Senior Manager, External Innovation

Eisai US; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 136,800 - 179,600; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual incentive plan

Job summary

Eisai Inc. is seeking a Senior Manager, External Innovation in Boston to lead end-to-end management of external collaborations, translating scientific discussions into deliverables and driving program strategy across neurology and other therapeutic areas.

The role combines alliance management with strategic evaluation of external opportunities, ensuring alignment with internal portfolio plans and meeting scientific objectives while navigating a global matrixed environment.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree with 5+ years biotech/pharma industry experience; PhD preferred.
• Direct experience independently managing external collaborations in biotech/pharma.
• Strong scientific expertise in neurology.
• Demonstrated ability to critically evaluate novel technologies and platforms in neurodegeneration.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and engage senior stakeholders in a global matrixed environment.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners.
• Balance hands-on alliance management with proactive opportunity identification.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage active external collaborations, ensuring delivery against scientific objectives, timelines, and contractual commitments.
• Drive collaboration governance, including meeting leadership, milestone tracking, and issue resolution.
• Ensure alignment between scientific activities and contractual terms.
• Translate scientific discussions into deliverables, action plans, and next steps.
• Conduct S&E of external opportunities including novel therapeutics, platforms, models, and consortia.
• Develop competitive and technology landscapes across priority therapeutic areas.
• Identify and cultivate relationships with external experts and KOLs.
• Prioritize opportunities for diligence using scientific and strategic criteria.
• Provide scientific and strategic input into collaboration workplans and external opportunities.
• Partner cross-functionally to align external activities with internal program and portfolio strategy.
• Ensure external innovation activities support near-term execution and long-term portfolio growth.

Skills

External collaborations management

Neurology expertise

Tech evaluation

Cross-functional collaboration

Stakeholder management

Alliance management

Communication (written and verbal)

Education

Master’s degree with 5+ years biotech/pharma experience

PhD preferred

Job description

At Eisai, satisfying unmet medical needs and increasing the benefits healthcare provides to patients, their families, and caregivers is Eisai’s human health care (hhc) mission. We’re a growing pharmaceutical company that is breaking through in neurology and oncology, with a strong emphasis on research and development. Our history includes the development of many innovative medicines, notably the discovery of the world's most widely-used treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. As we continue to expand, we are seeking highly-motivated individuals who want to work in a fast-paced environment and make a difference. If this is your profile, we want to hear from you.

This role integrates search & evaluation (S&E) with hands‑on alliance management to translate external innovation into meaningful impact for Eisai’s portfolio. A central component of this position is the end‑to‑end management of external collaborations to ensure delivery against scientific, strategic, and contractual objectives.

In parallel, this role is responsible for identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing new external opportunities across academia and industry. The position serves as a scientific and strategic thought partner, ensuring both effective execution of ongoing collaborations and continued development of the external innovation pipeline.

Key Responsibilities

Alliance Management & Execution

• Lead and manage active external collaborations, ensuring delivery against scientific objectives, timelines, and contractual commitments
• Drive collaboration governance, including meeting leadership, milestone tracking, and issue resolution
• Ensure alignment between scientific activities and contractual terms
• Translate scientific discussions into clear deliverables, action plans, and next steps

Search & Evaluation (S&E)

• Conduct S&E of external opportunities including novel therapeutics, platforms, models, and consortia
• Develop competitive and technology landscapes across priority therapeutic areas
• Identify and cultivate relationships with external experts and key opinion leaders (KOLs)
• Prioritize opportunities for diligence using scientific and strategic criteria

Strategic Integration

• Provide scientific and strategic input into collaboration workplans and external opportunities
• Partner cross-functionally to align external activities with internal program and portfolio strategy
• Ensure external innovation activities support both near‑term execution and long‑term portfolio growth

Qualifications

• Master’s degree with 5+ years of biotech/pharma industry experience. PhD preferred.
• Direct experience independently managing external collaborations in a biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry setting
• Strong scientific expertise in neurology with an interest in exploring other therapeutic areas.
• Demonstrated ability to critically evaluate novel technologies and platforms, particularly in the neurodegeneration space
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate complex scientific ideas
• Demonstrated ability to effectively collaborate with cross‑functional colleagues and engage senior stakeholders in a global matrixed environment. This includes openly sharing knowledge and resources, valuing different perspectives, and contributing to a positive work environment.
• Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners
• Demonstrated ability to balance hands‑on alliance management with proactive opportunity identification

Eisai Salary Transparency Language

The annual base salary range for the Senior Manager, External Innovation is from :$136,800-$179,600

Under current guidelines, this position is eligible to participate in : Eisai Inc. Annual Incentive Plan.

Final pay determinations will depend on various factors including but not limited to experience level, education, knowledge, and skills.

Employees are eligible to participate in Company employee benefit programs. For additional information on Company employee benefits programs, visit https://careers.eisai.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

Certain other benefits may be available for this position, please discuss any questions with your recruiter.

Eisai is an equal opportunity employer and as such, is committed in policy and in practice to recruit, hire, train, and promote in all job qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, citizenship status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or veteran status. Similarly, considering the need for reasonable accommodations, Eisai prohibits discrimination against persons because of disability, including disabled veterans.

Eisai Inc. participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security in partnership with the Social Security Administration that allows participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of all new hires in the United States. Please click on the following link for more information:

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