Global Lead, Health Ecosystem & Innovation

Job Overview

Global Lead, Health Ecosystem & Innovation – Cambridge, MA, Morristown, NJ

Sanofi is accelerating its modernization journey by integrating external innovation into its medical strategy. The Global Lead will build and manage an external ecosystem of health‑tech start‑ups, academic institutions, digital therapeutic companies, patient‑finding platforms, and innovation accelerators to bring “outside‑in” solutions into the organization.

• Define and own the Health Ecosystem & Innovation roadmap, building a pipeline of external partnerships and translating them into tangible use cases.
• Build and manage a strategic external innovation ecosystem, including start‑up partnerships, academic collaborations, Digital Therapeutics (DTx) alliances, and patient‑centric data platforms.
• Lead the patient‑centric strategy, improving Sanofi’s ability to identify, understand, and engage patient communities for medical and evidence‑generation objectives.
• Identify, evaluate, and broker partnerships with digital health start‑ups and DTx companies that complement or enhance Sanofi’s portfolio.
• Create and maintain a dynamic map of the external health innovation landscape, tracking competitive intelligence across digital health, AI‑powered tools, and DTx.
• Represent Sanofi at external innovation forums, accelerators, and academic conferences as the company ambassador.
• Serve as the primary incubator for external medical innovation partnerships, managing the pipeline from opportunity scouting through due diligence, KPI definition, and handoff to GBU teams.
• Design and manage structured test‑and‑learn use case programs with external partners, establishing clear success criteria, governance frameworks, and escalation pathways.
• Collaborate with the Global Head of Medical Innovation, GBU leadership, and Digital Partners to assess and prioritize opportunities based on medical value, technical feasibility, and strategic fit.
• Present curated innovation opportunities to the Medical Innovation Council, providing structured assessments of fit, risk, and impact.
• Partner with Legal, Compliance, and Procurement to ensure partnerships are structured, governed, and executed per Sanofi standards.
• Ensure external partnerships deliver actionable use cases with clear KPIs, milestones, and handoff criteria to the broader team.
• Serve as the embedded health ecosystem partner to Medical GBUs, aligning the pipeline with therapeutic area priorities and evidence‑generation needs.
• Collaborate with Global Leads for Scientific Platforms and Medical Intelligence on content integration and patient‑level data analytics.
• Partner with R&D, Commercial, and Digital teams to identify cross‑functional innovation opportunities spanning medical, clinical, and commercial objectives.
• Represent the Health Ecosystem function in the Medical Innovation Council, contributing to governance on external partnership investments and approvals.
• Act as an internal ambassador, educating colleagues on emerging trends and partnership opportunities.
• Develop governance frameworks for evaluating, onboarding, and managing external partners within a regulated environment.
• Stay current on digital therapeutic regulatory landscape, patient data governance, and start‑up partnership models in biopharma.

• 10+ years in Medical Affairs, Business Development, Digital Health, or Healthcare Innovation with a focus on external partnerships and ecosystem development.
• Advanced scientific degree (MD, PhD, PharmD, or Master’s in life sciences) preferred; additional qualifications in Business, Health Innovation, or Digital Health are a strong plus.
• Demonstrated track record of building and managing external innovation partnerships with start‑ups, academic institutions, or DTx companies in a pharmaceutical context.
• Experience with patient‑finding platforms, real‑world evidence partnerships, or digital therapeutics ecosystem development.
• Familiarity with AI applications, digital health platforms, and DTx regulatory and commercial models.
• Strong external network in digital health, life science venture, or health‑tech innovation communities.
• Strategic ecosystem builder…