Associate - External Innovations Operations

Role Summary

Associate - External Innovations Operations designs, builds, delivers, and maintains operational systems that enable External Innovation (EI) and Search & Evaluation strategy to secure the pipeline. The role delivers cross-functional workflows that support collaboration, compliance, and strategic growth; manages records in relevant databases; oversees the establishment of CDAs and MTAs; and maintains continuity across legal, scientific, and operational domains.

Responsibilities

• Systems Architecture and Stewardship
  • Conceive, build, and evolve operational systems from undefined needs into scalable, intuitive frameworks that drive team efficiency and cross-functional alignment.
  • Maintain and adapt a suite of workflow tracking systems across multiple teams and partners to ensure seamless coordination and institutional continuity.
  • Treat systems as living products by proactively redesigning architecture to anticipate recurring problems and align infrastructure with evolving organizational needs.
• Cross-Functional Leadership & Collaboration
  • Coordinate agendas and facilitate group meetings across multiple teams, keeping discussions focused and outcomes actionable.
  • Act as a cross-domain translator, bridging legal, scientific, and operational languages to unify conflicting requirements into usable, compliant systems.
  • Support R&D scientists and external stakeholders, ensuring smooth interactions and effective partnership management.
  • Institutional Memory & Knowledge Management
    • Act as the group’s institutional memory and logic keeper by creating and representing the reasoning behind workflows, access rules, contract templates, and compliance gates.
    • Create templates and databases that serve as daily infrastructure for colleagues.
• Legal, Contracting, and Compliance
  • Secure and maintain all legal and contracting work required for division success, including the establishment and management of CDAs, MTAs, and other business agreements.
  • Act as a central resource for Business Development, Due Diligence, Contracts, Competitive Intelligence, and legal processes, ensuring compliance and operational excellence.
• Relationship & Event Management
  • Coordinate schedules and accommodations for numerous offsite meetings across the globe, maintaining and strengthening relationships with partners.
• Organizational Impact & Risk Management
  • Design frameworks that scale intelligence and efficiency across the organization, multiplying the impact of individual insights into permanent team-wide improvements.
  • Perform other essential tasks, projects, and responsibilities as required.

Qualifications

• Required: Authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis; no visa sponsorship.
• Required: Minimum of three years of related or professional experience.
• Preferred: Deep understanding of regulatory compliance, partnership management, and multi-project coordination.
• Preferred: Inventive systems architect with conceptual creativity and adaptive problem-solving skills.
• Preferred: Proven ability to work independently and collaboratively in complex, deadline-driven environments.

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in a scientific area

Skills

• Systems architecture and product-minded thinking
• Cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management
• Regulatory compliance awareness
• Knowledge management and institutional memory
• Legal contracting processes (CDAs, MTAs) familiarity
• Relationship and event management
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in deadline-driven environments

Additional Requirements

• Travel: Occasional day travel and overnight travel (0–30%).