Managing Director - India, Strategic Partnerships & Market Development

Location: India

Function: Global Procurement / Strategic Partnerships

Industry: Pharmaceuticals

Job Purpose:

We are seeking a senior pharmaceutical industry leader to drive Strategic Partnerships and Market Development in India for a leading global pharmaceutical organization.

The individual will serve as the organization's senior strategic and corporate representative in India, leveraging deep industry relationships, market intelligence, and commercial expertise to identify and develop opportunities across APIs, Finished Dosage Forms (FDFs), contract manufacturing, licensing, technology partnerships, supply arrangements, and strategic alliances.

The role will provide actionable intelligence on the Indian pharmaceutical ecosystem, including manufacturers, product pipelines, emerging technologies, capacity developments, competitive activity, and strategic market opportunities. The incumbent will work closely with global stakeholders across Procurement, Business Development, R&D, Commercial, Supply Chain, Quality, Regulatory, Finance, and Legal functions.

Key Responsibilities:

Market Intelligence & Strategic Insights:

- Develop deep visibility into the Indian pharmaceutical market, including key manufacturers, emerging companies, product pipelines, technologies, capacity expansion, regulatory developments, and competitor activity.

- Identify emerging market trends, commercial opportunities, and potential risks.

- Build and leverage a strong pharmaceutical industry network to generate meaningful market intelligence.

- Provide senior leadership with market assessments and strategic recommendations.

Strategic Partnerships & Business Development:

- Identify and evaluate opportunities across product acquisition, licensing, strategic alliances, technology partnerships, contract manufacturing, and supply agreements.

- Proactively identify and introduce potential partners to relevant Business Development and Commercial stakeholders.

- Facilitate relationships with senior decision-makers across the pharmaceutical ecosystem.

- Conduct initial commercial assessments and help progress qualified opportunities toward formal evaluation and implementation.

Strategic Supplier Relationship Management:

- Build and maintain executive-level relationships with major Indian API and FDF manufacturers, CDMOs, CMOs, technology providers, and other industry stakeholders.

- Develop long-term strategic partnerships to enhance supply security, access to products and capacity, innovation, and competitive advantage.

- Identify opportunities to strengthen relationships with critical suppliers and strategic partners.

Commercial Negotiations & Opportunity Development:

- Lead or support strategic negotiations involving APIs, FDFs, manufacturing partnerships, licensing arrangements, and commercial agreements.

- Leverage strong industry relationships and market intelligence to improve commercial outcomes.

- Support supplier benchmarking, capability assessments, sourcing activities, and commercial evaluations.

- Drive opportunities capable of generating measurable commercial value, supply security, and long-term growth.

Industry & External Representation:

- Represent the organization with relevant government bodies, regulators, official authorities, industry institutions, and other external stakeholders in India within approved mandates.

- Represent the organization at industry conferences, trade events, executive forums, supplier meetings, and pharmaceutical associations.

- Maintain relationships with influential industry stakeholders.

- Monitor institutional and industry developments relevant to the organization's interests in India.

- Support country-level coordination for matters relating to the organization's presence and employees in India while maintaining appropriate global functional governance.

Qualifications:

- Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Biotechnology, Engineering, or a related discipline.

- MBA or equivalent advanced business qualification preferred.

Experience & Candidate Profile:

- Minimum 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, with significant exposure to the Indian pharmaceutical market.

- Strong track record in Business Development, Strategic Sourcing, Partnership Development, Commercial Leadership, or a comparable strategic role.

- Demonstrated experience identifying and developing opportunities that have delivered measurable commercial value.

- Extensive exposure across APIs, FDFs, contract manufacturing, pharmaceutical supply chains, and strategic partnerships.

- Experience working with or directly supporting leading multinational and/or top-tier Indian pharmaceutical organizations in a comparable strategic capacity.

- Strong executive-level network within the Indian pharmaceutical ecosystem, with the ability to build and leverage relationships to develop opportunities.

- Strong understanding of pharmaceutical product development, manufacturing technologies, market dynamics, regulatory environments, and competitive landscapes.

- Demonstrated experience negotiating complex commercial arrangements and influencing senior-level stakeholders.