Associate Director- Research Alliances

ROLE SUMMARY

This position is a key scientific and strategic contributor to driving innovation in research planning and execution across Pfizer Oncology Research Unit (ORU), by designing and implementing effective internal and external research processes.

The Associate Director with Research Alliances group of Discovery Technology department will have responsibility for effective management of an external research portfolio that includes a combination of biotech alliances, academic collaborations, and Contract Research Organizations (CROs). This individual will be part of a team that provides broad support to Oncology senior leaders, scientists, and project teams to enable key research collaborations that advance Pfizer ORU objectives.

Depending on the nature of the partnership, the Associate Director will independently build, develop, and manage all or parts of the partnership lifecycle, including evaluation of potential partners, developing research collaboration objectives, implementation of governance structures, managing deliverables and timelines, and maintaining and growing strategic alignment and overall partnership health.  This individual will also be expected to lead optimization of technical and operational processes to increase efficiency and productivity.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Applies both scientific and business operations knowledge to identify and evaluate external technologies and service capabilities, establish and manage collaborations, and build long-term strategic relationships with partners
• Serves as the research collaboration and business operations expert to advise and mobilize internal teams to drive decision-making that often involves external partnerships.
• Serves as a key contributor to a team dedicated to developing and implementing overall external collaboration strategies and processes for Pfizer ORU
• Proactively identifies needs for continuous improvement of research plans, business processes and workflows, and leads multidisciplinary groups in creating and implementing improvements both internally and externally
• Aligns strategy, objectives and deliverables both internally and with our partners, and independently coordinates operational activities to deliver goals accordingly
• Oversees financial and payment tracking, invoice resolution, and shipping logistics to ensure operational efficiency and ease of doing business for Pfizer teams and partners
• Collaborates with other members of the Research Alliances group and mentors junior members of the team to achieve overall group mission and objectives

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• PhD in a biological sciences or related field with 5+ years’ or Master’s degree with 10+ years’ or Bachelor’s degree with 15+ years’ relevant experience.
• 5+ years’ experience in the pharma/biotech industry, with exposure to research collaboration management and interactions with both US and non-US based companies and/or academic institutions.
• In-depth knowledge of oncology research and drug discovery, particularly in the areas of in vitro primary pharmacology/structure-activity relationship (SAR), cell-based assays, genomics, proteomics are required or preferred
• Strong problem solving, communication, prioritization and time management skills are required
• Ability to build strong rapport with internal colleagues, and external partners of diverse scientific and business disciplines
• Self-motivated with a strong desire for self-development; able to acquire new knowledge and skills in both scientific and business arenas to improve job performance

Candidate demonstrates a breadth of diverse leadership experiences and capabilities including: the ability to influence and collaborate with peers, develop and coach others, oversee and guide the work of other colleagues to achieve meaningful outcomes and create business impact.
 

PHYSICAL/MENTAL REQUIREMENTS

NA

NON-STANDARD WORK SCHEDULE, TRAVEL OR ENVIRONMENT REQUIREMENTS

Domestic and occasional international travel is required.

Additional Information:

• Work Location Assignment: On Premise
• Last Day to Apply: March 20, 2026

The annual base salary for this position ranges from $124,400.00 to $207,400.00. In addition, this position is eligible for participation in Pfizer’s Global Performance Plan with a bonus target of 17.5% of the base salary and eligibility to participate in our share based long term incentive program. We offer comprehensive and generous benefits and programs to help our colle