Fortrea

Executive Director – Strategic Deals, Partnerships

Fortrea

full-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Remote

Location: United Kingdom

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Job Level

Lead

About the role

  • Serve as a senior executive role with global responsibility for driving strategic partnerships across biopharma accounts and other key organizations, including financial entities supporting clinical trial funding
  • Lead a virtual team containing Operations, Finance, Contracts, Legal, Account Executives, and others across the business (“Deal Team”) to develop partnership and commercial proposals for proactive client development and client-issued RFPs
  • Integrate with deal team members to gain an understanding of procurement, competitive landscape, firm positioning, likely procurement structure, and overall bid health, influencing pricing and commercial strategies (without direct P&L ownership)
  • Responsible for leading the development of: Enterprise solutions across the company establishing client value proposition, engagement model, and operational structure for delivery, working with subject matter experts
  • Partnership model cost and savings estimates supported by client-provided information, competitive intelligence, pricing model outputs, and data-driven decision support tools
  • Commercial structures, including accountability and risk-sharing arrangements, cost reduction constructs (e.g., discount/rebate structures), efficiencies, and strategies in rules of engagement, innovation, and model design
  • Pricing for new partnership models, evaluating client costs, competitive intelligence, and margin expectations
  • Analyze internal and external data to maximize new business creation while managing to margin targets
  • Lead the coordination of Executive Deal Reviews, including training deal teams on review format and content and ensuring proper representation of Executives by closely coordinating with Executive Administrative support
  • Review client RFPs to identify specifications impacting cost and risk, identify discrepancies, and generate questions for operational teams and clients
  • Attend and participate in proposal strategy and core team meetings for assigned engagements; interact with the Proposal Team to ensure consistency between written proposals and desired commercial positioning
  • Maintain direct client relationship management throughout partnership development and negotiation processes
  • Empower sales functions by effectively communicating details of approved commercial offerings and ensuring client needs are met during bidding
  • On an ad-hoc basis, review and approve post-verbal award commercial requests (e.g., change order concessions, payment schedule/terms, bonus/penalty provisions)
  • Lead department initiatives and drive progress across the organization
  • Negotiate commercial terms within Master Service Agreements
  • Attend customer meetings as applicable
  • Perform other duties as assigned

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a related field
  • Strong analytical skills with ability to interpret complex data and apply insights to commercial strategies
  • Excellent customer service skills, attention to detail, and ability to be persistent while maintaining tact
  • Demonstrated ability to plan, multi-task, and prioritize in a fast-paced environment
  • Exceptional teamwork and collaboration skills with proven ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, including text editing and business writing
  • Advanced proficiency in MS Office (Excel, Word, Outlook)
  • Ability to work independently and meet deadlines under pressure
  • Positive attitude and sense of urgency
  • Ability to work irregular and/or extended hours as needed to meet client proposal deadlines
  • Proven track record of driving strategic account penetration, revenue growth, and margin improvement in a global biopharma or CRO environment
  • Extensive experience in partnership development, strategic account management, or related commercial leadership roles within CRO, pharma, or life sciences
  • Extensive experience leading complex deal structures, including pricing strategy, risk-sharing models, and enterprise-level solutions
  • Demonstrated success in direct client relationship management at senior/executive levels
  • Experience managing virtual, cross-functional teams (Operations, Finance, Legal, Contracts, Sales)
  • Familiarity with RFP processes, proposal strategy, and executive deal reviews
  • Exposure to global markets and ability to navigate diverse regulatory and commercial environments
  • Experience negotiating Master Service Agreements and commercial terms
  • History of delivering results against strategic growth objectives and margin targets
Benefits
  • Standard office or home-based environment with frequent virtual collaboration
  • Ability to sit and work at a computer for extended periods; frequent keyboard use
  • Requires flexibility for work outside normal hours to meet client and executive review needs
  • Global travel up to 30-40%, including overnight stays

Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard skills
analytical skillsdata interpretationcommercial strategiespricing strategyrisk-sharing modelsenterprise solutionspartnership developmentstrategic account managementclient relationship managementnegotiation
Soft skills
customer serviceattention to detailmulti-taskingteamworkcollaborationcommunicationtactpositive attitudesense of urgencyindependence
Certifications
Bachelor’s degree