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Science Strategy Leader

Tempus AI · Chicago, IL · Full time

Posted Sep 14, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a strategic partnership with a pharma or biotech company you led. What made it grow?

What they are checking: Proof of senior-level partnership leadership that delivered value and expanded over time.

Tell me about a time you turned a single project into a broader, repeatable offering.

What they are checking: Whether they think about scale across the portfolio, not just one deal.

Tell me about a time science and commercial goals pulled in different directions. What did you do?

What they are checking: Integrity and judgment in balancing scientific quality with business pressure.

What would you do

A key pharma partner is unhappy with the pace of a collaboration. How do you handle the executive conversation?

What they are checking: Executive presence and the ability to reset expectations honestly while keeping trust.

You will work with Account VPs, Key Account Directors, Translational Research and RWD teams. How do you align them on one account strategy?

What they are checking: Ability to lead without direct authority across many internal groups.

Walk me through how you would explain the value of an AI-driven insight to a skeptical pharma R&D leader.

What they are checking: Ability to speak credibly to scientists and translate data into evidence they trust.

About the work

How would you use real-world clinico-genomic data to help a pharma partner with clinical development decisions?

What they are checking: Whether they can connect data assets to concrete drug development problems.

How do you decide which scientific opportunities are worth pursuing across a portfolio of partners?

What they are checking: Strategic judgment that weighs scientific merit, partner value and scale.

What trends in oncology drug development do you think matter most for a company like ours over the next few years?

What they are checking: Depth of industry knowledge across research, clinical development and commercial stages.

How do you measure whether a scientific collaboration delivered differentiated value?

What they are checking: Whether they define success in terms the partner and the business both care about.

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The full job description

As published by Tempus AI.

Passionate about precision medicine and advancing the healthcare industry? Recent advancements in underlying technology have finally made it possible for AI to impact clinical care in a meaningful way. Tempus' proprietary platform connects an entire ecosystem of real-world evidence to deliver real-time, actionable insights to physicians, providing critical information about the right treatments for the right patients, at the right time. We are seeking a visionary Science Strategy Leader to spearhead scientific strategy and executive engagement with our key Pharma and Biotech partners. This senior role bridges cutting-edge science, portfolio strategy, and cross-functional execution—ensuring that our collaborations continuously deliver differentiated value, drive innovation in clinical development, and scale across our portfolio. Reporting to the Head of Life Science, Tim Hagerty, the Strategic Strategy Leader will partner closely with Pharma and Biotech companies and with internal stakeholders Account Vice Presidents, Key Account Directors (KADs), Translational Research, Pharma R&D, Real-World Data (RWD) teams, and Scientists on Site (SOS) to align strategic objectives, scientific insights, and operational execution across accounts. This is a Sr. Director role for an accomplished industry leader with deep expertise across the research, clinical development, and commercial spectrum, coupled with experience in leveraging multimodal data to transform drug development. What You’ll Do: Strategic Leadership & Partner Engagement: • Serve as the executive scientific lead for strategic Pharma/Biotech partnerships, shaping account-level and portfolio-wide strategies in alignment with corporate priorities. • Lead Joint Steering Committees (JSCs), ensuring data-driven decision-making and alignment between partner needs and our capabilities. • Champion the integration of novel scientific insights—including real-world, clinical, genomic, and multimodal data—into ongoing collaborations to accelerate innovation. • Lead development and positioning of emerging offerings (e.g., LOOP) Cross-Functional Alignment: • Create structured pathways for knowledge sharing between Account VPs, KADs, Translational Research, Pharma R&D, RWD, and SOS teams to ensure strategic continuity from pre- to post-contract. • Guide teams in identifying strategic opportunities, anticipating partner needs, and translating scientific advances into new collaborations with our partner biotechs/pharma companies. • Strengthen and scale programs like ‘Sparks’, enabling KADs/SSLs to communicate high-impact scientific narratives tailored to partner priorities. Innovation in Clinical Development: • Partner with R&D leaders to ensure that insights from translational science inform ongoing and future clinical programs. • Promote best practices in leveraging real-world and multimodal evidence to enhance development timelines and success rates. • Develop and champion new data-driven use cases for multimodal data integration into trial design, patient stratification, and regulatory engagement. Scientific Growth & Value Creation: • Identify expansion opportunities within accounts by linking emerging science to unmet partner needs. • Ensure strategic alignment across multiple accounts to leverage cross-account insights for scalable growth. • Drive measurable improvement in partner satisfaction, time to value realization, and account renewal/expansion rates. Qualifications: • 10+ years in pharma/biotech with demonstrated experience in research, clinical development, and commercial strategy. • Proven cross-functional leadership in a matrix environment, ideally with global and multi-asset portfolio oversight. • Demonstrated expertise in data-driven clinical innovation, including familiarity with core scientific modalities (e.g., genomics, proteomics, digital pathology, imaging) and their integration into multimodal strategies. • Track record of success in executive partner engagement, including governance structures (e.g., JSCs) and joint portfolio planning. • Ability to translate complex scientific and data insights into actionable strategies for diverse stakeholders, including C-suite and external partners. • Exceptional communication, negotiation, and influencing skills, with experience managing high-value, high-impact relationships. • Advanced degree (PhD, MD, PharmD, or equivalent) required; MBA or business leadership training a plus. Key Success Metrics: • Speed to value realization post-contract signing. • Account expansion and renewals attributable to strategic oversight. • Cross-account adoption of shared scientific insights and use cases. • Partner satisfaction and engagement scores. • Tangible impact on partner clinical development innovation. Why Join Us: At Tempus AI, we believe the future of drug development lies at the intersection of science, data, and strategic partnership. In this role, you will shape how breakthrough science translates into patient impact—working alongside some of the brightest minds in precision medicine, data science, and biopharma. $178,000 - $264,000 The expected salary range may vary for other locations. Actual salary may vary based on qualifications and experience. Tempus offers a full range of benefits, which may include incentive compensation, restricted stock units, medical and other benefits depending on the position. We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

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