Director, Alliance Strategy & Partnerships

Summit Therapeutics; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 203,000 - 253,000; Full time

Job summary

Summit Therapeutics Inc. is seeking a Director, Alliance Management to lead external partnerships—driving scientific, clinical, and commercial potential.

You will foster trust, transparency, and operational excellence across collaborations, reporting to the Senior Director Alliance Strategy & Management and collaborating with BD, Strategy, and program teams. You will guide governance, relationship management and milestone tracking, integrating alliance activities into portfolio planning, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field required; Advanced degree preferred (MBA, Masters, etc.).
• Minimum of 10+ years of experience in oncology biopharma with a primary focus on alliance management; end-to-end program planning is a plus.
• Prior oncology drug experience in late-stage development and/or commercial stage required; strong understanding of oncology drug development and global dynamics.
• Hands-on experience leading pharma/biotech drug development clinical trial collaboration start-up & management with external partners.
• Understanding or experience in collaboration preparation, kick-off meetings, joint clinical trial or project management for contract implementation & relationship management.
• Proficient user of MS Office suite (PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Project); experience with document management systems and presenting to leaders.
• Experience with technology tools (Smartsheets, MS Project) in planning, maintenance and communication is highly desirable.
• Excellent communicator in public-speaking, meeting facilitation and email communication.
• Ability to travel to collaboration or business meetings, including semi-frequent travel to hub office locations.

Responsibilities

• Alliance Governance & Oversight: Lead collaboration planning, activation and execution; include start-up, joint committees, governance forums, and reviews to ensure alignment.
• Relationship Management: Serve as point of contact for alliance partners, building trust and resolving issues swiftly.
• Milestone & Performance Tracking: Monitor progress against milestones, deliverables, and KPIs; ensure timely reporting and issue resolution.
• Strategic Integration & Value Realization: Integrate alliance activities into broader portfolio strategies for long-term value across tumors and regions.
• Cross-Functional Coordination: Align with Program Team, R&D, Clinical, Regulatory, Legal, Market Planning and Commercial teams.
• Continuous Improvement & Best Practices: Develop alliance management frameworks to enhance efficiency and partner satisfaction.
• Executive Reporting & Communication: Prepare updates and insights for leadership on alliance health, risks, and opportunities.

Skills

Alliance management

Cross-functional leadership

Public speaking

Communication

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA or advanced degree

Tools

Smartsheets

MS Project

PowerPoint

Excel

MS Office

Job description

Summit Therapeutics Inc. is seeking a Director, Alliance Management to lead external partnerships—driving scientific, clinical, and commercial potential.

You will foster trust, transparency, and operational excellence across collaborations, reporting to the Senior Director Alliance Strategy & Management and collaborating with BD, Strategy, and program teams. You will guide governance, relationship management and milestone tracking, integrating alliance activities into portfolio planning, and