Sr Director, External Scientific Innovation Transactions

Job Title

Sr Director, External Scientific Innovation Transactions

Department: External Scientific Innovation

Reports to: VP, ESI Transactions

Location: London, United Kingdom

Job Description

At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Pharmaceuticals and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/. The aim of External Scientific Innovation (ESI) is to successfully compete for the top science and transformational innovation externally, including at universities, biotech companies and elsewhere in the life sciences industry ecosystem, allowing J&J to build the best healthcare pipeline, advancing transformative products and services for patients and consumers.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead a cross‑functional team in identifying transformational innovation externally that is strategically aligned to the TA/Function portfolio and building compelling business cases that are clearly communicated to senior leaders.
• Assess due diligence readouts, lead business case assessments and deal negotiations, and execute a wide range of complex deals including research collaborations, licensing, and asset acquisitions from discovery stage through the end of Phase 1.
• Work closely with R&D, finance, legal, and IP to creatively develop new business models and deal structures in line with J&J R&D best interests. Ensure that team members prepare high‑quality internal review and briefing documents, including substantial quantitative and qualitative analysis of opportunities that drive internal alignment and agreement.
• Proactively anticipate concerns, risks, and issues, and resolve them throughout the business development process by leveraging research, data and internal stakeholder feedback.
• Interact regularly with IM R&D Therapeutic Area/Functional Area leads, regional Innovation Center head, and IM Business Development.
• Mentor talent on the Global Transactions team and other colleagues in the deal‑making process.
• Establish an industry network to the benefit of J&J and IM R&D, assimilating and synthesizing emerging trends in the region by attending relevant meetings and conferences with a focus on active transactions.

Qualifications

• BA/BS level degree required. Advanced degree such as an MBA and/or PhD in a scientific field of study is preferred.
• Deep experience in the pharmaceutical and/or biotechnology industry with a minimum of 10 years of healthcare experience, including 7 + years in business‑development deal experience (research collaborations, co‑development, licenses, M&A, and out‑licenses). Transaction experience leading deals on China‑based programs and technologies is required.
• Experience leading and successfully closing at least 5 substantial therapeutic product or target‑based deals; experience negotiating co‑promo or co‑comm rights is preferred.
• Experience across a range of functions and/or sectors and a proven track record of influencing and negotiating skills that inspire trust and build credibility with very senior stakeholders to facilitate required collaborations.
• Demonstrated track record of resolving conflicts with multiple stakeholders is required.
• Excellent communications, negotiation skills and deep financial acumen are required.
• Familiarity with Chinese/Asian cultures is required; Mandarin speaking is preferred.
• Travel up to 30% (both domestic and international) is required. Deal flow will dictate how travel is spread over the year.

Preferred Skills

• Alliance formation
• Business planning
• Collaborative selling
• Consulting
• Critical thinking
• Developing partnerships
• Innovation
• Leadership
• Market expansion
• Program management
• Relationship building
• Sales enablement
• Stakeholder engagement
• Strategic change
• Strategic thinking
• SWOT analysis