Associate Director, Medical Strategic Operations (Sponsorships)

About this role

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 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…