External Research Opportunity Lead

Make your mark for patients

At UCB we are committed to improving patients' lives and advancing scientific and medical knowledge. To support our commitment, we are looking for an External Research Opportunity Lead to be responsible for leading the end-to-end processes for the review, implementation, and oversight of assigned Investigator Initiated Studies and External Research Collaborations. This person will be based in based in Raleigh, NC (US) office.

About the role

The External Research Opportunity Lead is responsible for the end-to-end management of external research opportunities with healthcare stakeholders (Investigator Initiated Studies and External Research Collaborations). You will manage external research opportunities across territories and UCB's therapeutic areas, including neurology, immunology, and rare disease. While you do not need to be a subject matter expert in the therapeutic areas, sound knowledge of (clinical) research is desired.

You will work with internal and external stakeholders to ensure opportunities are assessed for their alignment with UCB evidence generation strategies, feasibility, and compliance with local and global laws and regulations. Once a study is endorsed, you will develop the research agreement, with careful consideration for the appropriate contracting terms and deliverables (e.g., intellectual property, ownership and use of study results, data privacy, data security, pharmacovigilance requirements, etc.) and coordinate with key internal experts where needed. You will be responsible for ongoing support of approved studies (e.g., provision of product, milestone tracking, study updates) and communicating updates to the relevant stakeholders.

Who you'll work with

You will be part of a diverse, international and collaborative team of experts within the Global Medical Affairs organization and will work together with cross-functional stakeholders from Medical Affairs, Legal, Ethics and Compliance, Patient Safety, Supply and other functions. In addition, you will interface with the external research party, including investigators and contracting teams.

What you'll do

• Drive the review and approval activities for external research opportunities, including investigator-initiated studies and external research collaborations.
• Lead review committee meetings for the review, endorsement, and management of studies.
• Lead the development and negotiation of research agreements, with cross functional input (medical, clinical, legal, etc.).
• Provide oversight on compliance to the terms of the contract and progress of the research according to the agreed milestones and facilitate the provision of drug supply where applicable.
• Liaise with internal and external stakeholders to ensure timely communication of study progress and delays.
• Contribute to the development and refinement of the External Research Opportunity framework, ways of working and system to ensure a robust and compliant process for review and management of external research studies.

Interested? For this role we're looking for the following education, experience and skills

Required Qualifications:

• Master's degree (in the biomedical sciences or equivalent by experience).
• 5+ years of experience within the Pharma/Biotech industry, Academia, Research Institutions or Contract Research Organizations (CRO).
• 3+ years experience in managing contracts and its lifecycle (from draft to execution) and partnership oversight.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated understanding of the legal and regulatory guidelines associated with pharmaceutical industry research and associated fundings, and the ability to use knowledge to make sound operational decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to develop trustful relationships with external and internal stakeholders, and leading cross-functional teams to accelerate delivery of qualitative and optimized outcome.
• Proven skills in negotiation, influencing without authority, managing through ambiguity, and working diplomatically through conflict.
• Able to work independently in a fast-paced, rapidly changing environment on multiple projects efficiently.

*This position's reasonably anticipated base salary range is $148,000-194,000 annually. The actual salary offered will take into account internal equity and may also vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills and experience, among other
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If you are interested to learn more about R&D within UCB, please find more information here R&D at UCB.

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Are you ready to 'go beyond' to create value and make your mark for patients? If this sounds like you, then we would love to hear from you!

About us

UCB is a global biopharmaceutical company, focusing on neurology and immunology. We are around 8,500 people in all four corners of the globe, inspired by patients and driven by science.

Why work with us?

At UCB, we don't just complete tasks, we create value. We aren't afraid to push forward, collaborate, and innovate to make our mark for patients. We have a caring, supportive culture where everyone feels included, respected, and has equal opportunities to do their best work. We 'go beyond' to create value for our patients, and always with a human focus, whether that's on our patients, our employees, or our planet. Working for us, you will discover a place where you can grow, and have the freedom to carve your own career path to achieve your full potential.

UCB is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions will be made without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

UCB invites you to voluntarily self-identify during the application process. Provision of self-identification information is entirely voluntary and a decision to provide or not provide such information will not have any effect on your application for employment, your employment with UCB, or otherwise subject you to any adverse treatment. Any information you provide will be considered confidential and will be kept separate from your application and/or personnel file and will only be used in accordance with applicable laws, orders, and regulations.

Should you require any adjustments to our process to assist you in demonstrating your strengths and capabilities contact us on US-Reasonable_Accommodation@ucb.com for application to US based roles. Please note should your enquiry not relate to adjustments; we will not be able to support you through this channel.