learn more about CSL Seqirus