Director, Central Lab Alliance Lead

We create a place where people can grow, be their best, be safe, and feel welcome, valued and included.

As a Director, Central Lab Alliance Lead, you will provide strategic oversight for one of GSK's established central laboratory partnerships, helping to shape the future direction of the relationship while ensuring strong day-to-day delivery.

Key Responsibilities:

• Act as the alliance lead and primary relationship owner for an assigned, established central laboratory partner, building a trusted and collaborative partnership.
• Contribute to the strategic direction of the central laboratory relationship, monitoring future portfolio demand and translating it into practical partnership priorities.
• Play a central role in embedding a new operating model and new ways of working, while continuing to identify process improvements after implementation.
• Lead and coordinate governance meetings, preparing clear materials for senior leaders on partnership health, study delivery, risks and priorities.
• Monitor KPIs, identify trends and use data to provide insight into performance, assay usage and kit usage.
• Maintain regular interaction with the central laboratory partner and communicate relevant developments, risks and issues across GSK operational stakeholders.
• Support the timely escalation and resolution of critical delivery, quality or operational challenges, working calmly and constructively with internal teams and outsourced partners.
• Help manage urgent situations before they become crises, recognising the potential impact of delivery challenges on patients and clinical studies.
• Use AI tools, such as Claude or equivalent AI agents, to help analyse large datasets and generate insights that support decisions and continuous improvement.
• Promote harmonised ways of working across central laboratory partnerships while recognising that each partner relationship may require a tailored approach.

What Success Will Look Like:

• A healthy, trusted and transparent relationship with the assigned central laboratory partner.
• Successful implementation and adoption of a new operating model and associated ways of working.
• Effective governance, clear escalation routes and timely resolution of delivery issues.
• Meaningful insight from partnership data and KPIs, enabling informed decisions and proactive improvement.
• Readiness for changing portfolio demands, with the central laboratory partner aligned to future needs.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in a life science, medicine, pharmacy or a related discipline.
• Experience working in clinical trials, with direct knowledge of central laboratory operations and how central laboratories support study delivery.
• Demonstrated experience in an alliance lead, strategic partnership or comparable external partner-management role.
• Strong stakeholder and relationship-management skills, with the ability to work across complex, cross-functional and multicultural environments.
• Excellent communication skills, including confidence presenting to large audiences and the ability to communicate calmly and constructively during urgent or high-pressure situations.
• Experience managing escalations, resolving complex delivery challenges and maintaining a level-headed approach where patient or study impact may be at risk.
• Strong analytical capability, including experience using an AI agent such as Claude, or an equivalent tool, to help analyse large datasets and draw actionable insights.
• Ability to interpret KPIs and trends and translate data into clear recommendations for operational teams and senior leaders.
• Strong planning, prioritisation and organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
• Flexibility for occasional travel, mainly within the UK and Europe.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary
• Annual bonus based on company performance
• Healthcare and wellbeing programmes
• Pension plan membership
• Shares and savings programme
• Hybrid working model