Strategic Alliance Lead (Associate Director or Director)
Location(s) – Europe (UK, France or Belgium) or United States (East Coast)
Do you get more energy from building something than from maintaining it? Can you sit across the table from a global pharma executive one day and roll your sleeves up with a project team the next? Ready to own a strategically relationship in our business, and write the playbook as you go, rather than inherit someone else's?
At Cerba Research, we are committed to finding the best talent to join our team. We have partnered with Vector Talent to manage the recruitment process for this role. If you're interested in applying, please direct all applications and questions to Vector Talent.
Cerba Research is looking for a Strategic Alliance Lead to take ownership of our most strategic partnerships, preferred-provider relationships, and sole-source alliances across Central and Specialty Laboratory Services. This is a build role: you'll be the executive and operational bridge between Cerba Research and our most important partners; designing the governance, framework, and cross-functional alignment that doesn't fully exist yet, while elevating the team around you into a more strategic way of working.
About Cerba Research
With over 40 years of clinical research expertise, Cerba Research has built a unique offering of services, which includes clinical trial management, specialty lab & biomarkers services and medical devices & diagnostics offerings.
Cerba Research supports clients from research and development all the way through clinical studies and commercialization of therapies. We combine the deep therapeutic understanding and agility of a specialist with the capacity, breadth and global reach of a central lab.
Our extensive experience in central & specialty laboratory services is key to our success, allowing us to provide clients with early scientific insights that optimize protocol development.
We provide key laboratory services to biopharma, government and not-for-profit organizations, supporting clinical trials. Our global accredited laboratory network and connected logistical infrastructure covers the US, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Australia and Africa.
Our aim is to transform clinical research to deliver the promise of precision and predictive medicine to help people live healthier lives. It's our passion, expertise, and commitment to quality that drive Cerba Research. We want to change the shape of clinical development, and help patients around the world get access to new treatments faster.
Why Join Us?
- Real Ownership, From Day One – You'll be the named executive lead for a landmark strategic partnership generating multi-million-dollar bookings today, with a clear path to significantly more as the relationship expands.
- A True Blank Slate – This isn't a role you're inheriting, you're building the governance framework, the relationship model, and the playbook that Cerba Research will use for its most important partnerships going forward.
- Executive Access – You'll operate at the level of global pharma procurement, vendor management, and clinical leadership.
- Global Reach, Real Impact – Join a business with 40+ years of clinical research heritage and a global accredited laboratory network spanning the US, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Australia and Africa.
How You Will Add Value
As Strategic Alliance Lead, you will contribute to:
- Owning strategic alliance leadership across Cerba Research's highest-value partnerships, sole-source relationships, and preferred-provider agreements
- Building and running the governance model - QBRs, executive steering committees, escalation pathways; from the ground up
- Acting as the voice of the customer internally and the voice of Cerba Research externally, translating what each side actually needs into action
- Driving strategic account growth - new services, new therapeutic areas, and expanded scope, in partnership with Commercial leadership
- Coaching and elevating the existing portfolio oversight team into a more strategic, alliance-first way of working
Your Responsibilities
- Serve as the designated executive and operational lead for assigned strategic partners, sole-source relationships, and preferred-provider agreements
- Lead the implementation and onboarding of newly signed strategic partnerships, coordinating cross-functional readiness and governance structures
- Monitor and ensure compliance with MSA commitments, service levels, and contractual obligations - proactively identifying and closing gaps
- Define, track, and report KPIs including study award rates, turnaround time, quality indicators, and customer satisfaction, translating them into executive-ready insight
- Build and maintain trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across Procurement, Vendor Management, Clinical Operations, and Executive Leadership
- Lead resolution of complex operational, quality, or commercial issues affecting strategic partners, coordinating cross-functional teams to close them out
- Develop and maintain Strategic Alliance Plans covering stakeholder mapping, growth targets, competitive positioning, and expansion opportunities
Travel:
Significant in the early phase of this role, as you build relationships and governance structures in person across our labs and our partners' sites. This typically settles to around 30% once a quarterly governance cadence is established.
About You
You've owned a strategic alliance relationship in CRO or central/specialty lab services from the point it was awarded. You're as comfortable in the detail with a project team as you are across the table from a senior procurement or clinical leader. You'd rather build the framework than be handed one.
- Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Business Administration, Clinical Research, or a related field (advanced degree preferred)
- Minimum 5 years in strategic account management, alliance management, or business operations within CRO, central laboratory, or a related life sciences environment, lab alliance experience preferred, CRO alliance experience essential
- Demonstrated experience owning a strategic partnership, preferred-provider agreement, or sole-source relationship end to end
- Comfortable operating in a heavily matrixed organization. You’re able to influence delivery teams and senior leadership in both directions without formal authority over either
- Executive-level stakeholder engagement experience, ideally including pharma procurement or vendor management
- A genuine interest in mentorship and team development, this role includes elevating the capability of the wider team
- Fluent in English
At Cerba HealthCare, we believe that the diversity of people, backgrounds, and perspectives is an essential asset in fulfilling our mission: to improve the health of everyone, everywhere.
We are committed to providing an inclusive work environment that guarantees equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of age, background, sexual orientation, disability, or any other personal characteristic. All talented individuals are encouraged to apply.
