Associate Director, Vendor Management

BlueRock Therapeutics; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 168,000 - 178,000; Full time

Job summary

BlueRock Therapeutics is seeking an Associate Director, Vendor Management to lead end-to-end management of development vendor relationships. You will own performance, governance, and risk across CROs, central labs, and recruitment vendors, partnering with Clinical Operations, FP&A, and Procurement to ensure value and timely delivery.

The ideal candidate brings 8+ years in clinical vendor management, deep knowledge of GCP/ICH, and a proven ability to drive improvements through data and governance

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, business, or related discipline.
• 8+ years of experience in clinical development vendor management.
• Strong working knowledge of GCP and ICH guidelines and regulatory expectations for outsourced activities.
• Proven ability to analyze vendor performance data, budgets, and metrics to drive improvements.
• Experience navigating complex contractual and performance discussions.

Responsibilities

• Own relationship management of assigned Development vendors, ensuring delivery against contracted scopes of work, timelines, and quality.
• Monitor vendor performance against SOWs and milestones; identify risks related to protocol changes or enrollment fluctuations.
• Develop, implement, and track KPIs (service quality, responsiveness, cycle times, milestone adherence) and translate data into actionable insights.
• Lead QBRs and structured performance discussions to drive accountability and continuous improvement.

Skills

Vendor management

Data analysis

GCP & ICH

Cross-functional

Education

Bachelor’s degree in life sciences

MBA preferred

Tools

Budgeting software

Contract management

Job description

BlueRock Therapeutics, a wholly-owned and independently operated subsidiary of Bayer AG, is a leading engineered cell therapy company pioneering a new generation of cellular medicines. Utilizing our proprietary CELL+GENE™ platform, we direct cellular differentiation and genetically engineer cells to create transformative therapies for patients suffering from neurological and ophthalmological diseases.

Founded in 2016, BlueRock is at the forefront of the convergence of cell biology and genetic engineering. Our mission is to harness pluripotent stem cell technology and gene editing to deliver authentic, functional cell therapies that address the root causes of disease and offer hope to millions of patients worldwide.

What Are We Doing?

Our foundational science enables the generation and directed differentiation of universal pluripotent stem cells into authentic, functional cells for allogeneic cellular therapies.

We are passionate about realizing the promise of cell and gene therapy, shaping the future of regenerative medicine, and delivering new therapies to patients with limited or no treatment options.

Who is BlueRock?

BlueRock Therapeutics LP is a clinical stage cell therapy company harnessing the power of cell therapy to create a pipeline of new medicines for people suffering from neurological and ophthalmic diseases. Two of our novel investigational cell therapies, bemdaneprocel (BRT-DA01) for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and OpCT-001 for the treatment of primary photoreceptor diseases are clinical stage programs. BlueRock was founded in 2016 as a joint venture of Versant Ventures and Leaps by Bayer. Our culture is defined by the courage to persist regardless of the challenge, the urgency to transform medicine and deliver hope, integrity guided by mission, and community-mindedness with the understanding that we are all part of something bigger than ourselves.

What Are We Doing?

Our foundational science harnesses the ability to create and then direct the differentiation of universal pluripotent stem cells into authentic, functional cells that can be used as allogeneic cellular therapies to treat a broad array of diseases. We can also further engineer these cells, enabling them to produce enzymes, antibodies, and other proteins for additional therapeutic benefit.

We are passionate about delivering on the promise of cellular and gene therapy, shaping the future of cellular medicine, and delivering new therapies to millions of patients with treatment options. We are seeking individuals who are collaborative, thrive in a fun and dynamic culture, and are steadfast in the commitment to advance cutting-edge cellular therapies to impact patients’ lives.

Description Of The Role

The Associate Director, Vendor Management is responsible for overseeing and optimizing BlueRock’s critical Development vendor relationships that are essential to the successful execution of priority clinical programs. This role serves as the primary owner of vendor performance, governance, and relationship health across key outsourced services (e.g., CROs, central labs, imaging, recruitment vendors).

Sitting across strategic leadership and day-to-day execution, the Associate Director partners closely with Clinical Operations, Finance, Procurement, and functional leaders to ensure vendors deliver on contracted commitments, remain aligned to evolving program needs, and support BlueRock’s development strategy. The role plays a central role in building scalable, data-driven vendor governance across Development. This position reports to the Director, Development Operations.

The successful candidate is an energetic, proactive problem-solver who anticipates changes rather than reacting to them.

Critical Core Competencies Include

• A Deep understanding of the clinical vendor landscape, including common operational risk patterns
• Excellent communication skills, allowing balance between accountability and vendor execution with vendor diplomacy
• A collaborative partner who can build trust across Clinical Operations, Translational Medicine, Finance, Procurement, other development functions, and external vendors

Key Responsibilities

Drive Development Vendor Relationship & Performance Management

• Own relationship management of assigned Development vendors, ensuring delivery against contracted scopes of work, timelines, and quality
• Monitor vendor performance against SOWs and project milestones; proactively identify risks related to protocol changes, enrollment fluctuations, or operational shifts
• Develop, implement, and track KPIs (e.g., service quality, responsiveness, cycle times, milestone adherence) and translate data into actionable insights
• Lead Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) and structured performance discussions to drive accountability, continuous improvement, and alignment with BlueRock priorities

Own Governance, Escalation & Issue Resolution

• Establish and maintain clear vendor governance structures, escalation pathways, and stakeholder engagement models to support effective issue resolution
• Act as a firm but fair representative of BlueRock, leveraging contractual language while maintaining productive, long-term partnerships
• Anticipate and mitigate common vendor risk areas (e.g., scope creep, change order inflation) and partner with Legal, Procurement, and subject-matter experts as required.

Provide Oversight & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner with FP&A and Development cost center owners to support monthly accruals, budget reconciliation, and invoice review
• Support strategic contract amendments, change orders, and scope adjustments as program needs evolve
• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of vendor management processes, templates, dashboards, and best practices across Development
• Serve as a trusted internal partner to development functional leads, building credibility through expertise, data, and follow-through

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, business, or a related discipline; advanced degree (e.g., MBA) preferred
• 8+ years of experience in clinical development vendor management, outsourcing, or related roles within biotech, pharma, or CRO environments (5+ years minimum in direct vendor management)
• Demonstrated experience managing clinical vendors and navigating complex contractual and performance discussions
• Proven ability to analyze vendor performance data, budgets, and metrics to identify inefficiencies and drive improvement
• Strong working knowledge of GCP, ICH guidelines, and regulatory expectations related to outsourced clinical activities

The estimated compensation range for this position is $ 168,000.00 - $ 178,380.00 per year.

Equal Opportunity Workplace: At BlueRock, we welcome and support differences and diversity and we are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. Please let us know if you require disability-related accommodation or other grounds protected by human rights legislation during the recruitment process so that we can work with you to meet your needs.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.