Director Third Party Excellence in Stevenage

The Director, Third Party Excellence is responsible for ensuring successful delivery of GSK’s clinical studies by establishing and sustaining strong governance and strategic relationships with third‑party providers. This role drives compliance with contractual and regulatory requirements, oversees portfolio‑level performance against expectations, proactively identifies and mitigates risks and issues, and seeks opportunities to improve third‑party performance.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for the governance of key third parties delivering services across multiple functions.
• Lead end‑to‑end operational and strategic governance, ensuring appropriate oversight activities and measures are in place.
• Provide guidance and support to others involved to ensure optimal execution.
• Relationship Management: Serve as the primary contact within Development Operations and affiliated clinical development functions for third‑party (TP) level strategic relationships, focusing on improving performance through effective relationship management.
• Responsible for cross‑Therapeutic Area Full‑Service‑Provider (FSO) third‑party oversight, collaborating closely with the Research Unit.
• Drive efficient and effective governance forums where clear outputs and decisions are made and reviews focused on improving and accelerating performance, optimizing opportunities, and mitigating risks.
• Collaborate with and across functions and business areas to translate information into key insights, proactively identify major risks and opportunities, and drive strategies and actions accordingly.
• Senior point of escalation; lead and facilitate discussions involving appropriate internal and external stakeholders to accelerate resolution, inform decisions and/or remove blockers.
• Conduct internal and external operational cross‑portfolio reviews, providing partnership updates, gathering team feedback on performance and resources, and assessing risks.
• Accountable for the full portfolio of services delivered by assigned third parties for clinical studies, ensuring timely execution and adherence to Master Service Agreements (MSA), Service Level Agreements (SLA), and Quality Agreements (QAg).
• Responsible for establishing TP partnership KPIs through cross‑functional collaboration with business partners and TP.
• Review and discuss Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Key Quality Indicators (KQIs), and Key Financial Indicators (KFIs) with third parties, analyze trends, and propose strategies and mitigations.
• Ensure appropriate documentation is in place for oversight, governance, risk management, issue resolution, and strategic discussions to ensure audit readiness.
• Ensure robust oversight of third parties is in place with accountability for the oversight at the cross‑service level.
• May contribute to functional and cross‑functional initiatives and improvement projects.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a relevant field.
• Prior management and oversight of cross‑functional FSO or FSP providers delivering a range of services (must include clinical operations).
• Experience of late phase Global Clinical Trial Management or Study Management gained in a pharmaceutical company or CRO.
• Proven experience in third‑party management, vendor management, procurement or contracting.
• Experience working in a regulated environment within pharmaceuticals, biotech, or healthcare.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills across functions and senior levels.
• Demonstrable track record of leading matrix teams and delivering operational improvements.
• Good analytical skills and experience using data to drive decisions and monitor supplier performance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s or professional qualification in a relevant field.
• Experience implementing third‑party governance in large, matrixed organisations.
• Familiarity with contract management systems, vendor risk platforms or procurement tools.
• Knowledge of global regulatory frameworks and standards relevant to clinical research or manufacturing.
• Experience working with CROs, clinical vendors, or multi‑country supplier networks.
• Proven ability to lead change, simplify processes and deliver measurable cost or risk reductions.

Compensation & Benefits

If you are based in Cambridge, MA; Waltham, MA; Rockville, MD; or San Francisco, CA, the annual base salary for new hires in this position ranges from $183,150 to $305,250. This position offers an annual bonus and eligibility to participate in a share‑based long‑term incentive program. Available benefits include health care and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, paid holidays, vacation, and paid caregiver/parental and medical leave.

Equal Opportunity Employer

GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), military service or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law.