Director, External Innovation, Artificial Intelligence

Company Description

Abb Vie’s mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people’s lives across several key therapeutic areas – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about Abb Vie, please visit  Follow @abbvie on X, Facebook, Instagram, You Tube, Linked In and Tik Tok.

Abb Vie’s Search & Evaluation group is responsible for sourcing External Innovation from the global innovation ecosystem, to supplement the on‑market portfolio and innovative R&D pipeline with strategically‑aligned assets. The main focus for the Director, External Innovation, Artificial Intelligence will be the sourcing of AI‑related innovations and platforms supporting Abb Vie’s ambitions on the global stage. The S&E group leads the scientific/technical assessment of partnering opportunities and coordinates all scientific/technical due diligence.

The S&E group works in close collaboration with Abb Vie’s Business Development & Acquisitions team, Transactions Legal, R&D, manufacturing, and commercial team. The scope of activities encompasses all types of assets (platforms, individual drug candidates, pipelines, and acquisition targets), all types of transactions (licenses, option agreements, R&D collaborations, acquisitions), and all stages in development (discovery‑to commercial‑stage).

Responsibilities:

• Closely monitor, interpret, and predict the evolving landscape and trends in AI and pharmaceuticals innovation, as they relate to all key therapeutic areas of Abb Vie. Proactively search for, identify, and evaluate potential partnering opportunities from biopharma companies, AI companies, academic institutions, other non‑profit research institutes, and life science venture capital investors in China.
• Lead the scientific/technical assessment of partnering opportunities, in close dialogue with the S&E Therapeutic Area leads from the Global team, BD&A colleagues, BTS, and subject matter experts from R&D and other functional areas. This includes managing interactions with external parties, project management in the context of the assessment and deal process, overseeing and actively contributing to the scientific/technical and overall evaluation process, and developing recommendations and proposals for senior management and governance committees.
• Coordinate or contribute to the conduct and completion of all scientific/technical due diligence activities, including the preparation and presentation of due diligence reports and management presentations.
• Track and communicate the status of active assessments and deal processes, including information of key internal stakeholders on a timely basis, delivery of oral and written progress updates for executive‑level audiences, and timely capturing of interactions, events, correspondence and information materials in Abb Vie’s information management systems.
• Network with existing and potential future partners from the innovation ecosystem in China to ensure awareness of Abb Vie’s strategic priorities for partnering and key capabilities as a partner to entities from China, BD objectives.
• Support affiliate‑level or global initiatives that foster the dialogue with potential partners from China, such as Abb Vie‑branded partnering days, local and regional partnering events.
• Collaborate with Abb Vie Ventures for the sourcing and scientific/technical assessment of equity investment opportunities.
• Contribute towards negotiation of pilot programs, non‑binding term sheets and definitive agreements, including coordination and integration of all scientific/technical inputs (e.g., R&D work plans, Clinical Development Plans, technical success criteria) into legal documents, and development of appropriate deal structures, risk mitigation and negotiating strategies to help ensure alignment with Abb Vie’s TA objectives and functional management.
• Facilitate creation of institutional memory for opportunities by providing clear, concise assessments and…