Associate Director, Drug Discovery Strategy & External Innovation

Simcere Pharmaceutical Group; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Simcere is seeking a highly motivated PhD-level scientist to join the U.S. BD & Licensing team as Sr. Manager/Associate Director, Drug Discovery Strategy & External Innovation, focusing on Neuroscience and Immunology.

You will identify targets, develop discovery strategies, and drive internal programs while expanding external collaborations. The role blends scientific leadership with strategic portfolio development, requiring cross-functional collaboration, strong communication, and travel to

Qualifications

• PhD in a biomedical discipline (neuroscience/immunology/pharmacology, etc.).
• Minimum 5 years of pharma/biotech industry experience in drug discovery or related R&D.
• Experience leading cross-functional R&D discussions and decision-making.
• Strong understanding of target biology, pharmacology, translational science, and development feasibility.
• Excellent scientific communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Willingness to travel 20–30% for conferences and collaborations.

Responsibilities

• Identify and prioritize neuroscience/immunology targets and discovery opportunities.
• Develop target product profiles, rationales, differentiation strategies, and initial development plans.
• Advance internal R&D programs through cross-functional collaboration across biology, chemistry, DMPK, translational research, and IP.
• Evaluate external licensing opportunities and manage scientific due diligence.
• Represent Simcere at external meetings and conferences, and support BD due diligence with data-driven insights.
• Prepare strategic updates and presentations for senior management.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Strategic thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Project coordination

Scientific communication

Education

PhD in Neuroscience/Neurobiology/Immunology/Pharmacology/Molecular Biology/Medicinal Chemistry

Tools

CRO management

Search & Evaluation

Job description

Simcere is seeking a highly motivated and scientifically accomplished professional to join our U.S. Business Development & Licensing team as Sr. Manager or Associate Director, Drug Discovery Strategy & External Innovation, with a focus on Neuroscience and Immunology.

The successful candidate will work closely with U.S. BD leadership and global R&D teams to identify and prioritize innovative therapeutic targets, develop differentiated drug discovery strategies, initiate new R&D programs, and advance strategic internal research projects.

Approximately 70% of the role will focus on internal R&D strategy, new project initiation, and scientific program advancement, with the remaining 30% dedicated to external innovation, opportunity scouting, and scientific search and evaluation.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in pharmaceutical drug discovery and development, preferably with hands-on experience in small-molecule therapeutics, particularly G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and/or ion channels.

This position offers an opportunity to combine scientific expertise, strategic thinking, cross-functional leadership, and external business development within a global pharmaceutical organization.

Key Responsibilities

1. Drug Discovery Strategy & New Project Initiation (35%)

• Identify, evaluate, and prioritize novel therapeutic targets and differentiated drug discovery opportunities in Neuroscience and Immunology.
• Conduct scientific and competitive landscape assessments to support target selection, project prioritization, and strategic investment decisions.
• Develop target product profiles (TPPs), scientific rationales, differentiation strategies, and initial development plans for new drug discovery programs.
• Evaluate target biology, pharmacology, druggability, translational potential, and clinical development feasibility.
• Prepare new project proposals and scientific recommendations for internal review, project initiation, and Go/No-Go decisions.
• Work with global R&D teams to translate innovative scientific concepts into actionable drug discovery programs.

2. Internal R&D Program Advancement (35%)

• Partner closely with BD leadership and cross-functional R&D teams to advance strategic internal drug discovery programs.
• Coordinate scientific and technical discussions across Biology, Medicinal Chemistry, DMPK, Translational Research, Clinical Development, and Intellectual Property.
• Support program strategy, research planning, milestone definition, and prioritization of key experiments and scientific deliverables.
• Identify scientific and technical challenges, evaluate alternative approaches, and facilitate data-driven decision-making.
• Track program progress, critical milestones, scientific risks, and key decision points, providing actionable recommendations to leadership.
• Support research collaborations with external technology partners, academic institutions, and contract research organizations.
• Prepare scientific project updates, strategic assessments, and presentations for senior management.

3. External Search & Evaluation (20%)

• Proactively identify and evaluate innovative therapeutic assets, emerging drug targets, and drug discovery technologies from biotechnology companies, pharmaceutical organizations, and academic institutions.
• Conduct initial scientific screening and prioritization of external licensing and research collaboration opportunities.
• Evaluate mechanism of action, preclinical and clinical data, competitive differentiation, translational potential, and development risks.
• Monitor global R&D pipelines, scientific publications, emerging technologies, and competitive developments.
• Collaborate with internal scientific and BD teams to support due diligence and partnering decisions.
• Maintain a structured pipeline of external opportunities aligned with Simcere's strategic priorities.

4. External Networking & Business Development Support (10%)

• Develop and maintain relationships with biotechnology companies, academic investigators, scientific founders, and innovation partners.
• Represent Simcere at scientific conferences, industry partnering events, and external company meetings.
• Initiate scientific discussions with prospective collaborators and facilitate follow-up evaluations.
• Support early-stage partnering discussions, confidential information exchanges, and scientific aspects of licensing opportunities.
• Help identify potential research collaborations that could accelerate internal drug discovery programs.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• PhD in Neuroscience, Neurobiology, Immunology, Pharmacology, Molecular Biology, Medicinal Chemistry, or a related biomedical discipline.
• Minimum of 5 years of pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry experience in drug discovery, translational research, or early drug development.
• Demonstrated experience in drug discovery project initiation, target selection, target validation, lead optimization, development candidate selection, or related R&D activities.
• Strong understanding of drug discovery and development, including target biology, pharmacology, preclinical development, and translational science.
• Experience working with cross-functional R&D teams to advance drug discovery programs and support scientific decision-making.
• Ability to critically evaluate scientific data, assess competitive differentiation, and develop clear, actionable recommendations.
• Strong analytical, strategic thinking, project coordination, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent scientific communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and effectively collaborate with geographically distributed, cross-functional teams.
• Willingness to travel approximately 20–30% for scientific conferences, external collaborations, and business development activities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience in small-molecule drug discovery, particularly GPCRs and/or ion channels.
• Drug discovery or development experience in Neuroscience or Immunology.
• Experience advancing drug discovery programs from target identification through lead optimization, candidate nomination, or IND-enabling development.
• Experience developing TPPs, target selection strategies, differentiated drug discovery concepts, and new project proposals.
• Experience in external scientific evaluation, Search & Evaluation, scientific due diligence, or portfolio strategy.
• Familiarity with emerging therapeutic modalities and innovative drug discovery technologies.
• Experience managing external research collaborations, CRO activities, or partnerships with biotechnology companies.
• Established professional network within the U.S. biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or academic research ecosystem.
• Experience working within international pharmaceutical organizations.

Ideal Candidate Profile

We are particularly interested in a scientist who combines strong hands-on drug discovery experience with scientific curiosity, strategic thinking, and the ability to drive research programs forward.

The ideal candidate:

• Has contributed to the initiation and advancement of innovative drug discovery programs.
• Understands how to identify differentiated therapeutic opportunities and translate scientific concepts into executable research plans.
• Can independently assess target biology, pharmacology, competitive positioning, and development feasibility.
• Is comfortable working across scientific disciplines and engaging with internal R&D leaders and external scientific experts.
• Has a strong interest in external innovation, emerging drug discovery technologies, and scientific business development.
• Is proactive, collaborative, execution-oriented, and capable of managing multiple scientific priorities.

Prior experience in licensing negotiations or transaction execution is advantageous but not required.

Why Join Simcere?

Simcere is a research-driven pharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative therapies for patients with significant unmet medical needs.

This role offers an opportunity to work at the intersection of drug discovery, R&D strategy, and external innovation, contributing directly to the development of Simcere's future pipeline.

The successful candidate will work closely with U.S. BD leadership and global R&D teams, participate in strategic scientific decisions, and help build collaborations with innovative biotechnology companies and research institutions.

The position provides a career development path for scientists interested in expanding beyond traditional R&D roles into scientific strategy, portfolio development, and global pharmaceutical business development.