Clinical Partnership Manager

In this role you will cultivate and optimize governance and operations for strategic CRO partnerships, ensuring high-quality clinical trial delivery. You will work with clinical study teams and procurement to advance vendor governance, onboarding, and performance — aligning with Chiesi’s long-term portfolio goals. You’ll foster innovation and continuous improvement across external collaborations, contributing to efficient, scalable clinical delivery. This role offers exposure to global operations and cross-functional collaboration in a mission-driven R&D environment.

• annual bonus scheme
• pension
• private medical insurance
• wellbeing programme
• flexible benefits programme
• remote work options

• Develops and manages strong partnerships with external stakeholders, especially CROs, embedding excellence and agility into clinical delivery
• Maintains and improves operational and partnership governance within GCO
• Shapes a sustainable vendor management approach aligned with portfolio and long-term strategy
• Manages vendor partnership model and governance to ensure highest-quality clinical trial delivery
• Collaborates in vendor selection, onboarding and integration of digital platforms/services with internal teams (GICT, etc.)
• Maintains relationships with CROs/vendors to enable productive partnerships
• Liases with internal/external stakeholders to share best practices, technology, and expertise
• Defines Third-Party Vendors Governance, vendor panels, and oversees setup, timelines, and performance vs SOPs and protocols
• Supports Master Service Agreements/SLA preparation with Procurement and contractual compliance
• Develops and maintains collaborative relationships to enhance delivery capabilities and innovation
• Identifies opportunities to revise processes/procedures within GCO operational model
• Collaborates with GCO/GCD leadership to share best practices
• Identifies process issues and develops solutions for productivity, quality, and stakeholder satisfaction
• Assesses suitable technological infrastructure to leverage external solutions
• Prepares study teams for interactions with strategic providers (RFP revisions, change orders) and supports study-level interactions
• Partners with QA for vendor qualification and maintenance
• Fosters a culture of continuous improvement and high performance
• Supports cross-functional interactions across Clinical Delivery, Quality, Procurement, Digital/IT and external partners

• 8–10 years of experience in Clinical Operations
• Extensive knowledge of clinical trial management and development phases
• Proven budget negotiation and management experience
• Experience managing external partnerships (CROs, vendors, third-party providers) in clinical studies
• Experience in vendor governance, performance management, service quality, delivery, and issue resolution
• Fluency in English (written and spoken), international work capability
• Strong collaboration skills and ability to build relationships with internal/external stakeholders
• Ability to influence and align cross-functional stakeholders toward shared goals
• Strong problem-solving and continuous improvement mindset
• Experience working in cross-functional and international environments with Clinical Delivery, Quality, Procurement, Digital/IT and external partners
• Knowledge of ICH-GCP and outsourced clinical trial requirements

• collaboration
• negotiation
• influence
• vendor governance and performance management
• budget negotiation and management
• CRO/vendor management