---
title: 'Director, Alliance Management at Summit Therapeutics'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/director-alliance-management-summit-therapeutics-palo-alto-california-zqp5h1rc1rr1'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-11'
---

# Director, Alliance Management at Summit Therapeutics

- **Company:** Summit Therapeutics
- **Location:** Palo Alto California, United States
- **Compensation:** $203k–$253k
- **Posted:** 2026-08-06
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-11
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/summittherapeutics/jobs/4356992009

## Job description

About Summit:

Summit Therapeutics Inc. is a biopharmaceutical oncology company with a mission focused on improving quality of life, increasing potential duration of life, and resolving serious unmet medical needs. At Summit, we believe in building a team of world class professionals who are passionate about this mission, and it is our people who drive this mission to reality. Summit’s core values include integrity, passion for excellence, purposeful urgency, collaboration, and our commitment to people. Our employees are truly the heart and soul of our culture, and they are invaluable in shaping our journey toward excellence.

Summit’s team is inspired to touch and help change lives through Summit’s clinical studies in the field of oncology. Summit has multiple global Phase 3 clinical studies, including:

Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

- HARMONi: Phase 3 clinical study which was intended to evaluate ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to placebo plus chemotherapy in patients with EGFR-mutated, locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous NSCLC who were previously treated with a 3rd generation EGFR TKI.

- HARMONi-3: Phase 3 clinical study which is intended to evaluate ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy in patients with first-line metastatic NSCLC.

- HARMONi-7: Phase 3 clinical study which is intended to evaluate ivonescimab monotherapy compared to pembrolizumab monotherapy in patients with first-line metastatic NSCLC.

Colorectal Cancer (CRC)

- HARMONi-GI3: Phase 3 clinical study intended to evaluate ivonescimab in combination with chemotherapy compared with bevacizumab plus chemotherapy.

Ivonescimab is an investigational therapy not presently approved by any regulatory authority other than China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). Summit is headquartered in Miami, Florida, and has additional offices in California, New Jersey, the UK, and Ireland.

Overview of Role:

The Director, Alliance Management leads the performance and strategic evolution of assigned external partnerships. This role ensures that alliances deliver on their scientific, clinical, and commercial potential by fostering trust, transparency, and operational excellence across collaborations. Role reports to the Senior Director Alliance Strategy & Management, works closely with the VP BD & Strategic Alliances, plus Business & Strategy colleagues. This leader is a key contributor to alliance strategy, Akeso alliance management and combinations partnership planning.  This includes execution of day-to-day communications, or activities, operational coordination and integration with partners and program team, plus maintaining Summit oversight.  Routine collaboration, maintenance, tracking and executive reporting to be established and maintained as the company grows.

This role interfaces with internal & external partners, driving alignment, accelerating joint OKR achievement, resolving issues, and unlocking long-term value. The capabilities to contribute to strategy building, delivering operational plans and executing the details is essential. The ideal candidate brings proven experience in alliance management, contracting, Joint Committees, strong cross-functional leadership, and a proactive mindset to maximize the impact of external innovation.

Role and Responsibilities:

- Alliance Governance & Oversight Lead collaboration planning, activation and execution; to include start-up, joint committees, governance forums, and operational reviews to ensure strategic alignment and execution across partnered programs.
- Relationship Management Serve as point of contact for alliance partners, building trust, facilitating communication, nd resolving issues with speed and diplomacy; a face and voice of the company externally.
- Milestone & Performance Tracking Monitor progress against contractual milestones, deliverables, and KPIs; ensure timely reporting and actively solving issues.
- Strategic Integration & Value Realization Collaborate with internal teams to integrate alliance activities into broader portfolio and pipeline strategies, ensuring long-term value creation across tumors, indications and regions.
- Cross-Functional Coordination Partner with Program Team, R&D, Clinical, Regulatory, Legal, Market Planning and Commercial teams to align joint program execution, decision-making, and resource planning.
- Continuous Improvement & Best Practices Develop and implement alliance management frameworks, dynamic tools, and processes to enhance efficiency, speed to execution, transparency, and partner satisfaction.\
- Executive Reporting & Communication Prepare updates and strategic insights for the Department Head and Executive leadership on alliance progress, health, risks, and opportunities.

Experience, Education and Specialized Knowledge and Skills:

- Bachelor’s degree in relevant field required; Advanced degree preferred (MBA, Masters, etc.), dual scientific and business background is a strong plus.
- Minimum of 10+ years of experience in oncology biopharma with a primary focus on alliance management; end-to-end to end program planning is a plus.
- Prior oncology drug experience in late-stage development and/or commercial stage required; strong understanding of oncology drug development, scientific platforms, and global commercial dynamics.
- Hands-on experience leading pharma or biotech drug development clinical trial collaboration start-up & management with external partners required.
- Understanding or experience in collaboration preparation, kick-off meetings, joint clinical trial or project management to ensure successful contract implementation & relationship management.
- Proficient user of MS Office suite (e.g., PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Project), experience using electronic document management systems, document review tools and can quickly build presentations for leaders/teams.
- Prior experience with technology tools (e.g. Smartsheets, MS Project) in planning, maintenance and communication of information is highly desirable.
- Excellent communicator in public-speaking, meeting facilitation and email communication.
- Ability to excel in a fast-paced, demanding and diverse environment that includes global virtual meetings outside standard business hours.
- Ability to travel to collaboration or business meetings, to include semi-frequent travel to hub office locations in Summit territories or collaboration partner sites.
- Role is primarily office-based.
- All other duties as assigned

This is the pay for this position

Pay Transparency $203,000—$253,000 USD

Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, depth of experience, certifications, and specific work location. This may be different in other locations due to differences in the cost of labor. The total compensation package for this position may also include bonus, stock, benefits and/or other applicable variable compensation.

Summit does not accept referrals from employment businesses and/or employment agencies in respect of the vacancies posted on this site. All employment businesses/agencies are required to contact Summit’s Talent Acquisition team at recruiting@smmttx.com to obtain prior written authorization before referring any candidates to Summit.

Summit Therapeutics Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer and takes pride in creating and maintaining diverse environment. We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training or promotion or any other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

## About Summit Therapeutics

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Summit Therapeutics Inc. is a biopharmaceutical oncology company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing novel bispecific antibody therapies, with its lead candidate ivonescimab targeting PD-1 and VEGF for multiple solid tumors.
- **Entity Type**: Public (NASDAQ: SMMT)
- **Headquarters**: Miami, Florida, USA (with additional offices in Palo Alto, CA; Princeton, NJ; Oxford, UK; and Dublin, Ireland)
- **Founded**: 2003
- **Founders**: Not publicly disclosed on the company website; the company was founded in 2003.

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Biopharmaceuticals / Oncology
- **Target customers**: B2B (healthcare providers, patients, and caregivers) with a focus on resolving serious unmet medical needs in oncology
- **Mission statement**: "To resolve serious, unmet medical needs for the betterment of overall human health." [smmttx.com](https://smmttx.com/company/about-us/default.aspx)

## Products & Services
- **Ivonescimab (SMT112)**: A novel, potential first-in-class investigational bispecific antibody targeting both PD-1 and VEGF. It is designed to combine immunotherapy (PD-1 blockade) with anti-angiogenesis (VEGF blockade) into a single molecule. Currently being studied in several global Phase 3 clinical trials for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), colorectal cancer (CRC), and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Licensed from Akeso, Inc. (HKEX: 9926.HK) for territories including the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. [smmttx.com](https://smmttx.com/pipeline/default.aspx)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Approximately $2.7 billion (as of recent data) [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/summit-therapeutics)
- **Key Metric**: Annual revenue of approximately $705,000 (reported). The company is pre-commercialization and heavily investing in R&D. Total funding raised since IPO (2015) is not disclosed, but the company has a strong cash position from equity offerings.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Akeso, Inc. (key licensing partner for ivonescimab). The company is publicly traded with institutional and retail investors.
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Headcount grew 72.5% year-over-year to 244 employees. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/summit-therapeutics)
  - Multiple global Phase 3 trials actively recruiting (HARMONi, HARMONi-3, HARMONi-7, HARMONi-GI3, ILLUMINE).
  - Over 4,000 patients have been treated with ivonescimab across all clinical trials globally. [smmttx.com](https://smmttx.com/pipeline/default.aspx)
  - Achieved Great Place to Work® Certification. [smmttx.com](https://smmttx.com/careers/careers-overview/default.aspx)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Novel Mechanism**: Ivonescimab is a first-in-class bispecific antibody targeting both PD-1 and VEGF simultaneously, potentially offering superior efficacy and fewer side effects compared to combination therapies.
- **Speed and Execution**: The company emphasizes "high-speed execution in commercialization" and has rapidly initiated multiple Phase 3 trials.
- **Global Reach**: Licensed territories cover major markets (U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan, Latin America, Middle East, Africa) with a strong partner (Akeso) in the rest of the world.
- **Strong Balance Sheet**: With a $2.7B market cap and public listing, the company has access to capital markets to fund its pipeline.

## Strategic Focus
- **Current priorities**: Advancing ivonescimab through Phase 3 clinical trials across multiple solid tumor indications (NSCLC, CRC, HNSCC), with the goal of regulatory approval and commercialization.
- **Future direction**: Expanding the pipeline into additional solid tumors and leveraging the bispecific platform for future therapies. The company is focused on becoming a leading oncology player.
- **Near-term milestones**: Data readouts from ongoing Phase 3 trials, potential regulatory submissions, and building commercial infrastructure.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: The company has achieved Great Place to Work® Certification, indicating a positive, supportive, and fulfilling work environment. Core values include Commitment to People, Integrity, Passion for Excellence, Purposeful Urgency, Accountability, and Collaboration. [smmttx.com](https://smmttx.com/careers/careers-overview/default.aspx)
- **Work Environment**: Fast-paced, high-energy atmosphere focused on innovation and collaboration. The company emphasizes "making a significant difference in patients’ lives."
- **Benefits (U.S.)**: 
  - 401(k) with 6% employer match
  - Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) with 15% discount up to the annual federal limit
  - Flexible Spending Account
  - Commuter Benefit
  - Onsite lunch provided
- **Benefits (U.K.)**: 
  - Private Medical Insurance
  - Employee Assistance Program
  - Life Assurance Policy
  - Company Pension Contributions
  - ESPP
- **Remote/Hybrid Policy**: Not explicitly stated, but multiple office locations suggest a hybrid or on-site presence is expected for many roles.
- **Open Roles**: 25 active job postings (as of recent data) including Senior Director of Sales Operations, Clinical Scientists, Medical Science Liaisons, and Drug Product MSAT roles. [greenhouse.io](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/summitherrapeutics)
- **Headcount Growth**: 72.5% year-over-year growth signals a scaling organization with opportunities for career advancement.

## Sources
1. [smmttx.com - About Us](https://smmttx.com/company/about-us/default.aspx)
2. [smmttx.com - Investor Relations Overview](https://www.smmttx.com/overview/default.aspx)
3. [smmttx.com - Pipeline](https://smmttx.com/pipeline/default.aspx)
4. [smmttx.com - Careers Overview](https://smmttx.com/careers/careers-overview/default.aspx)
5. [linkedin.com - Summit Therapeutics Company Page](https://www.linkedin.com/company/summit-therapeutics)
6. [greenhouse.io - Summit Therapeutics Careers](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/summitherrapeutics)

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