Director, Alliance Management

Summit Therapeutics•Palo Alto, CA

2d•$203,000 - $253,000•Onsite

About The Position

Summit Therapeutics Inc. is a biopharmaceutical oncology company with a mission focused on improving quality of life, increasing potential duration of life, and resolving serious unmet medical needs. At Summit, we believe in building a team of world class professionals who are passionate about this mission, and it is our people who drive this mission to reality. Summit’s core values include integrity, passion for excellence, purposeful urgency, collaboration, and our commitment to people. Our employees are truly the heart and soul of our culture, and they are invaluable in shaping our journey toward excellence. Summit’s team is inspired to touch and help change lives through Summit’s clinical studies in the field of oncology. Summit has multiple global Phase 3 clinical studies, including: Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) HARMONi: Phase 3 clinical study which was intended to evaluate ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to placebo plus chemotherapy in patients with EGFR-mutated, locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous NSCLC who were previously treated with a 3rd generation EGFR TKI. HARMONi-3: Phase 3 clinical study which is intended to evaluate ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy in patients with first-line metastatic NSCLC. HARMONi-7: Phase 3 clinical study which is intended to evaluate ivonescimab monotherapy compared to pembrolizumab monotherapy in patients with first-line metastatic NSCLC. Colorectal Cancer (CRC) HARMONi-GI3: Phase 3 clinical study intended to evaluate ivonescimab in combination with chemotherapy compared with bevacizumab plus chemotherapy. Ivonescimab is an investigational therapy not presently approved by any regulatory authority other than China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). Summit is headquartered in Miami, Florida, and has additional offices in California, New Jersey, the UK, and Ireland. Overview of Role: The Director, Alliance Management leads the performance and strategic evolution of assigned external partnerships. This role ensures that alliances deliver on their scientific, clinical, and commercial potential by fostering trust, transparency, and operational excellence across collaborations. Role reports to the Senior Director Alliance Strategy & Management, works closely with the VP BD & Strategic Alliances, plus Business & Strategy colleagues. This leader is a key contributor to alliance strategy, Akeso alliance management and combinations partnership planning. This includes execution of day-to-day communications, or activities, operational coordination and integration with partners and program team, plus maintaining Summit oversight. Routine collaboration, maintenance, tracking and executive reporting to be established and maintained as the company grows. This role interfaces with internal & external partners, driving alignment, accelerating joint OKR achievement, resolving issues, and unlocking long-term value. The capabilities to contribute to strategy building, delivering operational plans and executing the details is essential. The ideal candidate brings proven experience in alliance management, contracting, Joint Committees, strong cross-functional leadership, and a proactive mindset to maximize the impact of external innovation.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in relevant field required; Advanced degree preferred (MBA, Masters, etc.), dual scientific and business background is a strong plus.
Minimum of 10+ years of experience in oncology biopharma with a primary focus on alliance management; end-to-end to end program planning is a plus.
Prior oncology drug experience in late-stage development and/or commercial stage required; strong understanding of oncology drug development, scientific platforms, and global commercial dynamics.
Hands-on experience leading pharma or biotech drug development clinical trial collaboration start-up & management with external partners required.
Understanding or experience in collaboration preparation, kick-off meetings, joint clinical trial or project management to ensure successful contract implementation & relationship management.
Proficient user of MS Office suite (e.g., PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Project), experience using electronic document management systems, document review tools and can quickly build presentations for leaders/teams.
Excellent communicator in public-speaking, meeting facilitation and email communication.
Ability to excel in a fast-paced, demanding and diverse environment that includes global virtual meetings outside standard business hours.
Ability to travel to collaboration or business meetings, to include semi-frequent travel to hub office locations in Summit territories or collaboration partner sites.
Role is primarily office-based.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience with technology tools (e.g. Smartsheets, MS Project) in planning, maintenance and communication of information is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

Lead collaboration planning, activation and execution; to include start-up, joint committees, governance forums, and operational reviews to ensure strategic alignment and execution across partnered programs.
Serve as point of contact for alliance partners, building trust, facilitating communication, nd resolving issues with speed and diplomacy; a face and voice of the company externally.
Monitor progress against contractual milestones, deliverables, and KPIs; ensure timely reporting and actively solving issues.
Collaborate with internal teams to integrate alliance activities into broader portfolio and pipeline strategies, ensuring long-term value creation across tumors, indications and regions.
Partner with Program Team, R&D, Clinical, Regulatory, Legal, Market Planning and Commercial teams to align joint program execution, decision-making, and resource planning.
Develop and implement alliance management frameworks, dynamic tools, and processes to enhance efficiency, speed to execution, transparency, and partner satisfaction.
Prepare updates and strategic insights for the Department Head and Executive leadership on alliance progress, health, risks, and opportunities.