Director, Central Lab Alliance Lead

1054 GlaxoSmithKline Services Unlimited; Stevenage; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Healthcare coverage

Pension plan membership

Share plans and saving programmes

Job summary

GlaxoSmithKline plc is seeking an experienced Central Lab Alliance Lead to provide strategic oversight of a major central laboratory partnership. The role balances strategy with hands-on delivery, embedding a new operating model and ensuring robust governance and delivery performance.

You will manage governance forums, monitor KPIs, and use AI tools to extract insights, coordinating with internal teams and outsourced partners.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a life science, medicine, pharmacy or a related discipline.
• Experience working in clinical trials with central laboratory operations and study delivery.
• Alliance lead or external partner-management experience.
• Strong stakeholder and relationship-management skills across complex environments.
• Excellent communication, including presenting to large audiences and urgent situations.
• Experience using AI tools (Claude) to analyze datasets and derive insights.
• Ability to interpret KPIs and translate data into operational recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Act as alliance lead and primary relationship owner for an established central lab partner.
• Contribute to strategic direction and translate portfolio demand into priorities.
• Embed a new operating model and drive process improvements.
• Lead governance meetings and prepare materials for senior leaders.
• Monitor KPIs and provide insight on performance and usage.
• Maintain regular communication with partners and internal stakeholders.
• Escalate and resolve critical delivery or quality challenges.
• Address urgent issues to minimize patient/study impact.
• Leverage AI tools to analyze data and support decisions.
• Promote harmonised working across partnerships.

Skills

Alliance leadership

Stakeholder management

Strategic partnerships

Governance facilitation

Data interpretation

AI tooling (Claude)

Communication

Project planning

Education

Bachelor’s degree in life science/medicine/pharmacy or related

Tools

Claude (AI agent)

Job description

We create a place where people can grow, be their best, be safe, and feel welcome, valued and included. We offer a competitive salary, an annual bonus based on company performance, healthcare and wellbeing programmes, pension plan membership, and shares and savings programme.

We embrace modern work practises; our Performance with Choice programme offers a hybrid working model, empowering you to find the optimal balance between remote and in-office work. Discover more about our company wide benefits and life at GSK on our webpage Life at GSK | GSK Director, Central Lab Alliance Lead Are you an experienced central laboratory alliance leader, central lab operations expert or biosampling strategist who can combine forward‑looking strategy with hands‑on partnership governance?

This individual-contributor role will provide strategic oversight for one of GSK’s established central laboratory partnerships, helping to shape the future direction of the relationship while ensuring strong day-to-day delivery. The role is approximately balanced between strategy and delivery.

You will help embed a new operating model and ways of working, anticipate changing portfolio demands, identify opportunities for continuous improvement, and ensure that GSK and its central laboratory partner are positioned to respond effectively. Alongside this, you will manage governance forums, monitor partnership health and study delivery, and support the resolution of urgent operational challenges.

For candidates seeking to be located at our Stevenage site, this role will temporarily be based at Stevenage. However, the Company plans to relocate its offices to Cambridge, UK. The location of this role will therefore subsequently change to Cambridge, UK in accordance with timelines to be set by the Company. The relocation is currently proposed to take effect by early 2029.

Key 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.

What success will look like

A healthy, trusted and transparent relationship with the assigned central laboratory partner. Successful implementation and adoption of a new operating model and associated ways of working. Effective governance, clear escalation routes and timely resolution of delivery issues. Meaningful insight from partnership data and KPIs, enabling informed decisions and proactive improvement. Readiness for changing portfolio demands, with the central laboratory partner aligned to future needs.

Basic Qualifications & Skills:

• 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‑pressure 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 Claude, or an equivalent tool, to help analyse large datasets and draw actionable insights.
• Ability to interpret KPIs and trends and translate data into clear recommendations for operational teams and senior leaders.
• Strong planning, prioritisation and organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
• Flexibility for occasional travel, mainly within the UK and Europe.

Preferred Qualifications & Skills:

• Experience implementing a new operating model or embedding new ways of working across an external partnership.
• Experience within a large pharmaceutical organisation and an understanding of pharmaceutical development operations.
• A strategic and forward‑looking mindset, with the ability to anticipate changing demand and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• High levels of professionalism, integrity and collaboration in a regulated environment.

Closing Date for Applications:

22nd November 2026

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We are a global biopharma company with a special purpose – to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together – so we can positively impact the health of billions of people and deliver stronger, more sustainable shareholder returns – as an organisation where people can thrive. Getting ahead means preventing disease as well as treating it, and we aim to impact the health of 2.5 billion people around the world in the next 10 years. Our success absolutely depends on our people. While getting ahead of disease together is about our ambition for patients and shareholders, it’s also about making GSK a place where people feel inspired, encouraged and challenged to be the best they can be. A place where they can be themselves – feeling welcome, valued and included. Where they can keep growing and look after their wellbeing. So, if you share our ambition, join us at this exciting moment in our journey to get Ahead Together. Find out more on our career site.