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THE POSITION

China Innovation Center of Roche is seeking candidates for the Head of Discovery Oncology who will be the work with translational medicine, early and late stage clinical development, and lead the discovery of molecules for oncology in China. Reporting to the Site Head of the China Innovation Center of Roche, this leader will lead a group of scientists, plus external teams from CROs/biotechs. The focus of the Head of Oncology Discovery will be leading the discovery efforts and advance the discovery and preclinical oncology programs into translational or early clinical development.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Experience

The candidate qualifications include a PhD or MD/PhD degree in cancer biology, biochemistry, cell and molecular biology along with significant expertise in oncology research and/or discovery. The candidate will ideally have at least ten years of experience in a pharmaceutical and/or biotechnology industry research setting in which oncology therapeutic area strategy and discovery leadership has been a major part of their responsibilities. Exceptional candidates from innovative academic centers considered as well. Candidates must have a proven record of accomplishment in drug discovery and evidence of scientific accomplishments, as well as translational and commercial awareness in the oncology therapeutic areas.

Competencies

The ideal candidate will have demonstrated competencies in the following areas:

·         Scientific capability in oncology discovery: The successful candidates are expected to be well recognized in the scientific community and demonstrate strong scientific leadership and reputation in oncology discovery. They will have a strong research track record in cancer biology, and also in drug discovery experience in moving projects from target validation to clinical development. The successful candidate shall have a significant volume of impactful publications in cancer biology and oncology drug discovery as a major contributor.

·         Partnering and Collaboration: The successful candidate shall be highly collaborative, internally and in partnerships with external organizations. They can empower others to get things done while adopting the Roche values of integrity, courage and passion, and embracing humility, responsibility and curiosity. They proactively seeks input in decision-making and shows others how their objectives be aligned. Successful candidates will actively contribute to the broader organization or team, and invest in establishing relationships within Roche and in the innovation ecosystem in China and worldwide. The role requires an outstanding leader with a desire to work with peers and partners to improve performance and meet goals. This person shall have a record of accomplishment of leading all aspects of successful partnerships across academic institutions and industry partners. This person will play a meaningful role in licensing opportunities and contribute to the Roche China Accelerator regarding assessment of member companies.

·         Strategic Orientation: The successful candidate shall be able to design a clear strategy in oncology discovery and articulate evolving priorities for the portfolio within a long-term horizon. The candidate shall be able to articulate medium- to long-term opportunities and threats, evaluate options and plans against anticipated scientific trends, and take proactive steps to address them. This person not only understands oncology from a scientific perspective, but also develops strategies to build value from discovery to proof-of-concept. Ideally, they has made decisions with educated trade-offs to support the overall R&D strategy.

·         Results Orientation: The successful candidate should have led oncology programs which have produced novel and viable drug candidates, and has also made difficult decisions in order to focus on key priorities. The candidate will need to have a proven record of inspiring others in the pursuit of new ideas in the search for cures in the complex area of oncology. The successful candidate individual motivated by challenges, set new and stretch goals, and deliver beyond expectations, even under adverse circumstances. In short, the successful candidate shall be a leader who has placed significant strategic bets and implemented those well.

·         Team Leadership: The successful candidate shall have experience in developing high-performance teams in a discovery research context, and has forged an environment that cultivates creativity, collaboration and innovation. This individual is able to attract key contributors with the right overall mix of skills to provide outstanding results. While empowering the team, this leader shall have a thorough appreciation of each individual’s contribution and structures the work accordingly. They shall promote team-centered thinking to deliver shared goals. They will listen carefully, tell the truth and explain “the why”.  Furthermore, they will empower the team to identify and tackle problems, and provide support where vital.

At Roche, more than 100,000 people across 100 countries are pushing back the frontiers of healthcare. Working together, we’ve become one of the world’s leading research-focused healthcare groups. Our success is built on innovation, curiosity and diversity.

Roche is an Equal Opportunity Employer.