Senior External Research Partnerships Manager

Outer Bio; Malden (MA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Outer Bio is seeking a Senior, Project & Alliance Manager to own external research partnerships’ health and delivery. You’ll serve as the principal liaison between Outer Bio project teams and partners, manage budgets, and ensure milestones and IP terms are met.

This role requires strong communication, strategic thinking, and cross‑functional collaboration with product, legal, and R&D. Reporting to the Chief Business Officer, you’ll shape playbooks, govern partnerships, and drive value across

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a life science; lab experience required; advanced degree preferred.
• 7+ years in biotech/pharma/CRO with 4+ years in project/alliance management.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Proven track record managing multiple external collaborations at once.
• Experience owning project budgets and milestone-based payments.
• Fluency with project management and collaborative tools (Smartsheet, MS Project, Asana).
• Working knowledge of research agreements, SOWs, IP and publication terms.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interactive communication; comfortable presenting to leadership.
• Strong teamwork and collaboration skills; able to work independently.

Responsibilities

• Own the relationship and serve as the primary liaison between Outer Bio’s project team and external research partners and clients.
• Establish project and alliance management playbook, templates, and tools.
• Work with legal and business development on research agreements, SOWs, MTAs, and amendments.
• Ensure contractual obligations are met and data, samples, and reports move on time.
• Own project budgets: forecast spend, track invoices against milestones, flag variances.
• Translate research goals into integrated project plans with milestones and dependencies.
• Identify project risks early and keep leadership informed with status reporting.
• Run partnership governance: joint steering committees, QBRs, agendas, minutes, actions.
• Monitor partnership performance against deliverables, timelines, and quality standards.
• Assess partnership health and recommend renewals, scope changes, or exits.

Skills

Organizational skills

Multi-project management

Budget ownership

PM tools (Smartsheet, MS Project, Asan

SOWs, contracts, IP knowledge

Clear communication

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s in life science

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Smartsheet

MS Project

Asana

Job description

Outer Bio is seeking a Senior, Project & Alliance Manager to own external research partnerships’ health and delivery. You’ll serve as the principal liaison between Outer Bio project teams and partners, manage budgets, and ensure milestones and IP terms are met.

This role requires strong communication, strategic thinking, and cross‑functional collaboration with product, legal, and R&D. Reporting to the Chief Business Officer, you’ll shape playbooks, govern partnerships, and drive value across