Mission Director, PMU-BMGF

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About the Organization

Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) is a not-for-profit Section 8, Schedule B, Public Sector Enterprise, set up by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India as an Interface Agency to strengthen and empower the emerging Biotech enterprise to undertake strategic research and innovation, addressing nationally relevant product development needs.

BIRAC is a industry-academia interface and implements its mandate through a wide range of impact initiatives, be it providing access to risk capital through targeted funding, technology transfer, IP management and handholding schemes that help bring innovation excellence to the biotech firms and make them globally competitive. In its Eight years of existence, BIRAC has initiated several schemes, networks and platforms that help to bridge the existing gaps in the industry-academia Innovation research and facilitate novel, high quality affordable products development through cutting edge technologies. BIRAC has initiated partnerships with several national and global partners to collaborate and deliver the salient features of its mandate.

Job Description

The Mission Director is a Senior Level position requiring strong leadership. The Mission Director will lead the Mission programme at the Program Management Unit (PMU) and be responsible for effective management (organization, planning, execution and evaluation) of the Programs. He/She will oversee the establishment and management of strategies, build efficient teams, monitor program progress and stakeholder management. Working closely with global and national thought leaders and scientific experts, the Mission Director will have an opportunity to engage with multiple stakeholders (academia, industry, SMEs) and lead a team of Technical Coordinators to enable accomplishment of activities in alignment with the Grand Challenges India mission and vision.

Job Responsibilities

Research and resource planning:

• Set the vision for and facilitate the development of cross-country research collaboration, thematic deep-dives, and tailored analytical tools to elevate insights into action.
• Ensure research outputs are rigorous, actionable, and scalable, responding to country-specific needs.
• Manage and mentor vertical topic leads, ensuring high-quality execution and strategic alignment to Global Health research vision, partnerships and sphere of influence.
• Facilitate the development of new topic areas and guide the prioritization of team resources, including headcount and budget.
• Develop and operationalize strategies to ensure efficient and timely execution of the program activities.
• Responsible for resource planning for all program investments and ensuring adequate budget provision for smooth implementation of the Program and various components.  

Stakeholder and Team Management:

• Capably works with a variety of local, state, and national entities and public and private sector partners across cultural contexts with an ability to adapt style and norms to ensure effective partnership.
• Leveraging and building professional network in global health, development and research circles in order to effectively engage with key stakeholders, research colleagues, advisory groups, and stakeholders.
• Negotiates and mediates complex relationships in a matrixed environment, including an ability to reconcile multiple diverse viewpoints and often to negotiate across internal and external partners.
• Effectively uses informal influence and non-positional leadership to accomplish work, demonstrating the ability to build trust and serve as a team player who motivates and educates other team members and understands the value of interpersonal relationship-building.
• Facilitates, manages, and summarizes divergent points of view to advance the thinking of the group and catalyze innovation.
• Represent the Mission Program to the external world.
• Coordinate with stakeholders to provide regular technical and financial updates.

Financial and Legal Management:

• Working with Legal and Finance teams to ensure compliance of all necessary contracts and agreements;
• Ensures the accuracy, integrity, and timeliness of all financial accounting and reporting.

Strategic Communications & Dissemination:

• Lead global outreach efforts, ensuring GCI’s findings are widely accessible via publications, digital tools, and strategic convenings.
• Develop innovative dissemination strategies, including the use of AI-powered tools and policy briefs tailored for decision-makers.
• Partner with leading media outlets, advocacy groups, and multilateral organizations to elevate GCI’s impact.

Risk Management:

• Assessment of probable risks and create solutions to address them;
• Flag issues/bottlenecks raised by GCI-PMU or any stakeholder grievances and escalate to competent authority for corrective action;
• Ensure effective quality assurance and the overall integrity of the program.

Education Qualification/Required Skills & Experience

The ideal candidate shall have an experience working in Global Health, strong knowledge of vaccines, biotherapeutics and/or medical devices/diagnostics product development value chain particularly from early stages to clinical development and/or market licensure. He/She will have a track record of strong engagement with partners (likely both private and public-sector partners), and the ability to build and execute strategic plans as well as inspire teams engaged in a wide range of disciplines and technologies.

Essential :

 Educational Qualification

• PhD/equivalent in life sciences/biological sciences or allied areas; Duration of experience - at least 19 years & above of experience, including 5 years of management experience, preferably in the Industry with understanding of product development;
• Relevant experience in development of vaccines, biotherapeutics or medical devices/diagnostics.
• 5 or more years of experience in grant management at leadership role.
• Knowledge of regulatory requirements for product development
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; a persuasive and passionate communicator with excellent interpersonal and multidisciplinary project skills
• Proven negotiation and issue resolution skills required. Ability to proactively identify and act to resolve project issues, including those related to timing, resources and funding, to prevent delays in project milestones is required
• Excellence in team building skills and organizational management with the ability to coach staff, manage, and develop high-performance teams, set and achieve strategic objectives, and manage a budget
• Experience cultivating partnerships across diverse stakeholders (i.e. potentially across industry collaborations, through governments, or other NGO partnerships) as well as with academia and the start-up ecosystems
• Strong marketing and public relations with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders and cultures
• Past success working with a Board of Directors with the ability to cultivate relationships
• Knowledge of the national and global ecosystem including in-country needs and opportunities
• Ability to point to specific examples of having developed and operationalized strategies that have taken an organization to the next stage of growth
• Passion, idealism, integrity, positive attitude, missiondriven, and self-directed
• Unwavering commitment to quality programs and datadriven program evaluation

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