Senior Principal Scientist/ Principal Scientist - External Innovation

Vacancies

Senior Principal Scientist/ Principal Scientist - External Innovation

Job Introduction

Thanks for checking out our vacancy, we're delighted you want to learn more about Dechra!

Dechra is a growing, global specialist within the world of veterinary pharmaceuticals. Our expertise is in the development, manufacture, marketing and sales of high quality products exclusively for veterinarians worldwide.

Here at Dechra, our values are embedded within our culture and thrive within our family of almost 3000 colleagues globally. From manufacturing to marketing, (D)edication, (E)njoyment, (C)ourage, (H)onesty, (R)elationships and (A)mbition are at the heart of our everyday operations and the way we do business.

The Opportunity

Due to the opening of this new position, we are recruiting for either a Senior Principal Scientist or a Principal Scientist, depending on the successful candidate's experience. The successful candidate will enable Dechra's Vision of being the global leader in specialty care bringing the right solutions for veterinary patients by ensuring Dechra has a constant flow of innovation to market and achieve better outcomes for animals, their owners, our people, and the environment.

The primary mission of External Innovation (EI) is to identify, evaluate and, when appropriate, acquire intellectual property (IP) or assist in the development of IP from external sources (e.g., universities, startups, research institutes, etc.) that can be brought into Dechra Research & Development (R&D, also referred to as Product Development & Regulatory Affairs at Dechra (PDRA) to ensure a continuous flow of new product innovation.

Main Responsibilities:

So, what will you be doing? This role has a broad and varied scope and the successful candidate will have responsibility for duties including:

• Strategic Financial Analysis: Apply specialized knowledge of Dechra's financial modelling processes to collaborate with the Group Director of External Innovation, Finance team, PDRA, GMTE, and commercial business units. Use existing or developing detailed financial models tailored to the organization's unique methodologies to assess viability, strategic alignment and value, and support decision-making regarding new EI opportunities.
• Contractual Negotiation and Oversight: Utilize advanced understanding of Dechra's corporate governance standards, contractual processes, and regulatory frameworks to lead or assist in the negotiation and finalization of critical agreements (e.g., confidentiality contracts, work orders, research agreements, option agreements, etc). Coordinate and provide critical input with internal legal teams and external counsel, if needed, to ensure compliance with organization-specific requirements.
• Collaborative Business Partnerships: Serve as a primary liaison with external partners, leveraging in-depth knowledge of Dechra's product development, regulatory and partner relationship strategies. Facilitate joint development initiatives, manage cross-functional coordination for joint research, and ensure adherence to specialized internal processes, agreed timelines, budgets, and deliverables.
• Stakeholder Management: Build and maintain high-level engagement with internal and external stakeholders by applying specialized communication and relationship management techniques unique to Dechra. Collaborate with teams across PDRA, Manufacturing, Corporate Development, GMTE and Business Development. Represent Dechra at industry events, conferences, and partner meetings, showcasing the organization's expertise and strategic interests.
• IP Acquisition Leadership: Lead complex, multifunctional IP acquisition projects by applying advanced knowledge of Dechra's project management frameworks and methodologies. Ensure clear communication, alignment, and accountability among internal and external stakeholders, leveraging specialized expertise to mitigate risks and achieve business objectives. Utilize technical skills to assess quality and fit of IP targets relative to Dechra new product category strategies.
• Global Travel: Utilize specialized knowledge of international market dynamics and Dechra's global operations to travel domestically and internationally (approximately 10-15%) for partnership development, project oversight, and representation at critical meetings and events.

Ideal Candidate

At Dechra we pride ourselves on being an inclusive employer and we embrace candidates from all walks of life. We're particularly excited to hear from those who have/are:

• 10 + years of relevant pharmaceutical and/or technology transfer experience with a focus on companion animal sector (canine, feline and equine). Veterinary pharmaceutical experience is desirable but not required.
• Mechanistic biology experience highly desirable.
• 5+ years of proven experience in leading cross-functional teams is desirable
• Experience interacting with patent attorneys, reading patents, and understanding business contracts is also desirable.

Additional Information:

Specialized Expertise in Mechanistic Biology: Over 5 years of proven experience in understanding, testing, and critiquing biological processes and conclusions in scientific literature, presentations, and study results .

Advanced Understanding of Product Development and Regulatory Processes: In-depth knowledge of pharmaceutical product development lifecycles and specialized awareness of regulatory requirements and procedures, ensuring compliance and fit for strategy and target product profile delivery .

Organizational Processes and Communication: Demonstrated ability to facilitate effective communication across diverse team members, applying a specialized understanding of organizational processes to align priorities, timelines, and requirements for seamless collaboration.

Negotiation Skills: Demonstrated ability to negotiate favorable outcomes between diverse partners, seeking swift discernment of unsustainable projects and win-win outcomes that realize value for Dechra.

Global Perspective and Remote Operations: Self-motivated and experienced in working remotely across international teams, with specialized knowledge of managing global business integration and collaboration effectively .

Attention to Detail and Prioritization: Ability to support multiple concurrent tasks with precision, prioritizing based on strategic business needs and timelines and applying advanced organizational techniques to ensure effective workflows .

Leadership and Team Collaboration: Proven capability to generate motivation and collaboration within teams by fostering mutual understanding of project goals, deliverables, dependencies and milestones. Ability to recognize team deficiencies or gaps and utilize existing internal and/or external networks to address deficiencies and gaps.

Technical and Communication Proficiency: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, coupled with experience in synthesizing input from diverse sources and departments into cogent business cases for a potential IP acquisition. Courage to communicate unfavorable assessments to potential external partners as quickly as favorable ones.

As a people first values-based culture, we provide free weekly wellness sessions focused on our employee's physical and mental wellbeing, and flexible work arrangements. We offer a generous employer 401k match and an other incentives for long-term financial wellness. Our full array of health, financial and voluntary benefit programs are what you would expect from a recognized Best Place to Work.