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About the Role
Servier is seeking a Senior Director, External Innovation, Japan, to lead engagement with the Japanese life-sciences ecosystem, identify innovative therapeutic assets, and foster collaborations aligned with global R&D and Business Development priorities. This role acts as a key local interface, ensuring opportunities sourced in Japan are effectively qualified and transferred, while maintaining partner relationships.
Responsibilities
- Develop and execute a Japan External Innovation and partnering plan.
- Build and maintain a comprehensive understanding of the Japanese life-sciences ecosystem.
- Establish trusted, long-term relationships with priority ecosystem stakeholders.
- Represent Servier at selected scientific, innovation, and partnering forums.
- Identify therapeutic assets, research collaborations, platform technologies, and other partnering opportunities.
- Conduct initial scientific and strategic qualification of opportunities.
- Ensure timely documentation and introduction of opportunities into Servier’s global screening processes.
- Develop proactive mappings of priority scientific areas and monitor emerging technologies.
- Act as the Japan-based relay for Global Business Development and the Japan Business Development Director.
- Participate in relevant therapeutic-area triage and evaluation forums.
- Support partner meetings, management interactions, and selected workstreams during evaluations and negotiations.
- Coordinate or lead selected Japan-based activities for specific opportunities.
- Help identify and advance Japan-for-global, APAC-for-global, and global-for-Japan partnering opportunities.
- Maintain structured alignment with R&D External Innovation, Global Business Development, Japan R&D, and other stakeholders.
- Facilitate transparent information sharing and consistent external communication.
- Support visits and engagement programs for global Servier leaders and teams in Japan.
- Contribute to APAC ecosystem intelligence and selected regional initiatives.
- Potentially assume broader coordination or leadership responsibilities for selected APAC External Innovation and partnering activities.
- Provide concise updates on the Japanese scientific and partnering landscape.
- Maintain a clear view of the local opportunity funnel, relationship priorities, and progress against objectives.
- Contribute to global External Innovation and Business Development planning.
- Propose measurable annual objectives covering ecosystem access, opportunity quality, progression, partner engagement, and contribution to global deals.
Requirements
- Advanced degree in Life Sciences, Medicine, or a related scientific discipline; PhD or MD strongly preferred.
- Typically 12+ years of relevant experience in pharmaceutical R&D, biotechnology, Search & Evaluation, External Innovation, technology transfer, venture investing, or life-sciences Business Development.
- Demonstrated ability to assess scientific opportunities and translate complex science into clear partnering recommendations.
- Experience supporting cross-functional evaluations, due diligence activities, research collaborations, option-based transactions, or licensing processes.
- Strong understanding of drug discovery and development, ideally in oncology, neuroscience, or rare diseases, and familiarity with relevant therapeutic modalities.
- Established credibility and network across the Japanese life-sciences ecosystem.
- Experience working across Japanese and global decision-making environments, with the cultural fluency required to build trust and navigate complex stakeholder dynamics.
- Native-level Japanese and full professional fluency in English.
- Ability to operate with autonomy while contributing actively to global, regional, and cross-functional teams.
- Strong collaboration and influencing skills in a matrix organisation.
- Sound judgement and the ability to distinguish promising science from actionable partnering opportunities.
- Strong programme and process management skills.
- Excellent relationship-building, networking, and partnering skills.
- High cultural intelligence and the ability to bridge Japanese and global communication and decision-making practices.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Skills
- Life Sciences
- Oncology
- Neurology
- R&D
- Business Development
- External Innovation
- Drug Discovery
- Drug Development
- Scientific Assessment
- Cross-functional Collaboration
- Due Diligence
- Licensing
- Relationship Building
- Networking
- Communication
Location
- Tokyo, Japan
Work Type
- Full-time
- Onsite
Experience Level
- Senior Director
- 12+ years of relevant experience
Education Level
- Advanced degree in Life Sciences, Medicine, or a related scientific discipline
- PhD or MD strongly preferred
Benefits
- Tailor-made onboarding journeys
- Mobility opportunities
- Quality trainings
- Responsible management
- Team spirit
- Workplace focused on well-being
About the Company
- Servier is committed to strengthening its pipeline in Oncology and Neurology through focused internal R&D and high-impact external partnerships.
- Building trusted relationships across the world’s leading innovation ecosystems is essential to identifying differentiated science, technologies and therapeutic opportunities and bringing them to patients faster.
- At Servier, we are committed to therapeutic progress to serve patient needs.
- We put the diversity of our employees as a source of richness for the fulfillment of this vocation.