Alliance Manager, Translational Medicine

Position Summary

The Alliance Manager will play a critical role in enabling successful external collaborations that accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries into clinically actionable molecular solutions. This individual combines a strong scientific understanding of translational medicine with exceptional relationship management, legal/contracting acumen, and strategic oversight. Serving as the primary relationship manager for strategic external partnerships, the Alliance Manager ensures Natera’s technology is deeply embedded into external drug development pipelines while safeguarding Natera's strategic data and secondary-use interests.

Core Responsibilities

Strategic Alliance Leadership & Ingestion

Drive Oncology Partnerships: Serve as the primary relationship manager for strategic external oncology alliances, moving beyond vendor status to build long-term, high-trust collaborations.

Oversee Study Intake: Own the high-level tracking and overview of incoming studies, establishing a clear understanding of each study's clinical priority and alignment with Natera's broader strategic goals.

Maximize Portfolio Value: Lead the initial assessment of partnerships prior to contracting to evaluate secondary-use importance (clinical data acquisition, residual samples, publications, validation, and algorithm-development potential).

Strategic Governance: Establish high-level communication plans and governance frameworks for collaborations; maintain strategic visibility over final deliverables and overall relationship health.

Contract Management & External Coordination

Lead Legal Coordination: Serve as the primary internal driver for contract management, owning day-to-day legal coordination and protocol/ICF reviews with external partners.

Contract Communication: Own all external communication and tracking required to advance contracts through execution, maintaining strategic visibility internally.

Contract Compliance: Monitor compliance with contractual obligations, including IP boundaries, data-sharing rights, and high-level reporting requirements.

Cross-Functional Synchronization

Translate Strategy to Operations: Partner closely with the internal TMED Program Manager to hand off executed agreements, ensuring identified strategic objectives and secondary-use requirements are successfully translated into internal operational plans.

Collaborative Support: Maintain an active feedback loop, keeping internal scientific leaders and the TMED Program Manager informed on high-priority alliance matters and external relationship statuses.

Qualifications

Advanced Scientific Foundation: Master’s degree in Life Sciences, Biology, Molecular Biology required; PhD or equivalent preferred. Must be capable of driving sophisticated technical and clinical alignment discussions.

Proven Alliance Track Record: Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in alliance management, relationship management, or external collaborations within the biotech, pharmaceutical, or diagnostics sectors.

Oncology & Diagnostics Fluency: A sophisticated understanding of the oncology landscape, biomarker development, and the application of translational medicine in clinical trials.

Contracting Acumen: Demonstrated experience navigating complex legal agreements, multi-party research collaborations, and compliance requirements (including HIPAA/PHI data sharing standards).

Logistics

Location: Remote-friendly (Incumbent can be based anywhere in the US).

Travel: Up to 25% to maintain high-touch visibility with partners.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)