Associate Director, Early Portfolio Alliance Management & Operations

Role Overview

We are seeking a proactive, scientifically literate Associate Director to support the management and execution of early-portfolio alliances and external collaborations across discovery, preclinical, and early clinical stages. This role works closely with Oncology Strategy and Operations leadership, VP Discovery, Therapeutic Area (TA) leadership, project teams, and cross-functional partners to drive scientific integration, alliance governance, and timely delivery of joint objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee a portfolio of discovery-to-early-clinical partnerships and collaborations, ensuring alignment to scientific objectives and corporate strategy.
• Serve as primary operational liaison between Janssen internal teams and external partners; coordinate cross-functional working groups and research teams.
• Plan and run governance and scientific meetings (e.g., JRC, JDC, JSC), prepare agendas, drive meeting logistics, track actions and deliverables, and ensure timely follow-up.
• Support development and iterative refinement of joint research and development plans; monitor scientific progress and recommend adjustments with partner teams.
• Create, maintain, and communicate timelines and milestone trackers; anticipate integration points and dependencies across internal and external activities.
• Identify program risks, resource or technical gaps, and operational issues; lead scenario planning and coordinate mitigation plans with stakeholders.
• Support budget and resource planning for alliance activities; collaborate with finance and legal to ensure contractual obligations, milestone criteria, and reporting requirements are addressed.
• Integrate external programs into Janssen governance forums and processes, and escalate issues as needed to leadership.
• Provide ad hoc strategic and operational support to core functions (governance, strategy development, portfolio prioritization) based on business needs.

Qualifications

Education: A minimum of a Bachelor level degree required with at least 10 years of relevant pharmaceutical/biotech industry experience OR a Ph.D or Master's degree with at least 6 years of relevant pharmaceutical/biotech industry experience is required.

Experience and Skills

Required:

• Demonstrated knowledge of drug development and early-stage R&D processes.
• Experience in alliance management, partner-facing roles, or cross-functional project management in pharma/biotech.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability to build working relationships across scientific, clinical, legal, finance, and external partner teams.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to oversee multiple programs and priorities concurrently.
• Capacity to assess risks and lead the development and implementation of mitigation strategies.
• Adept with meeting facilitation, agenda-setting, and tracking actions to closure.
• Ability to interpret scientific data and translate implications into operational actions.

Preferred:

• Prior experience leading discovery/preclinical/Phase 1 collaborations or alliances in oncology.
• Experience working with external partners across geographies and with industrial/academic partners.
• Proficiency with project management and collaboration tools.

Travel: Some travel may be required to meet with partners or internal teams.