Director, Alliance Management and Program Management

Your role

We are looking for an experienced Director, Alliance Management and Program Management to maximize the value of Orion Pharma’s strategic external collaborations and strengthen disciplined execution across Innovative Medicines. The role combines alliance leadership with program management and connects external partners, the iMEDS Leadership Team and key cross-functional stakeholders. In this role you will report to EVP, Innovative Medicines.

Responsibilities

Alliance Management
• Serve as the primary relationship manager for assigned strategic collaborations and licensing partnerships, building and maintaining effective, trust-based relationships with partner organizations at governance, functional, and working-team levels.
• Critically and strategically interpret legal agreements to understand obligations and boundaries, and act diplomatically to negotiate nuanced resolutions to disputes.
• Establish, maintain, and coordinate joint governance structures, including steering committees, working groups, and escalation pathways, and coordinate governance meetings, including agendas, pre-reads, decision requirements, minutes, action tracking, and follow-up.
• Ensure strategic and operational alignment between Orion and partners on objectives, priorities, plans, timelines, responsibilities, and expected outcomes.
• Coordinate Orion's internal cross-functional alliance teams and ensure timely, consistent communication and execution of agreed commitments.
• Monitor contractual obligations, milestones, deliverables, key performance indicators, budgets, and decision rights to support compliance and value realization.
• Identify, assess, and proactively address alliance risks, issues, dependencies, and potential conflicts; escalate matters when required and coordinate amendments, extensions, and other contractual changes with Legal, Finance, and relevant business functions.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen or expand existing collaborations where these support Orion's strategy and the objectives of the alliance.
• Prepare concise, decision-oriented updates for internal leadership on alliance progress, performance, risks, decisions, and opportunities.
• Develop and promote consistent alliance-management processes, tools, templates, and good practices across the organization.

iMEDS Program Management
• Provide program management support to the iMEDS team and function, working closely with the EVP Innovative Medicines and the iMEDS Leadership Team.
• Coordinate the planning and implementation of agreed iMEDS strategic initiatives, ensuring clear scope, ownership, milestones, dependencies, and outcomes, while maintaining an integrated view of priorities and transparent status reporting on progress, risks, decisions, and required interventions.
• Facilitate iMEDS leadership meetings, workshops, portfolio discussions, and governance forums, including agenda planning, materials coordination and preparation for senior management, decision capture, and action follow-up.
• Support annual and periodic strategy, objective-setting, operational planning, and budgeting processes for the iMEDS function.
• Coordinate cross-functional work involving Medical Affairs, Commercial, Finance, Legal, Manufacturing, and other relevant functions when required for iMEDS priorities.
• Develop and maintain fit-for-purpose program plans, dashboards, decision logs, risk and issue logs, and management reporting, and promote disciplined execution by clarifying accountabilities, identifying interdependencies, resolving planning gaps, and escalating barriers to delivery.
• Lead or support selected organizational effectiveness, process development, resource planning, and operational excellence initiatives, driving continuous improvement in iMEDS program-management practices, tools, governance, and ways of working.

What you can expect from us

At Orion, your work creates true impact and well-being for our customers, patients and society at large. ​ ​Our culture of friendliness, respect, mutual appreciation and diversity creates a safe working environment where you can strive for excellence. We offer a wealth of career paths and development opportunities that support the development of innovative solutions and improving the quality of life.

Please visit our website to find further information about our values and Orion as an employer https://www.orion.fi/en/careers/orion-as-an-employer/.

What are we looking for?

• Master's degree in a relevant field and extensive experience in alliance management, strategic program management, business operations, or related leadership roles within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or life sciences industry.
• Demonstrated ability to operate with an enterprise-wide perspective, balancing strategic priorities with operational execution and delivery.
• Proven track record of leading complex cross-functional initiatives and driving outcomes in a matrix organization without direct line authority.
• Strong alliance and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build trust, influence decision-making, and foster collaboration across organizational and company boundaries.
• Exceptional strategic thinking and problem-solving capabilities, including the ability to create clarity in ambiguous situations and translate strategy into actionable plans.
• Sound judgment, discretion, and diplomacy when navigating complex business decisions and sensitive stakeholder environments.
• Strong governance, project, and portfolio management capabilities, with experience managing priorities, dependencies, risks, and decision-making processes.
• Excellent communication and executive presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex topics concisely and escalate material risks and decisions appropriately.
• Demonstrated commitment to the highest standards of integrity, compliance, confidentiality, and contractual discipline.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively across cultures, geographies, and functions, building alignment and strong partnerships in a complex global environment.

How to apply

If this role aligns with your interests and aspirations, we encourage you to apply no later than Sunday, October 11, 2026.

We typically review applications already during the application period and may start interviewing candidates before the application deadline. Therefore, we invite you to send your application as soon as possible.

For additional information contact Executive Vice President Innovative Medicines, Berkeley Vincent, tel. +358504798305, on Wednesday, September 30th, between 10am to 11am or on Tuesday, October 6, between 4pm to 5pm.

#LI-ORION

Your new team

The Innovative Medicines business division is responsible for the strategic leadership of Orion’s business in core therapy areas, Pain and Oncology, covering all activities from pipeline and portfolio building to commercialization. Innovative Medicines Business Division, where patients’ unmet needs meet innovation, bringing new treatments to promote health and well-being in society.

Orion’s pharmaceutical innovations are created within its R&D organization. We employ top professionals in the field of drug discovery and development. We work globally: in Espoo and Turku in Finland, in Cambridge and Nottingham in England and in Cambridge, USA. Orion R&D and the Innovative Medicines business division are dedicated to becoming a global player in oncology and pain therapy areas.