Job Details

Alliance Manager - Pharma Partnerships

??AI Protein Structure Prediction

?? Market-leading Comp Base + Variable + Equity

San Francisco, CA (Onsite)

Company

This start-up have built a market-leading protein structure prediction platform, funded by OpenAI and founded by alumni of Meta FAIR, OpenAI, Harvard, and Stanford. The platform is used by top drug discovery teams and consistently outperforms competing approaches on accuracy, speed, and scalability for protein structure and interaction prediction.

Role Overview

The Alliance Manager will own day-to-day strategic and operational relationships with large pharma partners on the buy side. This person will ensure joint programs hit scientific, technical, and commercial milestones, while protecting long-term value for both our company and our partners. The ideal candidate brings prior experience managing external collaborations or BD transactions at a major pharma or large biotech.

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary operational and relationship lead for key pharma alliances, from onboarding through late-stage development and option/exercise events.
• Track and communicate progress against scientific, technical, and commercial milestones; ensure both parties meet contractual obligations and timelines.
• Coordinate cross-functional internal teams (science, product, ML, legal, finance, commercial) to deliver on joint workplans and resolve issues quickly.
• Anticipate and mitigate risks related to scope, IP, data sharing, and resourcing; drive structured decision-making and escalation when needed.
• Prepare and run governance forums (steering committees, JSC/JWGs), including agendas, materials, minutes, and follow-up actions.
• Partner with BD on new and expansion opportunities, providing alliance health insights and helping shape deal terms for successful execution.
• Maintain accurate documentation of commitments, budgets, forecasts, and key decisions across partnerships.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in alliance management, corporate/business development, or external innovation at a large pharma/biotech or equivalent buy-side role.
• Advanced degree MSc or PhD in Chemistry or a related scientific discipline.
• Solid understanding of drug discovery and development (small molecules, biologics, or protein-based modalities); comfort engaging with R&D leaders.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder relationships and navigate ambiguity with calm, clear communication.
• Strong analytical, project management, and negotiation skills; highly proficient with productivity tools (e.g., Excel, PowerPoint, project tracking).
• Hands-on, low-ego mindset suited to a fast-paced startup; able to work independently while fostering highly collaborative internal and external teams.

Qualities

• Thrives under pressure.
• Detail-oriented and fast-moving
• Curious
• Empathetic
• Ambitious