Associate Director - Medical Strategic Operations, Sponsorships

Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd., is a global pharmaceutical company based in Japan with operations in the U.S. (Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.), focused on addressing patient needs in oncology, urology, women's health, rare diseases, cell & gene therapies and CNS. With several marketed products and a diverse pipeline of early- to late-stage investigational assets, we aim to accelerate discovery, research, and development to bring novel therapies to patients sooner. For more information on SMPA, visit our website https://www.us.sumitomo-pharma.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Job Overview:

This position reports to Sr. Director, Medical Strategic Operations and is part of Medical Affairs, which will focus on Sponsorships & Operations. The role is responsible for all aspects of developing our Medical Sponsorship strategy, planning, and execution. Additionally they will be engaging external partners to communicate asset areas of interest and execute on our overall Medical objectives.   

Essential Functions Required for Job

Medical Sponsorships:

• Coordinate the medical sponsorship process from request intake and documentation through internal review, contracting, payment tracking, and closeout.
• Partner with Medical Affairs stakeholders to clarify sponsorship objectives, scope, deliverables, timelines, and budget requirements for review and approval.
• Liaise with external organizations and internal Legal, Compliance, Finance, and Procurement partners to gather required information and facilitate timely reviews and approvals.
• Maintain a centralized sponsorship tracker and supporting records, including request status, approval milestones, agreements, financial commitments, and outstanding actions.
• Track fulfillment of approved sponsorship deliverables, collect completion documentation, and flag missing information or potential delays to the appropriate stakeholders.

Congress Support:

• Support Medical Affairs congress planning and execution by maintaining integrated timelines, planning calendars, readiness checklists, and clear ownership of key deliverables.
• Coordinate operational logistics for medical congress activities, including registrations, medical exhibit arrangements, meeting space, materials, and vendor support, as applicable.
• Facilitate congress planning meetings, document decisions and action items, and communicate deadlines, dependencies, and readiness updates to stakeholders.
• Partner with medical leads and enabling functions to coordinate required reviews and approvals, while keeping scientific content and medical decisions with the appropriate subject matter experts.
• Support on-site or virtual execution, as needed, and coordinate post-congress reconciliation, documentation, debriefs, and follow-up actions.

Financial and Vendor Operations:

• Track sponsorship, congress, and operational budgets, commitments, and actual spending; provide monthly updates to senior leadership and flag variances for review.
• Collaborate with Finance on forecasts, accruals, invoice reconciliation, and accurate financial reporting.
• Support vendor onboarding, contract and purchase order requests, invoice processing, and payment follow-up in partnership with the appropriate internal functions.

Process Improvement:

• Apply project management best practices and develop practical templates, checklists, and standard workflows to support consistent execution.
• Gather stakeholder feedback and lessons learned to identify opportunities to simplify processes, reduce bottlenecks, and improve coordination across sponsorships, congresses, and routine operations.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (general & technical):

• Ability to collaborate across Medical Affairs and enabling functions in a matrix organization to deliver coordinated operational outcomes.
• Knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare environment; experience in science-based roles is preferred
• Professional judgment, accountability, and clear written and verbal communication with internal and external stakeholders.
• Familiarity with operational planning, budget tracking, contracting workflows, and documentation requirements.
• Interpersonal skills and working in a matrix environment
• Ability to translate medical team priorities into practical work plans, timelines, and clearly defined deliverables.
• Ability to manage concurrent sponsorships, congress activities, and operational requests with accuracy and timely follow-through.
• Track record of strong networking and working collaboratively across functions and geographies
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills
• Strong writing, presentation and influencing skills
• Ability to prioritize competing demands, adapt to changing timelines, and meet deadlines.
• Strong project and time management and organizational skills
• Discretion and trustworthiness in managing confidential information
• Ability to maintain reliable tracking systems, identify process gaps, and work collaboratively to resolve operational issues.
• Proficient in Microsoft applications
• Strong attention to detail and a practical, service-oriented approach to supporting colleagues and external partners.
• Organizational awareness and the ability to recognize dependencies, anticipate operational needs, and involve the appropriate stakeholders.

Education & Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree science/healthcare/business required, advanced degree preferred (PharmD, PhD, MS)
• Minimum 8+ years of industry-based experience in Medical Excellence, operating as a Field MSL, and/or Medical Affairs operations related to biopharmaceutical functions.

Travel Requirements: Ability to travel as-need (~25% of the time)

Primarily remote role with periodic on-site meetings in office. Must be able to travel domestically and internationally as needed.

Mental/Physical Requirements: Fast-paced environment handling multiple demands is involved. Must be able to exercise appropriate judgment as necessary. Requires a high level of initiative and independence. Excellent written and oral communication skills required. Requires ability to use a personal computer for extended periods of time.

People Management: This is an individual contributor role and does not have direct reports or formal people‑management responsibilities.

Travel Requirements:

Primarily remote role with periodic on-site meetings in office. Must be able to travel domestically and internationally as needed.

Mental/Physical Requirements:

Fast-paced environment handling multiple demands is involved. Must be able to exercise appropriate judgment as necessary. Requires a high level of initiative and independence. Excellent written and oral communication skills required. Requires ability to use a personal computer for extended periods of time.

The base salary range for this role is

$175,900.00 - $219,900.00

Base salary is part of our total rewards package which also includes the opportunity for merit-based salary increases, short incentive plan participation, eligibility for our 401(k) plan, medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurances and leaves provided in line with your work state.  Our robust time-off policy includes flexible paid time off, 11 paid holidays plus additional time off for a shut-down period during the last week of December, 80 hours of paid sick time upon hire and each year thereafter.  Total compensation, including base salary to be offered, will depend on elements unique to each candidate, including candidate experience, skills, education and other factors permitted by law.

Disclaimer: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.

Confidential Data: All information (written, verbal, electronic, etc.) that an employee encounters is considered confidential, in accordance with applicable law.

Compliance: Achieve and maintain Compliance with all applicable regulatory, legal and operational rules and procedures, by ensuring that all plans and activities for and on behalf of Sumitomo Pharma America (SMPA) and affiliates are carried out with the "best" industry practices and the highest ethical standards.

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Drug Screening Requirements
Applicants for sales/field, manufacturing, or other designated roles will be required to submit to a pre-employment drug test.

Sumitomo Pharma America (SMPA) is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race; color; creed; religion; national origin; age; ancestry; nationality; marital, domestic partnership or civil union status; sex, gender; affectional or sexual orientation; disability; veteran or military status or liability for military status; domestic violence victim status; atypical cellular or blood trait; genetic information (including the refusal to submit to genetic testing) or any other characteristic protected by law.

Sumitomo Pharma America (SMPA) endeavors to make its application process accessible to all. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact SMPA at [email protected]. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.