Description

The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute is recruiting a Senior Director for Strategic Partnerships to advance the groundbreaking cancer research led by our talented faculty, staff, and trainees. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of initiating and managing successful, impactful academic-industrial, academic-academic, and industrial-industrial research partnerships, and facilitating the translation of discoveries into innovations that benefit patients. The ideal candidate will possess outstanding leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills and have demonstrated competence in navigating complex scientific and organizational environments.

The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, known as a pioneer in personalized cancer medicine, is an international leader in research and cancer treatment. Driven by its mission to end cancer as we know it, the institute is building upon its expertise in targeted treatments to advance the early detection, interception, and treatment of cancer. The Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships, is responsible for identifying, securing, negotiating, and managing strategic relationships with external partners (corporate, academic, nonprofit, and other) that enable the Knight Cancer Institute to advance its science.  This role will be responsible for accelerating projects towards commercialization.  These responsibilities encompass all units and faculty within the Knight Cancer Institute. The Senior Director is expected to understand Knight Cancer Institute research projects sufficiently well to independently and frequently serve as a proxy for faculty in engaging partners.  This role is also responsible for effectively liaising with internal partners at OHSU to combine efforts for stronger partnerships and to coordinate the strategic expansion of Knight Cancer Institute partnerships into other areas of OHSU, or vice versa. A key quality needed for success in this position is a level of expertise and leadership that enables the incumbent to earn the confidence of the Institute’s scientists and to develop strategic relationships and partnerships with key constituents.

Responsibilities of this role include:

• Identify, connect with, and cultivate strategic partners and ensure alignment with the vision, mission, and objectives of the Knight Cancer Institute
• Create, negotiate, and close transactions, and manage strategic relationships that advance the scientific objectives of the Knight Cancer Institute
• Develop and oversee high-value preferred partnerships that elevate the Knight Cancer Institute’s international stature
• Develop collaborative relationships that leverage scientific programs at the Knight Cancer Institute to capture value through co-development, licensing, startups, or other avenues
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of individuals, and work with partners throughout the university, to plan, execute, and expand partnership activity
• Perform competitive analysis of platforms, drugs, and technologies that align with Knight Cancer Institute programs. Advise, mentor, and drive innovation by working with project teams to identify patentable innovations, go-to-market strategies, and research plans that will lead to commercializable products.

Requirements

• Undergraduate degree in biology, chemistry or equivalent, with eight years of relevant experience. 
• Significant track record initiating, managing, negotiating and closing a wide variety of transactions in the life sciences/healthcare sector (investments, partnerships, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures).
• Proven track record of generating revenue via sponsored research, or other relationships that lead to in-kind, discounts, beta instruments, or that support grantmaking/philanthropy
• Ability to create novel deal structures that fully engage partners and maximize strategic nature of relationship
• Demonstrated understanding of and participation in various commercialization mechanisms and due diligence considerations and related areas (IP, regulatory pathways, market landscape/competitive analysis, etc.)
• Demonstrated involvement in assessment and commercialization of cancer-related biology, treatments, and other advances.
• Ability to guide scientific teams in the development of technically complex projects, proposals and pitches, and to initiate and independently negotiate complex contracts and partnership agreements
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coordinate and guide strategic partnership discussions towards go/no-go decisions
• Ability to effectively lead a team overseeing numerous projects at different stages, guide and mentor junior staff to manage alliances and form partnerships
• Ability to manage team remotely and to work independently and as part of a team while being collaborative in resolving problems
• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks at one time with excellent communication, analytical and organizational skills:  both written and verbal
• Advanced skills with Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook, Access, Word, and PowerPoint) on Window OS. Ability to accurately type 60wpm