Senior Director & Asia Pacific Regional Lead, External R&D

About Sanofi

We’re an R&D-driven, AI-powered biopharma company committed to improving people’s lives and delivering compelling growth. Our deep understanding of the immune system – and innovative pipeline – enables us to invent medicines and vaccines that treat and protect millions of people around the world. Together, we chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives.

Main responsibilities/Accountabilities

·       Search & Evaluation. Systematically scan and engage with the external innovation network—including biotechnology companies, leading academic institutions, and government-sponsored research organizations—across China and the Asia Pacific region. Identify high-potential scientific and technological innovations, evaluate their strategic fit with Sanofi Vaccines' portfolio, and facilitate timely assessment for potential partnerships, licensing opportunities, or technology acquisition. Provide critical scientific and technical analyses of the external opportunities and collaborate with internal stakeholders (e.g., R&D, Medical Affairs, Franchise Strategy) to formulate the basis for recommendations on the external innovations. 

·       Participation in Networking Platforms.  As a member of the ER&D team, develop and maintain the relationships with the vast network of external organizations through participation in various platforms such as global and local partnering meetings and networking conferences, e.g., World Vaccine Congress, BIO, JPMorgan Healthcare, BIO China, etc.

·       Business Development.  Work closely with the Global Business Development and Legal teams to support business negotiations with potential external partners; provide scientific and technical input to support the constructive negotiations, accurate deal structure evaluations and appropriate deal structure; support the evaluation of the external party's confidential technical/due diligence materials by assembling the evaluation team, coordinating the interactions with the partner and contributing to the final technical due-diligence report.

·       Internal Stakeholder Engagement.  Collaborate closely with key internal stakeholders—including Research, CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls), Vaccine Portfolio Strategy, Vaccine Medical Affairs, and Vaccine Public Franchise—to align external engagement strategies with organizational priorities and portfolio needs. Ensure seamless cross-functional coordination to maximize strategic value and drive cohesive decision-making across the vaccines business.

·       Partnerships Governance.  Present comprehensive assessment outcomes from external company engagements to Vaccines Leadership and relevant governance bodies, including the External Innovation Evaluation Committee (EIEC) and Therapeutic Area Review Committee (TARC). Deliver strategic recommendations with clear risk-benefit analyses to facilitate informed decision-making on partnership opportunities, technology acquisitions, and portfolio prioritization.

·       Collaboration with Sanofi Innovation Teams.  Collaborate actively with cross-functional teams within the External Scientific Affairs (ESA) organization to collectively advance ESA's mission, contributing to key strategic initiatives including scouting for early stage innovations and developing or implementing AI tools to streamline external engagement process. Foster strong partnerships with Global Partnering teams to ensure alignment, synergy, and coordinated execution across all external engagement activities.

About you

·       M.D. or Ph.D. in bacteriology, virology, immunology, non-infectious disease, or other scientific discipline

·       5+ years of post-graduate experience

·       Experience in Vaccines R&D and external partnering preferred

·       Demonstrated interpersonal skills - ability to work with individuals at different levels and managing through influence

·       Resourceful, entrepreneurial, and constantly up-to-date with vaccine-relevant innovation opportunities for Sanofi Vaccines

·       Demonstrated team and negotiation skills

·       Fluent English communication skills, verbal and written and ability to work in an international context

·       Up to 15% per year of domestic or international travel

Why choose us?

Join the team protecting half a billion lives every year with next-generation science, mRNA innovation, and AI-driven breakthroughs. In Vaccines, you’ll help advance prevention on a global scale - and shape the future of immunization.  You’ll help push boundaries, challenge convention, and build smarter solutions that reach the communities we serve. Ready to chase the miracles of science and improve people’s lives? Let’s Pursue Progress and Discover Extraordinary – together.

At Sanofi, we provide equal opportunities to all regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.