Associate Director, Early Portfolio Alliance Management & Operations

Johnson & Johnson Co.; Cambridge (MA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Johnson & Johnson is recruiting for an Associate Director, Early Portfolio Alliance Management & Operations to support discovery, preclinical, and early clinical collaborations. You will work with Oncology Strategy and Operations leadership to align programs with scientific and business objectives.

You will lead governance, manage external partnerships, and drive timely delivery of joint milestones across cross-functional teams, with a focus on risk mitigation and operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor level degree with at least 10 years pharma/biotech experience or a PhD/Master’s with at least 6 years in pharma/biotech.
• Experience in alliance management, partner-facing roles, or cross-functional PM in pharma/biotech.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills across scientific, clinical, legal, finance, and external partner teams.
• Excellent organizational skills to oversee multiple programs and priorities.
• Ability to assess risks and lead mitigation strategies.
• Meeting facilitation, agenda-setting, and tracking actions to closure.
• Ability to interpret scientific data and translate into operational actions.

Responsibilities

• Oversee a portfolio of discovery-to-early-clinical partnerships aligning with objectives.
• Serve as primary operational liaison between Janssen internal teams and external partners.
• Plan and run governance and scientific meetings; prepare agendas and track actions.
• Support development and refinement of joint research and development plans; monitor progress.
• Create timelines and milestone trackers; manage dependencies.
• Identify program risks and coordinate mitigation plans with stakeholders.
• Support budget and resource planning; ensure contractual obligations addressed.
• Integrate external programs into Janssen governance forums.
• Provide ad hoc strategic and operational support to core functions.

Skills

Drug Development

Project Management

R&D Management

Education

Bachelor degree + 10+ years pharma/biotech

PhD or Master’s + 6+ years pharma/biotech

Job description

At Johnson & Johnson,we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build aworld where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured,where treatments are smarter and less invasive, andsolutions are personal.Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity.Learn more at jnj.com.

As guided by Our Credo, Johnson & Johnson is responsible to our employees who work with us throughout the world. We provide an inclusive work environment where each person is considered as an individual. At Johnson & Johnson, we respect the diversity and dignity of our employees and recognize their merit.

Job Function

Project/Program Management Group

Job Sub Function

R&D Project Management

Job Category

Professional

All Job Posting Locations

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America, Spring House, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Job Description

Our expertise in Innovative Medicine is informed and inspired by patients, whose insights fuel our science-based advancements. Visionaries like you work on teams that save lives by developing the medicines of tomorrow.

Our Oncology team is focused on the elimination of cancer by discovering new pathways and modalities to finding treatments and cures. We lead where medicine is going and need innovators with an unwavering commitment to results.

Join us in developing treatments, finding cures, and pioneering the path from lab to life while championing patients every step of the way.

Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/innovative-medicine

Johnson & Johnson is recruiting for an Associate Director, Early Portfolio Alliance Management & Operations. Remote work options may be considered on a case-by-case basis and if approved by the Company.

Role Overview

We are seeking a proactive, scientifically literate Associate Director to support the management and execution of early-portfolio alliances and external collaborations across discovery, preclinical, and early clinical stages. This role works closely with Oncology Strategy and Operations leadership, VP Discovery, Therapeutic Area (TA) leadership, project teams, and cross-functional partners to drive scientific integration, alliance governance, and timely delivery of joint objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee a portfolio of discovery-to-early-clinical partnerships and collaborations, ensuring alignment to scientific objectives and corporate strategy.
• Serve as primary operational liaison between Janssen internal teams and external partners; coordinate cross-functional working groups and research teams.
• Plan and run governance and scientific meetings (e.g., JRC, JDC, JSC), prepare agendas, drive meeting logistics, track actions and deliverables, and ensure timely follow-up.
• Support development and iterative refinement of joint research and development plans; monitor scientific progress and recommend adjustments with partner teams.
• Create, maintain, and communicate timelines and milestone trackers; anticipate integration points and dependencies across internal and external activities.
• Identify program risks, resource or technical gaps, and operational issues; lead scenario planning and coordinate mitigation plans with stakeholders.
• Support budget and resource planning for alliance activities; collaborate with finance and legal to ensure contractual obligations, milestone criteria, and reporting requirements are addressed.
• Integrate external programs into Janssen governance forums and processes, and elevate issues as needed to leadership.
• Provide ad hoc strategic and operational support to core functions (governance, strategy development, portfolio prioritization) based on business needs.

Qualifications

Education:

• A minimum of a Bachelor level degree required with at least 10 years of relevant pharmaceutical/biotech industry experience OR a Ph.D or Master’s degree with at least 6 years of relevant pharmaceutical/biotech industry experience is required.

Required

Experience and Skills:

• Demonstrated knowledge of drug development and early-stage R&D processes.
• Experience in alliance management, partner-facing roles, or cross-functional project management in pharma/biotech.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability to build working relationships across scientific, clinical, legal, finance, and external partner teams.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to oversee multiple programs and priorities concurrently.
• Capacity to assess risks and lead the development and implementation of mitigation strategies.
• Adept with meeting facilitation, agenda-setting, and tracking actions to closure.
• Ability to interpret scientific data and translate implications into operational actions.

Preferred

• Prior experience leading discovery/preclinical/Phase 1 collaborations or alliances in oncology.
• Experience working with external partners across geographies and with industrial/academic partners.
• Proficiency with project management and collaboration tools

Other

• Travel: Some travel may be required to meet with partners or internal teams.

Required Skills

Drug Development, Project Management, R&D Management

Preferred Skills

Business Alignment, Collaboration, Continuous Improvement, Mentorship, Operational Excellence, Organizing, Performance Measurement, Process Control, Project Management Methodology (PMM), Project Management Office (PMO), Project Reporting, Project Schedule, Research and Development, Technical Credibility

Johnson & Johnson is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by federal, state or local law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Johnson & Johnson is committed to providing an interview process that is inclusive of our applicants’ needs. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation, external applicants please contact us via https://www.jnj.com/contact-us/careers, internal employees contact AskGS to be directed to your accommodation resource.