Senior Advisor-R&D

Elanco; United States; On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Elanco is seeking a Senior Advisor on the External Innovation team to enrich our R&D pipeline by engaging with external innovators—start-ups, biotech, pharma, and universities—at all development stages. Your role includes identifying, evaluating, and proposing new assets or technologies to advance with R&D, Legal, and Regulatory teams.

You will lead cross-functional assessments, design experiments to validate opportunities, and manage partner interactions from initial contact through alliance

Qualifications

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or PhD in a relevant biological field.
• 7+ years of experience in animal health research, development, or a related business development field.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills with ability to influence senior leadership and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Map, evaluate, and propose external assets or technologies with external innovators (start-ups, biotech, pharma, universities).
• Lead cross-functional technical assessments with R&D, Marketing, Legal, and Business Development.
• Collaborate with internal teams to design experiments, validate opportunities, and de-risk strategies.
• Manage all stages of partner interactions from initial contact to alliance management.
• Monitor external landscape and engage in conferences to identify assets and provide recommendations to R&D leadership.

Skills

Communication

Interpersonal skills

Influence senior leadership

Independent work

Education

DVM

PhD in relevant biological field

Job description

At Elanco (NYSE: ELAN) – it all starts with animals!

As a global leader in animal health, we are dedicated to innovation and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets. At Elanco, we are driven by our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life and our purpose – all to Go Beyond for Animals, Customers, Society and Our People.

At Elanco, we pride ourselves on fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We believe that diversity is the driving force behind innovation, creativity, and overall business success. Here, you’ll be part of a company that values and champions new ways of thinking, work with dynamic individuals, and acquire new skills and experiences that will propel your career to new heights.

Making animals’ lives better makes life better – join our team today!

Your Role: Senior Advisor, External Innovation

As a Senior Advisor on the External Innovation team, you will play a pivotal role in enriching Elanco's R&D pipeline. You will actively engage with a diverse network of external innovators—including start-ups, biotech, pharma companies, and universities—at all stages of development. Your primary responsibility is to identify, evaluate, and create compelling proposals for new assets or technologies, bringing them forward in partnership with Elanco's R&D, Global Strategy, Legal, and Regulatory teams. Through your efforts in sourcing and negotiating research agreements, you will directly contribute to Elanco's mission of enhancing pet health and farm animal well‑being.

Your Responsibilities:

• Map, select, and assess innovation opportunities from a diverse network of sources, including biotech, start-ups, universities, and small to large companies, based on a strong understanding of target disease biology.
• Lead and coordinate cross-functional technical assessments for new leads, working closely with R&D, Marketing, Legal, and Business Development to ensure timely, ethical, and thorough evaluations.
• Collaborate with internal scientific teams to design and implement experiments to validate external opportunities and support de‑risking strategies.
• Manage all stages of partner interactions and evaluation, including initial contact, securing internal interest, negotiation, and alliance management activities as required.
• Maintain awareness of the external competitive landscape and engage in scientific conferences to scout for new assets, providing expert recommendations to R&D leadership on go/no-go decisions.
• Establish and maintain relationships with key grant funding agencies and other key R&D partners; represent the public face of Elanco R&D.

What You Need to Succeed (minimum qualifications):

• Education: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or a PhD in a relevant biological field.
• Experience: At least 7 years of experience in animal health research, development, or a related business development field.
• Top Skills: Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to influence senior leadership and external partners, coupled with the ability to work independently and make complex business and technical decisions.

What will give you a competitive edge (preferred qualifications):

• Additional experience (>3 years) specifically in Search and Evaluation, Business Development, or Alliance Management within the Animal Health industry.
• An established and relevant network of contacts in academia and within small to medium-sized enterprises in the Animal Health field.
• Demonstrated track record in managing complex collaborations and influencing interdisciplinary scientific and technical teams.
• Deep experience in the Farm Animal or Pet Health market, including the development of pharmaceutical products.
• Proven ability to thrive and provide leadership within a complex, matrix-based organization.

Additional Information:

• Travel: 20-30%

Elanco is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status

Elanco may use automated tools, including AI, to support parts of our recruitment process, such as reviewing applications against job‑related criteria and/or transferrable skills. These tools help ensure a consistent, structured evaluation, but they do not make hiring decisions. All decisions involve a human reviewer. For more information on how we handle personal data, please see our Elanco Workforce Privacy Notice.