Position Summary

The Director serves as the operational leader responsible for the coordination, execution, governance, and management of strategic partnerships across Washington University School of Medicine. Working in partnership with the head of OSPA, who provides strategic leadership and external relationship development, the Director ensures partnership opportunities are effectively evaluated, implemented, and managed throughout their lifecycle.

Reporting to the head of the OSPA, the Director oversees the day-to-day management of partnership activities, alliance operations, and strategic projects that advance the School's research, translational, innovation, and clinical missions.

The Director serves as the primary coordinator for partnership intake, opportunity assessment, deal development support, alliance management, and implementation of institutional partnership models. Working closely with faculty, department leadership, research administration, technology management, legal, finance, advancement, and external organizations, the Director ensures partnerships are effectively executed and deliver measurable value to the institution.

This position requires an individual who excels at managing complexity, building relationships across diverse stakeholder groups, and driving cross-functional initiatives from concept through execution.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

• Partnership Development & Opportunity Management: Coordinates intake, assessment, and prioritization of partnership opportunities. Evaluates strategic fit, institutional value, resource requirements, and stakeholder alignment. Supports development of business cases and partnership recommendations for leadership review. Maintains visibility across active and emerging opportunities within the partnership portfolio.
• Deal Development & Negotiation Support: Coordinates internal stakeholders during partnership development and negotiation processes. Assesses operational, scientific, financial, and organizational implications of proposed agreements. Supports development of collaboration structures, governance frameworks, milestone plans, and operating models. Partners with research administration, legal, finance, and technology management teams to facilitate agreement execution.
• Alliance & Program Management: Serves as alliance manager for selected strategic institutional partnerships. Coordinates partnership governance processes, including steering committees, executive reviews, escalation pathways, and performance assessments. Monitors milestones, deliverables, governance activities, and funding commitments. Coordinates communication between internal stakeholders and external partners. Identifies and resolve operational challenges that may impact partnership performance. Maintains and report on the institutional partnership portfolio, including opportunity pipeline, active engagements, partnership performance, resource utilization, and strategic impact metrics.
• Capability Development & Partner Enablement: Works with institutional cores, centers, institutes, and shared resources to develop externally facing partnership offerings. Supports creation of repeatable partnership models and engagement frameworks. Assists in packaging institutional capabilities for industry engagement and strategic collaborations.
• Strategic Project Execution: Leads cross-functional projects assigned by the head of the OSPA. Develops project plans, timelines, deliverables, and stakeholder communication strategies. Prepares executive reports, briefing materials, and partnership analyses.

Additional Responsibilities

Operates within a lean and highly collaborative organizational structure. Contributes flexibly across functions and undertake responsibilities necessary to ensure effective execution of OSPA priorities. This may include administrative, logistical, coordination, and operational tasks in support of meetings, events, and partnership activities, in addition to strategic and programmatic responsibilities. Performs other duties as assigned in support of institutional partnership success.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by the personnel so classified. Management reserves the right to revise or amend duties at any time.

Required Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor’s degree or combination of education and/or experience may substitute for minimum education.

Certifications/Professional Licenses:

No specific certification/professional license is required for this position.

Work Experience:

Relevant Experience (8 Years)

Skills:

Cross-Functional Initiatives, Detail-Oriented, Partnership Management, Project Management, Translational Research

Driver's License:

A driver's license is not required for this position.

More About This Job

Required Qualifications:

Eight years of progressively responsible experience in biotechnology, pharmaceutical development, medical devices, diagnostics, academic research, technology commercialization, business development, strategic partnerships, alliance management, research administration, or a related field. Demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder relationships, preferably involving scientific, clinical, business, legal, financial, research administration, or external industry stakeholders. Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with scientists, clinicians, business leaders, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, institutional leadership, and other external partners. Demonstrated ability to work independently and effectively in a highly matrixed academic or corporate environment, influence outcomes without direct authority, and manage multiple complex priorities.

Preferred Qualifications:

Advanced degree such as a PhD, MD, PharmD, MBA, MS, or equivalent in a relevant scientific, biomedical, engineering, business, or healthcare discipline. Experience working with academic-industry partnerships, including sponsored research, research collaborations, strategic alliances, licensing relationships, or other forms of external engagement. Experience working directly with pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, venture capital firms, strategic investors, or other life-science organizations.

Salary Range

$96,000.00 - $169,300.00 / Annually