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Fortrea · 9 hours ago

Executive Director, Strategic Deals & Partnerships

Durham, NC

Full-time

Hybrid

Director/Executive

$215K/yr - $240K/yr

15+ years exp

Fortrea is a company focused on strategic partnerships within the biopharma sector. The Executive Director, Strategic Deals & Partnerships will lead efforts in developing enterprise-level solutions and pricing strategies while managing cross-functional teams and client relationships to drive revenue growth and margin improvement.

Clinical TrialsHealth Care

H1B Sponsor Likely

Responsibilities

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

Success will be measured primarily by strategic account penetration, complemented by revenue growth and margin improvement

All other duties as assigned

Qualification

Strategic account managementPartnership developmentPricing strategyData analysisRFP managementMaster Service AgreementsCommercial strategyCross-functional team leadershipCustomer serviceWrittenTeamworkCollaborationVerbal communicationAttention to detailWork independentlyPositive attitude

Required

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

Minimum 15 years of progressive 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

Preferred

Master's degree in related field

Benefits

Medical

Dental

Vision

Life

STD/LTD

401(K)

ESPP

Paid time off (PTO) or Flexible time off (FTO)

Company bonus where applicable

Company

Fortrea

Fortrea is a provider of comprehensive Phase I through IV clinical trial management, clinical pharmacology, patient access solutions.

Founded in 2023

Durham, North Carolina, USA

10001+ employees

https://www.fortrea.com

H1B Sponsorship

Fortrea has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)

Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship

Represents job field similar to this job

Trends of Total Sponsorships

2025 (14)

2024 (25)

2023 (6)