Director, Central Lab Alliance Lead in Stevenage

We create a place where people can grow, be their best, be safe, and feel welcome, valued and included. We offer a competitive salary, an annual bonus based on company performance, healthcare and wellbeing programmes, pension plan membership, and shares and savings programme. We embrace modern work practices; our Performance with Choice programme offers a hybrid working model, empowering you to find the optimal balance between remote and in-office work.

Are you an experienced central laboratory alliance leader, central lab operations expert or biosampling strategist who can combine forward-looking strategy with hands-on partnership governance? This individual-contributor role will provide strategic oversight for one of GSK’s established central laboratory partnerships, helping to shape the future direction of the relationship while ensuring strong day-to-day delivery. The role is approximately balanced between strategy and delivery. You will help embed a new operating model and ways of working, anticipate changing portfolio demands, identify opportunities for continuous improvement, and ensure that GSK and its central laboratory partner are positioned to respond effectively. Alongside this, you will manage governance forums, monitor partnership health and study delivery, and support the resolution of urgent operational challenges.

For candidates seeking to be located at our Stevenage site, this role will temporarily be based at Stevenage. However, the Company plans to relocate its offices to Cambridge, UK. The location of this role will therefore subsequently change to Cambridge, UK in accordance with timelines to be set by the Company. The relocation is currently proposed to take effect by early 2029.

Key responsibilities

• Act as the alliance lead and primary relationship owner for an assigned, established central laboratory partner, building a trusted and collaborative partnership.
• Contribute to the strategic direction of the central laboratory relationship, monitoring future portfolio demand and translating it into practical partnership priorities.
• Play a central role in embedding a new operating model and new ways of working, while continuing to identify process improvements after implementation.
• Lead and coordinate governance meetings, preparing clear materials for senior leaders on partnership health, study delivery, risks and priorities.
• Monitor KPIs, identify trends and use data to provide insight into performance, assay usage and kit usage.
• Maintain regular interaction with the central laboratory partner and communicate relevant developments, risks and issues across GSK operational stakeholders.
• Support the timely escalation and resolution of critical delivery, quality or operational challenges, working calmly and constructively with internal teams and outsourced partners.
• Help manage urgent situations before they become crises, recognising the potential impact of delivery challenges on patients and clinical studies.
• Use AI tools, such as Claude or equivalent AI agents, to help analyse large datasets and generate insights that support decisions and continuous improvement.
• Promote harmonised ways of working across central laboratory partnerships while recognising that each partner relationship may require a tailored approach.

What success will look like

• A healthy, trusted and transparent relationship with the assigned central laboratory partner.
• Successful implementation and adoption of a new operating model and associated ways of working.
• Effective governance, clear escalation routes and timely resolution of delivery issues.
• Meaningful insight from partnership data and KPIs, enabling informed decisions and proactive improvement.
• Readiness for changing portfolio demands, with the central laboratory partner aligned to future needs.

Why you?

Basic Qualifications & Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in a life science, medicine, pharmacy or a related discipline.
• Experience working in clinical trials, with direct knowledge of central laboratory operations and how central laboratories support study delivery.
• Demonstrated experience in an alliance lead, strategic partnership or comparable external partner-management role.
• Strong stakeholder and relationship-management skills, with the ability to work across complex, cross-functional and multicultural environments.
• Excellent communication skills, including confidence presenting to large audiences and the ability to communicate calmly and constructively during urgent or high-pressure situations.
• Experience managing escalations, resolving complex delivery challenges and maintaining a level-headed approach where patient or study impact may be at risk.
• Strong analytical capability, including experience using an AI agent such as Claude, or an equivalent tool, to help analyse large datasets and draw actionable insights.
• Ability to interpret KPIs and trends and translate data into clear recommendations for operational teams and senior leaders.
• Strong planning, prioritisation and organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
• Flexibility for occasional travel, mainly within the UK and Europe.

Preferred Qualifications & Skills:

• Experience implementing a new operating model or embedding new ways of working across an external partnership.
• Experience within a large pharmaceutical organisation and an understanding of pharmaceutical development operations.
• A strategic and forward-looking mindset, with the ability to anticipate changing demand and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• High levels of professionalism, integrity and collaboration in a regulated environment.

Closing Date for Applications – 22nd November 2026