Associate Director/Director, Alliance Management

Enlaza Therapeutics; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual Bonus

Equity

401(k)

Health insurance

Parental leave

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Enlaza Therapeutics seeks an experienced Associate Director/Director of Alliance Management to lead the operational and business management of strategic external partnerships, reporting to the Head of Operations. You will coordinate governance, budget, and resource planning across cross-functional teams, ensuring alignment with scientific priorities and corporate goals in a fast-paced biotech environment.

This role requires leadership, strong relationship management, and the ability to influence

Qualifications

• BS in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Immunology, Biotechnology, Bioengineering, Pharmacology, or related life sciences.
• 8+ years of alliance management or related experience in biotech/pharma.
• Strong understanding of early drug discovery and preclinical development.
• Experience with external collaborations, licensing or research alliances.
• Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority.
• Proficiency with project tracking and collaboration tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead operational and business management of strategic external partnerships.
• Governance, communications, and progress monitoring of collaborations.
• Oversee resource planning, budgeting, and financial forecasting for alliances.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams and manage risk across programs.
• Provide leadership to executives on alliance performance and opportunities.

Skills

Alliance management

Budget planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Stakeholder management

Project tracking & reporting

Communication

Influence without authority

Education

BS in Molecular Biology/Biochemistry/Immunology/Biotechnology/Bioengineering/Pharmacology or related life sciences

MS or PhD and/or MBA

Tools

Project tracking tools

Collaboration management tools

Job description

Enlaza Therapeutics is a biotech company developing an innovative synthetic biology platform to create a disruptive new class of biologic therapeutics. We are dedicated to the development of these novel therapies to help patients suffering from cancer and other serious diseases.

Role Description:

Enlaza Therapeutics is seeking an experienced and highly collaborative Associate Director/Director of Alliance Management to lead the operational and business management of strategic external partnerships. This role will report into the Head of Operations and serve as the primary alliance lead for key research and development collaborations, ensuring alignment between partner objectives, scientific priorities, resource investments, and corporate goals.

The successful candidate will act as the central point of coordination between Enlaza and its partners, driving governance activities, facilitating communication, monitoring progress against collaboration objectives, overseeing resource planning and budget management, and ensuring successful execution of partnership commitments.

This role requires a strong understanding of early drug discovery and development, exceptional relationship management skills, financial and operational acumen, and the ability to influence stakeholders across scientific, technical, operational, and executive functions.

The ideal candidate combines strategic thinking with operational excellence and thrives in a fast-paced biotechnology environment where strong cross-functional leadership and partnership management are critical to success.

Key Responsibilities

• Alliance Leadership
• Serve as the primary alliance representative for strategic research and development collaborations
• Build and maintain productive, trusted relationships with partner organizations and key stakeholders
• Ensure alignment between collaboration objectives, research activities, deliverables, milestones, and contractual obligations
• Drive effective communication, decision-making, and issue resolution between internal and external teams
• Anticipate and proactively manage scientific, operational, financial, and relationship risks
• Act as a trusted advisor to internal leadership regarding collaboration health, strategic opportunities, and execution risks
• Partner with Research Leadership and functional managers to assess resource requirements supporting collaboration objectives
• Develop and maintain resource forecasts across collaboration activities, including FTE demand, functional support requirements, and organizational capacity
• Monitor resource allocation and identify current and future capacity constraints that may impact collaboration deliverables
• Facilitate prioritization discussions across scientific and operational teams to ensure effective utilization of resources
• Support annual planning and portfolio reviews by assessing resource needs across partnered programs
• Provide leadership with visibility into collaboration workload, resource utilization, competing priorities, and operational risks
• Coordinate collaboration-related activities across cross-functional teams without direct ownership of scientific program execution
• Financial Planning & Budget Oversight
• Develop and manage collaboration budgets in partnership with Finance and Research Leadership
• Monitor actual versus forecasted collaboration spend, including internal FTE investments, CRO activities, consultants, vendors, and pass-through expenses
• Support annual budget planning, long-range forecasting, and financial scenario modeling for collaboration activities
• Track collaboration-related expenses and proactively identify budget risks, gaps, and opportunities for optimization
• Partner with Finance to support accruals, forecasting activities, milestone payment tracking, and financial reporting
• Evaluate the financial impact of proposed scope changes, new initiatives, and collaboration amendments
• Prepare budget and financial performance updates for executive leadership and governance committees
• Ensure collaboration expenditures remain aligned with approved budgets and strategic objectives
• Operational Excellence
• Develop and continuously improve alliance management processes, tools, dashboards, and reporting frameworks
• Establish best practices for governance, communication, documentation, decision tracking, and issue resolution
• Implement metrics and reporting mechanisms that provide visibility into alliance performance, resource utilization, and financial health
• Promote accountability, transparency, and operational rigor across partnered programs

Required Qualifications

• BS, in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Immunology, Biotechnology, Bioengineering, Pharmacology, or a related life sciences discipline
• 8+ years of alliance management, scientific operations, research portfolio management, or related experience in of biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry experience
• Strong understanding of early drug discovery and preclinical development processes
• Experience supporting external scientific collaborations, strategic partnerships, licensing agreements, or research alliances
• Demonstrated experience working with cross-functional teams in matrixed organizations
• Experience with resource planning, workforce forecasting, capacity management, or portfolio planning
• Experience managing budgets, forecasts, or operational financial plans
• Exceptional organizational, communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills
• Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority and drive alignment across diverse groups
• Proficiency with project tracking, reporting, and collaboration management tools

Preferred Qualifications

• MS or PhD and/or MBA
• Direct alliance management experience within biotechnology or pharmaceutical organizations
• Experience supporting collaborations involving biologics, antibodies, protein therapeutics, multispecifics, antibody-drug conjugates, or related modalities
• Experience working with pharmaceutical partners within structured governance frameworks
• Experience supporting programs from discovery through IND-enabling development
• Experience managing external collaboration budgets and tracking milestone-based funding commitments

Compensation

In addition to a competitive compensation package with stock options, the company also offers a comprehensive benefits package for our employees and their families, which includes medical, dental, vision, and supplemental disability insurance.

Job Type:

Full-time

Location:

Full-time on-site preferred; hybrid possible with regular onsite visits

Annual Salary Range (final salary based on experience and skill):

$170,000 - 240,000

Supplemental Pay Types:

• Annual Bonus – 15-17.5%
• Equity
• 401(k)
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Flexible vacation
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Parental leave
• Paid holidays
• Relocation assistance (if eligible)
• Vision insurance
• Year-end shutdown

Enlaza Therapeutics is an equal opportunity employer committed to scientific excellence, innovation, and improving the lives of patients through transformative medicines.