Job Description
At Thermo Fisher Scientific, our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner, and safer. Within Clinical Research Group, the Strategic Partnership Director serves as a senior commercial leader responsible for architecting and advancing strategic partnership pursuits across Biopharma and Biotech.
The Strategic Partnership Director acts as the strategic lead for qualified partnership pursuits and partnership refresh opportunities, partnering closely with Business Development, General Partners, Business Unit Leadership, Strategic Solutions Leads, Commercial Optimization Leads, and Partnership Implementation teams.
This role is accountable for developing partnership strategies, governance constructs, operating model vision, executive-level engagement approaches, and client-facing partnership narratives that differentiate Thermo Fisher Scientific in highly competitive pursuit environments.
The Strategic Partnership Director is not responsible for account planning, proposal project management, pricing strategy, contract negotiations, data pack development, or implementation execution.
Key Responsibilities
Partnership Strategy & Commercial Architecture
- Lead the strategic development of qualified partnership pursuits and partnership refresh opportunities.
- Consult on partnership win strategies that align client needs with Thermo Fisher Scientific's enterprise capabilities and long-term growth objectives.
- Design partnership governance frameworks, operating model concepts, and strategic engagement approaches tailored to client requirements.
- Serve as the strategic advisor to Business Development, General Partners, and Business Unit leaders throughout the pursuit lifecycle.
- Facitate alignment across commercial, operational, scientific, and functional stakeholders to ensure a cohesive partnership strategy.
Pursuit Leadership
- Lead qualified partnership pursuits from intake and qualification through award recommendation.
- Assess opportunity complexity and determine appropriate partnership constructs and engagement models.
- Establish and lead the pursuit teams for strategic opportunities.
- Ensure strategic consistency across all client-facing deliverables and interactions.
- Provide executive-level guidance throughout the pursuit process.
Proposal & Solution Alignment
- Partner with Strategic Solutions Leads (SSLs) to ensure proposal strategies align with the broader partnership vision.
- Review RFI and RFP responses for strategic alignment and differentiation.
- Provide guidance on governance, operating model, and partnership-specific content.
- Support executive review processes for strategic partnership opportunities.
Executive Client Engagement & Commercial Activation
- Lead development of executive-level engagement strategies for partnership pursuits.
- Define the overarching client narrative and partnership storyline.
- Partner with Commercial Optimization Leads (COLs) to translate pursuit strategy into client meeting and bid defense strategies.
- Prepare commercial and operational teams for executive client interactions.
- Support strategic client meetings, partnership discussions, and post-submission engagement activities.
Partnership Transition & Lifecycle Continuity
- Partner with Partnership Implementation teams to ensure effective transition from pursuit to implementation.
- Define governance, operating model, communication, and risk-management requirements prior to handoff.
- Participate in strategic transition reviews following award.
- Support early lifecycle assessments to ensure alignment between the proposed partnership model and operational execution.
- Identify expansion, refresh, and strategic growth opportunities within awarded partnerships.
Success Measures
The Strategic Partnership Director will be evaluated on:
- Strategic partnership pursuit win rate
- Conversion of Tier 1 partnership opportunities
- Revenue growth from partnership expansion and refresh opportunities
- Quality and effectiveness of partnership handoff to implementation
- Executive stakeholder engagement effectiveness
- Adoption and consistency of partnership strategy frameworks
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- Demonstrated ability to develop and execute complex commercial and partnership strategies.
- Strong understanding of CRO outsourcing models, strategic partnerships, and enterprise client engagement.
- Proven ability to influence senior executives and lead matrixed teams.
- Ability to synthesize complex business, operational, and customer information into compelling strategic narratives.
- Strong executive presence, communication, and presentation skills.
- Ability to navigate ambiguity and lead highly visible, high-impact initiatives.
- Demonstrated strategic thinking and commercial acumen.
- Experience facilitating alignment across commercial, operational, scientific, and functional stakeholders.
- Strong problem-solving, decision-making, and influencing skills.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred, or a minimum of 15 years industry experience preferably in proposal and/ or sales equivalent.
- Significant experience within CRO, pharmaceutical, biotech, or related healthcare services environments.
- Demonstrated experience leading strategic pursuits, enterprise partnerships, commercial strategy, or related functions.
- Strong understanding of clinical development outsourcing and partnership models.
- Experience working within highly matrixed global organizations.
Key Internal Partnerships
- Business Development
- General Partners
- Business Unit Leadership
- Strategic Solutions Leads (SSLs)
- Commercial Optimization Leads (COLs)
- Partnership Implementation & Maintenance
- Strategic Finance
- Medical Science & Strategy
- Therapeutic Commercial Leads
- Business Insights & Analytics
- Marketing & Sales Enablement
Travel
Domestic and international travel may be required based on client engagement and business needs.
