Director, AIRx External Partnership Management Lead

Takeda•Boston, MA

9d•$177,000 - $278,080•Hybrid

About The Position

Takeda Research is building a Lab of Tomorrow powered by AI, automation, and new working methods, aiming to deliver differentiated medicines to the clinic with speed and efficiency. To support this vision, Takeda is establishing two key units: AI Research Accelerator (AIRx) and Discovery Automation & Robotics (DAR). AIRx will be a specialized group of experienced drug hunters, operating with the agility of a biotech company and the resources of a major pharmaceutical firm. Its purpose is to pioneer future AI-driven operating models and accelerate the delivery of drug candidates to the clinic, aiming for industry-leading speed and success rates. The majority of AIRx's wet-lab work will be conducted externally through Contract Research Organizations (CROs), making their performance critical to achieving AIRx's speed, cost, and quality objectives. The Director, AIRx CRO & External Partnerships is the sole owner of all CRO relationships for AIRx, responsible for actively managing these partnerships beyond simple vendor management. This involves setting clear expectations, providing regular direction, implementing real-time performance management, and ensuring direct accountability for milestones and quality. The role requires daily coordination with CRO teams, frequent on-site visits to key partners (both domestic and international), and close collaboration with AIRx scientific leads. The Director will oversee the entire external execution lifecycle, from partner identification and contracting to data specification and ongoing performance management, ensuring that CRO outputs are integrated into AIRx's data systems in a format suitable for AI/ML decision-making. The ideal candidate will possess extensive knowledge of the CRO landscape, a strong external network, and the operational discipline to manage multiple concurrent partnerships at AIRx's demanding pace and quality standards.

Requirements

Degree in life sciences or chemistry; advanced degree preferred.
10+ years of experience in pharmaceutical outsourcing, CRO management, or alliance management within drug discovery; biotech experience strongly preferred.
Deep knowledge of the CRO landscape across chemistry, biology, and DMPK capabilities; established personal network of CRO and external partner relationships.
Proven track record actively managing complex, multi-CRO programs with urgency, rigor, and budget discipline.
Hands-on, operational style; comfortable embedding in scientific team dynamics rather than managing at arm's length.
Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally on a regular basis.
Strong contract negotiation, vendor management, and performance oversight skills.
Experience supporting AI/ML-enabled or digital drug discovery programs strongly preferred.
Familiarity with data standardization requirements (TetraScience, FAIR data principles) a plus.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with data standardization requirements (TetraScience, FAIR data principles) a plus.

Responsibilities

Actively manage CROs with direct oversight, setting expectations, driving cadences, and holding partners accountable for milestones and quality.
Maintain regular on-site presence at key CRO partners, including periodic visits to critical domestic and international partners, to deepen relationships, resolve issues, and reinforce AIRx ways of working.
Drive daily and weekly coordination between CRO teams and AIRx scientific leads to ensure tight execution against shared milestones.
Proactively identify and resolve performance issues at the working level to protect program timelines.
Identify and evaluate CRO partners for chemistry, biology, DMPK, and other capabilities required by AIRx programs.
Own contracts, SOWs, timelines, and quality standards, partnering with Takeda procurement, legal, and alliance management.
Build and maintain a preferred supplier network capable of meeting AIRx's pace and quality requirements.
Coordinate data handoffs to ensure CRO outputs are captured in AIRx data systems (TetraScience, SAIL) in a standardized, decision-ready format for AI/ML pipelines.
Track and manage outsourcing spend across programs, providing budget visibility to the Head of AIRx and Program Manager.
Monitor the external CRO and innovation landscape for new capabilities, providers, and partnership models to enhance AIRx execution.