Strategic Partnership Coordinator

6000 That’s the number of associates in the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR). This division is the innovation engine of Novartis, focusing on powerful new technologies that have the potential to help produce therapeutic breakthroughs for patients. The Pre-Clinical Safety (PCS) group in NIBR provides world class preclinical safety profiling and assessment for optimal drug discovery, development and registration, with state-of-the-art regulatory compliance.

The Strategic Partnership Coordinator (SPC) is responsible for implementation of the Preclinical Safety -External Partnerships (PSEP) vision to advance preclinical safety science and drive drug development through building innovative relationships with key external stakeholders. As a strong matrix leader, the Strategic Partnership Coordinator synchronizes portfolio, operational, and regulatory priorities, drives strategic decision making, and continuously ensures that the PSEP business plan is consistent with Preclinical Safety goals and objectives. The SPC is responsible for building and coordinating preclinical safety-focused collaborations with academic institutions and facilitating seamless collaboration across NIBR for advancing scientific projects.

The SPC is responsible for the effective management and optimal alignment of PSEP deliverables, including the external outsourcing strategy, through coordination of internal reviews, project oversight, and generation of productivity metrics demonstrating portfolio impact and strategic and efficient use of financial resources. The incumbent must have significant investigational and regulatory toxicology expertise, preferably as a line function scientific contributor and Preclinical Safety project team member (safety assessment expert), broad scientific/technology knowledge base, previous experience in leading external and internal scientific collaborations, and have the ability to incorporate new scientific insights and internal/external innovation into strategic and practical directions.

Your responsibilities will include:

- Driving the strategic planning to develop and execute the 3-5-year External Partnership business plan in collaboration with the External Partnership team, Preclinical Safety (PCS) Portfolio and Functional Leadership Teams, scientific associates across PCS, NIBR, GDD, key internal stakeholders, including NBS Procurement and NIBR Finance, as well as academic institutions, regulatory, and industry partners.
- Partnering with the External Innovation Steering Committee and Academic Partnerships and External Innovation (AP&EI) to ensure stage-appropriate decision-making of external activities in alignment with External Partnership strategy and deliverables. Cultivates matrix leadership to enable Initiatives and cross-functional relationship building..
- Collaborating with project/initiative leaders and leadership team members to ensure focus areas and objectives are on track, helps create forums to bring attention to external partnership opportunities, and enables key decision-making. Ensures prioritization of projects for maximal portfolio impact, strategic use of resources, and effective cost-sharing with external partners.
- Working closely with the PSEP Alliance Director to define an agile and fit-for-purpose outsourcing strategy
- Serving as PSEP point of contact for the PCS Portfolio and Functional Leadership Teams, PCS associates, and other internal stakeholders for partnership participation and knowledge sharing; coordinates external inquiries for partnering opportunities.
- Monitoring, synthesizing, and reporting on external partnership status and portfolio impact, and proactively addresses and resolves issues. Developing improved project reporting tools to provide dynamic status updates. Supporting leaders by managing and providing detailed analyses and data for management decision-making
- May participate in academic/industry consortia and/or private/public partnership initiatives and/or management boards.

**Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion**:

- Novartis is committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams representative of the patients and communities we serve._

**Minimum requirements**

What you will bring to the role:

- Minimum: DVM, MSc or PhD.
- 10-15 years in drug discovery and development with broad expertise in investigational and regulatory toxicology; Health Authority submissions, communications, and regulatory guidance; biology, technology, and portfolio and project management
- Demonstrated leadership of projects and initiatives across organizational boundaries with focus on impact; experience in working effectively in team and collaborative work environments; ability to manage conflicting expectations and adjusting to team dynamics.
- Competency in defining department strategy and effective execution/operationalizing skills.
- Strong change management skills and ability to lead through ambiguity.
- Exper