Sr. Director, R&D External Opportunities

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Purpose

The REDEO (R&D External Opportunity) Leader will spearhead the evaluation of preclinical, clinical or commercial stage external opportunities from the evaluation phase to contract signature, contributing to the expansion and maintenance of a competitive portfolio of projects for Chiesi's Air and Care pipeline.  This role involves mobilizing, leading and coordinating an ad-hoc REDEO team, driving the R&D evaluation journey up to possible successful deal completion, acting as point of contact and reference person for RDLT and for Global Business and Corporate Development (GB&CD). 

Main Responsibilities

•    Evaluation phase
-    Conduct a quick and high-level strategic and technical evaluation of the opportunity, taking into account the potential for long-term growth and synergy with Chiesi's existing portfolio and asking support to REDEO members if needed
-    Provide guidance on which opportunities to proceed with CDA and pre-DD
•    Pre-DD
-    Assess which REDEO team members need to be involved according to the development stage and characteristics of the opportunity and mobilize the team;
-    Lead the R&D evaluation, shaping the scientific and technical value assessments 
-    Lead and coordinate the REDEO team to create a high-level development plan, set decision points with deliverables, assess timelines and costs, and identify major risks, critical issues and potential showstoppers.
-    With the support of REDEO team, prepare and present compelling communication materials for key internal (including governance committees) and external stakeholders (i.e., counterpart) to support decision to progress or not 
•     Due Diligence: 
-    Lead the R&D assessment during the due diligence process, guiding and overseeing the REDEO team deep diving into confidential material
-    Assess the scientific value and identify challenges, gaps or criticalities, including R&D needs and partner’s capability gaps, and potential mitigation plan; 
-    Act as point of contact for the RDLT, BD and DD Team, ensuring alignment with corporate BD, supporting the definition of collaboration models and business strategies with BD team
-    With the support of REDEO team, review and finalise the development plan
-    Review the contract and provide critical inputs based on R&D assessment and competences, involving the relevant REDEO team members 
-    Support the transition following completion of due diligence by ensuring smooth handover to the GPL assigned to the project. 

Leadership and Coordination

-    Mobilize specific REDEO team members based on the needs and stage of evaluation of each opportunity, ensuring agility and efficiency.
-    Lead and coordinate the REDEO team in securing pipeline opportunities and shaping the scientific and technical value assessments.
-    Act as the primary R&D point of contact for external opportunities, providing a unified R&D voice throughout the evaluation process.
-    Promptly interact with R&D Head and RDLT to seek advice or escalate in case of urgent issues and/or major criticalities

Communication and Reporting

-    With the support of REDEO team, prepare and present R&D compelling communication materials for internal (including governance committees) and external stakeholders (i.e. counterpart).
-    Provide R&D strategic vision and data-driven insights to support decision-making processes.
-    Ensure efficient communication within R&D and with GB&CD.

Experience Required

Drug development experience, preferably obtained through >7 years experience in different functions of the pharmaceutical industry, with expertise covering different project phases across multiple target classes and therapeutic areas

Education

Master degree in relevant scientific subject (Biology, Biotechnology and Medicine are preferred). PhD in a scientific discipline and/or MBA would be considered an advantage

Languages

Fluency in english

Skills

-    Proven experience in leading complex matrix teams and managing resources and budget.
-    Proven scientific and drug development experience in multiple functions of the pharmaceutical industry.
-    Ability to understand and evaluate multiple disciplines depending on the specificity of the opportunities under screening.
-    Strong strategic thinking and forward-thinking abilities, with a deep understanding of science and technology impacts on business.
-    Excellent networking, communication, and presentation skills in cross-cultural environments.
-    Decision-making skills, with ability to synthesize complex and diverse inputs to a problem, and drive and accelerate critical decisions to recommend solutions/ preferred options. 
-    Negotiation skills and ability to influence at different organizational levels.
-    Performance and achievement oriented with excellent project management skills.
-    Excellent problem-solving, result and quality oriented: Strong influencing skills and ability to drive consensus, aligning different perspectives and inspiring team members to collectively define and achieve critical milestones. 
-    Ability to lead with courage, can comfortably confront and work through conflict, and is not afraid to make tough decisions and take quick action