Alliance Strategy Director, Central Lab Partnerships

GSK; Stevenage, Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

GSK is seeking a Director, Central Lab Alliance Lead to provide strategic oversight and hands-on partnership governance for a central laboratory partner. The role balances strategy with delivery, embedding a new operating model and coordinating governance to ensure strong study delivery.

Based at our Stevenage site with a planned move to Cambridge by early 2029, the position requires leadership across cross-functional teams, rigorous performance oversight, and proactive issue resolution to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a life science, medicine, pharmacy or a related discipline.
• Experience working in clinical trials, with direct knowledge of central laboratory operations and how central laboratories support study delivery.
• Demonstrated experience in an alliance lead, strategic partnership or comparable external partner-management role.
• Strong stakeholder and relationship-management skills, with the ability to work across complex, cross-functional and multicultural environments.
• Excellent communication skills, including confidence presenting to large audiences and the ability to communicate calmly and constructively during urgent or high-pressured situations.
• Experience managing escalations, resolving complex delivery challenges and maintaining a level-headed approach where patient or study impact may be at risk.
• Strong analytical capability, including experience using an AI agent such as C

Responsibilities

• Act as the alliance lead and primary relationship owner for an assigned, established central laboratory partner, building a trusted and collaborative partnership.
• Contribute to the strategic direction of the central laboratory relationship, monitoring future portfolio demand and translating it into practical partnership priorities.
• Play a central role in embedding a new operating model and new ways of working, while continuing to identify process improvements after implementation.
• Lead and coordinate governance meetings, preparing clear materials for senior leaders on partnership health, study delivery, risks and priorities.
• Monitor KPIs, identify trends and use data to provide insight into performance, assay usage and kit usage.
• Maintain regular interaction with the central laboratory partner and communicate relevant developments, risks and issues across GSK operational stakeholders.
• Support the timely escalation and resolution of critical delivery, quality or operational challenges, working calmly and constructively with internal teams and outsourced partners.
• Help manage urgent situations before they become crises, recognising the potential impact of delivery challenges on patients and clinical studies.
• Use AI tools, such as Claude or equivalent AI agents, to help analyse large datasets and generate insights that support decisions and continuous improvement.
• Promote harmonised ways of working across central laboratory partnerships while recognising that each partner relationship may require a tailored approach.

Skills

Alliance leadership

Strategic partnerships

Stakeholder mgmt

Cross-functional

Communication

AI analytics

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in life science

Job description

GSK is seeking a Director, Central Lab Alliance Lead to provide strategic oversight and hands-on partnership governance for a central laboratory partner. The role balances strategy with delivery, embedding a new operating model and coordinating governance to ensure strong study delivery.

Based at our Stevenage site with a planned move to Cambridge by early 2029, the position requires leadership across cross-functional teams, rigorous performance oversight, and proactive issue resolution to