Director, Alliance Management

Role Summary

Director of Alliance Management will manage and optimize strategic collaborations with global pharmaceutical and biotech partners. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy, the role requires hands-on experience managing complex, multi-functional alliances and driving structured decision-making to achieve clear outcomes. This position is based in Waltham, MA and would require relocation outside of MA.

Responsibilities

• Alliance Leadership & Governance: Serve as the primary alliance lead for strategic partnerships, owning day-to-day relationship management
• Alliance Leadership & Governance: Design, implement, and run alliance governance structures (JSCs, sub-teams, escalation pathways)
• Alliance Leadership & Governance: Ensure decisions are made efficiently, documented clearly, and executed across both organizations
• Issue Resolution & Decision Enablement: Anticipate and surface alliance risks (operational, strategic, financial, contractual)
• Issue Resolution & Decision Enablement: Lead cross-functional problem-solving efforts to address issues that arise
• Issue Resolution & Decision Enablement: Drive discussions that result in timely decisions and measurable outcomes
• Cross-Functional Execution: Coordinate closely with R&D, Tech Ops, Commercial, Legal, Finance, and BD teams
• Cross-Functional Execution: Support operational execution of alliance agreements and ensure adherence to contractual obligations
• Cross-Functional Execution: Track milestones, deliverables, and performance metrics
• Partner Relationship Management: Build trusted, senior-level relationships with partner counterparts
• Partner Relationship Management: Balance collaboration and accountability, advocating for Ardelyx’s interests while maintaining strong partnerships
• Partner Relationship Management: Prepare and lead executive-level communications and governance meetings
• Strategic & Portfolio Support: Provide alliance insights to inform broader corporate strategy and portfolio decisions
• Strategic & Portfolio Support: Support business development during deal structuring and diligence to ensure alliances are operationally sound post-signing
• Strategic & Portfolio Support: Contribute to best practices, playbooks, and continuous improvement of alliance management processes

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 8-10 years of experience in alliance management, business development, corporate development, or related roles in biotech/pharma or equivalent experience
• Proven track record managing complex, high-stakes alliances with external partners
• Demonstrated ability to drive processes that lead to decisions and results, especially in ambiguous or contentious situations that require escalation, renegotiation, or restructuring
• Strong understanding of alliance governance, contract interpretation, and cross-functional execution
• Exceptional communication, influence, and stakeholder-management skills