Director – External Partnerships (Research)

SoTalent; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 290,000; Full time

Job summary

SoTalent seeks a Director of External Partnership Management to lead CRO partnerships supporting AI-enabled drug discovery. You will oversee the full external execution lifecycle—from partner selection and contracting through to performance management and data integration—acting as an integrated extension of internal scientific teams.

The role requires a life sciences degree and 10+ years in pharma outsourcing or alliance management, with strong negotiation, budget oversight, and stakeholder

Qualifications

• 10+ years in pharmaceutical outsourcing, CRO management, or external partnerships.
• Strong knowledge of the global CRO landscape across chemistry, biology, DMPK.
• Experience negotiating contracts, managing budgets, and overseeing vendor performance.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic management of CRO partnerships, driving accountability for quality, timelines, and delivery.
• Establish governance, communication cadences, and performance expectations across multiple external partners.
• Build strong working relationships through regular engagement and onsite visits with CROs.
• Partner with scientific, program management, procurement, legal, and cross-functional stakeholders to ensure seamless project execution.
• Identify, evaluate, and onboard CROs across chemistry, biology, DMPK, and related drug discovery disciplines.
• Negotiate Statements of Work (SOWs), contracts, budgets, timelines, and quality standards.
• Manage external outsourcing spend and provide accurate budget tracking and reporting.
• Ensure research data is captured, standardised, and integrated into internal AI/ML platforms and data environments.
• Monitor the external research landscape to identify emerging technologies, capabilities, and partnership opportunities.
• Proactively identify and resolve delivery risks before they impact programme timelines.

Skills

CRO management

Alliance management

Vendor negotiations

Budget management

Stakeholder management

AI-enabled drug discovery

Data standardisation

Partnership governance

Strategic leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences

Tools

TetraScience

FAIR data principles

Job description

Director, External Partnership Management (AI-Driven Drug Discovery)

An innovative biotechnology and pharmaceutical organisation is seeking a Director of External Partnership Management to lead and optimise strategic CRO (Contract Research Organisation) partnerships supporting next-generation AI-enabled drug discovery.

This is a highly operational leadership role responsible for ensuring external research partners function as an integrated extension of internal scientific teams. The successful candidate will oversee the full external execution lifecycle—from partner selection and contracting through to performance management, data integration, and delivery against critical research milestones.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic management of CRO partnerships, driving accountability for quality, timelines, and delivery.
• Establish clear governance, communication cadences, and performance expectations across multiple external partners.
• Build strong working relationships through regular engagement and onsite visits with domestic and international CROs.
• Partner closely with scientific, program management, procurement, legal, and cross-functional stakeholders to ensure seamless project execution.
• Identify, evaluate, and onboard CROs across chemistry, biology, DMPK, and related drug discovery disciplines.
• Negotiate Statements of Work (SOWs), contracts, budgets, timelines, and quality standards.
• Manage external outsourcing spend and provide accurate budget tracking and reporting.
• Ensure research data is captured, standardised, and integrated into internal AI/ML platforms and data environments.
• Monitor the external research landscape to identify emerging technologies, capabilities, and partnership opportunities.
• Proactively identify and resolve delivery risks before they impact programme timelines.

Requirements

• Degree in Life Sciences, Chemistry, or a related scientific discipline (advanced degree preferred).
• 10+ years' experience in pharmaceutical outsourcing, CRO management, alliance management, or external partnerships within drug discovery.
• Strong knowledge of the global CRO landscape across chemistry, biology, DMPK, and related scientific services.
• Demonstrated success managing multiple complex CRO programmes simultaneously.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience negotiating contracts, managing budgets, and overseeing vendor performance.
• Experience working within fast-paced biotechnology or pharmaceutical research environments.
• Familiarity with AI-enabled or digital drug discovery programmes is advantageous.
• Knowledge of scientific data standardisation platforms and principles (e.g. TetraScience, FAIR data) is beneficial.
• Excellent stakeholder management, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally on a regular basis.

This opportunity is ideal for a strategic yet hands-on leader who thrives in fast-moving research environments and enjoys building high-performing external partnerships that accelerate scientific innovation.