[Hiring] Strategic Alliance Lead @Cerba Research

Role Description

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.

Qualifications

• 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; 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

Requirements

• 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
• 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

Benefits

• 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.