Global Alliance Director

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:

• Successful management of China based alliances through leading by influence, identifying and resolving key issues and ensuring alliance progress

• For some alliances, collaborating closely with Basel and SSF based alliance directors in managing alliances with Chinese partners.  Facilitate communication with Chinese partners (language, culture, time zone)

• Establishment and management of the relationship with the partners in order to appropriately manage expectations, anticipate and resolve key challenges

• Actively building and sustaining high-value relationships with key players in the China biotech and VC communities to drive collaborative initiatives and identify concrete opportunities to scale partnerships

• Act as a center of expertise for China partnerships and systematically share local knowledge and best practices to our global Alliance Directors in Basel and  SSF.

• Ensuring adherence to contractual obligations; managing all issues and conflicts (pro)actively to the benefit of the respective alliance

• Identifying, leading negotiations and implementing necessary contractual amendments, and/or subsequent agreements in coordination with BD, Finance, Legal and all relevant internal stakeholders

• Briefing of Roche senior leaders as required

• Representation of Corporate Business Development in public forums (conferences, congresses, other presentation opportunities)

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.