Director, Strategic Partnerships - 141133

University of California - San Diego Medical Centers; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 137,000 - 268,000; Full time

Job summary

The Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health seeks a Director of Strategic Partnerships to expand industry collaborations and secure funding for translational cancer research. You will lead executive engagements, develop cross‑functional teams, and drive MCC's strategic goals through new collaborations across academia, industry, and clinical programs.

This senior role demands exceptional communication, negotiation, and change-management skills, with a track record of advancing partnerships

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field; 7+ years of relevant experience.
• Experience partnering with C-suite executives and guiding cross-functional teams.
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills for influencing stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage strategic partnerships with industry and research organizations.
• Lead executive-level engagement to secure research funding and collaborations.
• Foster broad internal and external relationships to advance MCC goals.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Executive relationship building

Change management

Analytical skills

Project planning

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree + 7+ years experience in related field

Job description

Reassignment Applicants: Eligible Reassignment clients should contact their Disability Counselor for assistance.

Description

The Moores Cancer Center (MCC) is one of just 58 NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the United States and the only one in San Diego County. As a consortium cancer center, it is a collaborative partnership between the UCSD: encompassing 14 departments (12 clinical, 2 basic sciences), 3 professional schools (School of Medicine, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Public Health), UCSD Health oncology hospitals and clinics; the basic and public health research and outreach of San Diego State University, and the basic and translational research of the La Jolla Institute of Immunology. These various programs and units are all dedicated to fulfilling the Moores Cancer Center's mission of reducing cancer's burden. As such, it ranks among the top centers in the nation conducting the continuum of cancer research, providing advanced patient care, and serving the community through outreach and education programs. As a top-ranking, future-oriented organization, we offer challenging career opportunities in a fast-paced and innovative environment. Moores Cancer Center follows a progressive philosophy of career-path development for its employees including opportunities for cross-training, professional development, and progressive responsibility.

MCC's mission is to transform cancer care in our catchment area and beyond by driving exceptional scientific discoveries, and innovations in prevention, detection, care, and training. MCC will make a global impact on improving health by reducing cancer burden through accelerated discovery and translation, compassionate and interdisciplinary care, education and community engagement, with the foundation of our core values - Excellence, Innovation and Risk-Taking, Collaboration, Diversity and Service.

Working closely with the Director of MCC and the Associate Director for Administration, the Director, Strategic Partnerships will leverage their knowledge and experience in cultivating industry relationships to expand and strengthen strategic partnerships for MCC. This individual will meet regularly with executive leaders from local, national, and international organizations to advance research collaborations and clinical trial partnerships in the oncology space. The Director will focus on securing competitive research funding through industry partnerships and fostering new collaborations across the full research continuum, leveraging the strengths and expertise of MCC faculty. In addition, they will build strong relationships and trust with stakeholders across the UC San Diego ecosystem, MCC Consortium partners, and the broader community to support and advance the strategic goals of MCC.

Independently uses and applies wide-ranging experience and proficiency in organizational development, effectiveness, business process analysis and strategic planning on projects that typically have organization-wide impact. Understands business needs and how systems, both technical and nontechnical, can support those needs. Having wide-ranging experience, uses organizational development concepts and organization objectives to resolve the most complex issues with organization-wide impact or great political sensitivity, where analysis of circumstances and information requires an in-depth evaluation of factors. Exercises judgment in selecting methods, techniques and evaluation criteria for obtaining results. Internal and external contacts often pertain to organization plans and objectives. Is considered a subject matter expert of the organization and often recognized as an expert externally in the industry.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in related area and seven or more years of relevant experience; or equivalent combination of experience, education and training.

• Knowledge of the organizational environment of clinical research and large research universities to understand client priorities, issues, motivations and constraints.

• Experience partnering with C-Suite executives and understanding of corporate needs to help drive MCC business forward.

• Demonstrates superior strategic-thinking and consulting skills in guiding the organization toward workable strategies and solutions especially between industry representatives and MCC Director's Office.

• Superior written, verbal and presentation skills for influencing and facilitating sustained change.

• Ability to facilitate and influence people at all levels. Ability to persuade through both logic and appeal to positive motivations. Ability to handle multiple constituencies, agendas, engagements and tasks, and to deal productively with ambiguity and conflict.

• Demonstrates ability to learn quickly, reason, synthesize and generalize based on information obtained; sound judgment; ability to draw unbiased conclusions.

• Ability to focus on priorities, strategies, and vision.

• Knowledge of the consulting process to effectively lead highly significant engagements from inception to conclusion with industry partners.

• Incorporates excellent skills in change management programs on a regular basis.

• Demonstrates superior analytical, problem-solving, project planning and implementation skills.

• Highly-skilled in navigating organizational complexity.

• Expert knowledge of the organizational development and effectiveness field, theories, models to assess, design and implement customized organizational interventions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a relevant field of study.

• Demonstrated success securing industry-sponsored research funding or collaborative research agreements.

• Experience negotiating or facilitating complex research collaborations involving multiple stakeholders, including academic investigators, healthcare systems, industry partners, and legal or contracting offices.

• Experience advancing partnerships that resulted in measurable outcomes such as sponsored research agreements, clinical trial expansion, or technology commercialization.

Special Conditions

• Must be able to work various hours and locations based on business needs.

• Employment is subject to a criminal background check.

Pay Transparency Act

Annual Full Pay Range: $136,600 - $267,600 (will be prorated if the appointment percentage is less than 100%)

Hourly Equivalent: $65.42 - $128.16

Factors in determining the appropriate compensation for a role include experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. The Hiring Pay Scale referenced in the job posting is the budgeted salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position. The Annual Full Pay Range may be broader than what the University anticipates to pay for this position, based on internal equity, budget, and collective bargaining agreements (when applicable).