Commercial Partnerships & Alliances Lead

#LI-Hybrid Location: Panama City, PanamaDevelop and maintain a business development capability for Global BD&L activities in the country. Participate in identifying and implementing appropriate country business development opportunities that support Novartis' ambition to achieve a leading position worldwide. Develop portfolio gap analyses and competitive intelligence reports in close collaboration with country leaders, and identify return-maximizing opportunities to address portfolio gaps through licensing agreements. This role is based in Panama City, Panama. Novartis is unable to offer relocation support for this role: please only apply if this location is accessible for you.

Key responsibilities Contribute to the execution of country BD&L strategies and plans, ensuring alignment with organizational and strategic priorities. Identify and evaluate business development opportunities that enhance the value of alliances and appropriately manage partnership risks. Execute opportunity-finding and external-scanning activities, aligning potential targets with the strategic priorities of the portfolio. Co-lead due diligence activities, build a strong external network and coordinate partnership evaluations across relevant governance and assessment forums, including SWAT, ITE and DD. Support the negotiation and structuring of transactions, including licensing, out-licensing, joint ventures and divestments, and contribute to contract drafting under appropriate supervision. Assist with governance processes and ensure that business development opportunities progress through the required review and decision-making stages. Support the prioritization and delivery of BD&L projects according to strategic value, portfolio needs, resource availability and expected returns. Manage day-to-day project activities, including resource allocation, timeline adherence, cross-functional coordination and internal and external communications. Work effectively across matrixed functions to maintain stakeholder alignment and support the successful execution of country-level deals. Report technical complaints, adverse events and special-case scenarios related to Novartis products within 24 hours of receipt, and manage the distribution of marketing samples where applicable. Essential Requirements Relevant university degree in business, finance, life sciences, law or a related field; fluent English and local-language proficiency; relevant experience in business development, licensing, alliances, strategy or transactions within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology or healthcare sector. Understanding of pharmaceutical business development and licensing processes, including opportunity identification, evaluation, due diligence and governance. Experience supporting the negotiation and structuring of licensing agreements, joint ventures, divestments or other strategic transactions. Strong analytical capabilities, with the ability to conduct portfolio gap analysis, competitive intelligence and strategic prioritization. Sound project-management skills, including resource coordination, timeline management, communication and delivery across multiple workstreams. Ability to collaborate and influence effectively across complex, cross-functional and matrixed organizations, as well as with external partners. Strong communication, stakeholder-management and relationship-building skills, with the ability to maintain a relevant external network. Fluent in Spanish and English.Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion: Novartis is committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams representative of the patients and communities we serve.