National Senior Director, Partner Relations

Description
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is seeking an experienced, strategic, and mission-driven development professional to serve as National Senior Director, Partner Relations. This senior leadership role is responsible for portfolio-level revenue oversight, operational excellence, and scalable growth across ADA’s multi-million-dollar corporate partnership portfolio, with a focus on science-, pharmaceutical-, medical device-, diagnostics-, and diabetes technology-based collaborations across diabetes, prediabetes, obesity, and cardiometabolic health impact areas in the U.S. and globally. The role requires the ability to understand and translate scientific advances including emerging developments in type 1 diabetes (T1D), diabetes technology, therapeutic innovation, and related areas of diabetes science into compelling, funder-facing opportunities for corporate partners.

This role provides strategic and operational leadership across senior revenue-owning roles, including National Director(s) and Director-level Partner Relations staff, ensuring consistency, performance, and sustainability as the portfolio continues to scale beyond $50M+ annually. Working in close partnership with the Senior Vice President of Partner Relations, the Senior Director serves as the architect and steward of the Partner Relations operating model with significant focus on growing revenue, driving disciplined portfolio management, strengthening internal systems and processes, and enabling high-performing account leadership across pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostics, and healthcare partners.

While the National Senior Director owns and executes individual high-value partner relationships, they ensure the portfolio functions as an integrated, high-performing engine, balancing growth, risk, renewal strength, and internal readiness to support ADA’s national and global priorities across diabetes, obesity, and cardiometabolic health.

Responsibilities

Portfolio Leadership & Revenue Governance

Provide senior oversight across multiple Partner Relations high level portfolios, including those led by National Director(s), ensuring alignment with organizational strategy, revenue targets, and partner priorities.
Cultivate and expand long-term, high-value relationships with leading pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device partners, generating new and expanded seven-figure opportunities.
Lead independently and alongside Vice President of Partner Relations to develop and negotiate new multi-year, seven-figure agreements aligned with ADA’s mission, programs, and business priorities.
Maintain accountability for portfolio-level revenue performance across various type of agreements ($50M+ annually), including forecasting, diversification, renewal strength, and risk mitigation.
Review, guide, and challenge account strategies, deal structures, renewal pathways, and multi-year growth plans for high-value partnerships prior to executive approval.
Ensure consistency in partner value propositions, pricing logic, engagement models, and stewardship standards across portfolios.

Revenue Growth Enablement

Work closely with Subject Matter Experts and Portfolio Leaders across various internal Departments to develop new concepts and develop strategic approaches for new asks.
Write, shape, and develop scientifically grounded proposals and partnership concepts for corporate partners, translating scientific priorities, emerging evidence, and ADA programmatic strengths into compelling funder-facing opportunities.
Enable and support senior leaders in identifying, structuring, and closing complex, multi-year, seven-figure partnerships.
Partner with the Vice President of Partner Relations on strategic negotiations, escalations, and enterprise-level partner relationships as needed.
Drive disciplined portfolio planning to balance near-term revenue delivery with long-term partnership sustainability and growth.
Support expansion into new funding models, therapeutic areas, and partnership structures aligned with ADA’s strategic pillars.

Operating Model & Process Ownership

Own and continuously improve the Partner Relations operating model, including proposal intake, prioritization, internal review, approval pathways, contracting readiness, and execution handoffs.
Develop and implement scalable systems, tools, templates, and playbooks to improve proposal quality, speed-to-contract, and internal coordination.
Identify operational bottlenecks, capacity constraints, and execution risks; proactively design and implement solutions.
Ensure readiness for growth as proposal volume, partner complexity, and revenue targets increase.

Leadership, Management & Talent Development

Provide direct oversight, coaching, and strategic guidance to National Director-level Partner Relations staff.
Serve as a primary escalation point for complex portfolio decisions, cross-functional dependencies, and resourcing challenges.
Mentor senior team members on strategic account planning, executive engagement, negotiation readiness, and portfolio thinking.
Oversee content development and presentation when communicating with partners to ensure content and reporting remains aligned to partnership goals and vision.
Partner with the Vice President of Partner Relations to assess staffing models, role design, and future capacity needs to support growth.

Cross-Functional Integration & Execution Excellence

Ensure strong coordination across Science & Health Care, Advocacy, Quality and Access, Marketing, Legal/Finance, PMO, and Operations to deliver high-quality, funder-aligned programs.
Champion internal clarity on roles, responsibilities, timelines, and decision rights across the partnership lifecycle.
Support consistent, high-quality stewardship, reporting, and partner engagement across portfolios.
Represent ADA with credibility and professionalism in senior-level internal and external settings as appropriate.

Market Intelligence & Strategic Positioning

Maintain a portfolio-level view of the pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device, and healthcare landscape, including market trends, therapeutic pipelines, and competitive dynamics.
Maintain strong knowledge of scientific developments and advances in diabetes science, including emerging research, therapeutic innovation, diabetes technology, and areas of rapid progress in type 1 diabetes.
Translate market intelligence into portfolio strategy, growth priorities, and partnership innovation opportunities.
Support ADA’s positioning as a premier convener, thought leader, and partner of choice for industry leaders committed to diabetes, obesity, and health equity.

Qualifications

Required

Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (MBA, MPH, MHA, MS, PhD) experience strongly preferred.
Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in corporate partnerships, strategic account management, business development, or revenue leadership within healthcare, life sciences, or healthcare nonprofit sectors.
Demonstrated ability to write and develop scientific proposals, concept papers, or funder-facing materials for corporate partners in healthcare, life sciences, diabetes, obesity, or related therapeutic areas.
Demonstrated success overseeing large, complex partnership portfolios with aggregate revenue of $50M+ annually with strategic with seven-figure proposals development.
Proven ability to design and scale operating models, processes, and systems that support revenue growth.
Strong strategic, financial, and operational acumen with experience guiding senior revenue leaders.
Strong Excel skills, including the ability to manage budgets, forecasts, pipeline tracking, dashboards, and revenue reporting with accuracy and attention to detail.

Strongly Preferred

Deep familiarity with diabetes, obesity, cardiometabolic care, or adjacent therapeutic areas.
Knowledge of diabetes technology, digital health, continuous glucose monitoring, insulin delivery systems, or related innovations; direct experience in this area is preferred.
Knowledge of advances in diabetes science, particularly in the type 1 diabetes space, is preferred.
Experience working with pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostics, or digital health partners.
Experience and understanding of compliance and legal requirements in the industry.
Track record of managing and mentoring senior-level partnership or business development leaders.
Experience with multi-year agreements, complex negotiations, and enterprise-level partnerships.
Exposure to clinical research, quality improvement, population health, or health access initiatives.

Other Requirements

Commitment to ADA’s mission to improve the lives of people with diabetes and obesity and to advance innovation and equity in care.
Ability to travel as needed (estimated 20%) to cultivate partner relationships and lead revenue goals.