Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships (CME/CE)

Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships (CME/CE)

EPM Scientific is partnering with an established, privately held healthcare education organization is seeking a senior business development leader to grow its portfolio of independently funded CME and CE initiatives.

This is a relationship-driven, strategic sales role for someone who understands how pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies evaluate educational priorities and award independent medical education grants. The successful candidate will bring an established supporter network, a strong record of expanding CME funding, and the ability to translate unmet clinical needs into differentiated educational strategies.

The organization combines the stability of a long-standing healthcare business with the flexibility to explore new learning formats, digital tools, data-driven insights, and technology-enabled education. The position is supported by experienced medical affairs, instructional design, outcomes, analytics, grant administration, and program delivery teams, allowing the business development leader to remain focused on relationships, strategy, and growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and expand relationships with medical affairs, independent medical education, grant management, and other relevant teams across pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies.
• Identify, qualify, and advance opportunities for independently funded CME and CE programs.
• Develop a detailed understanding of supporter priorities, therapeutic-area strategies, funding cycles, and educational interests.
• Translate clinical gaps and supporter needs into compelling, compliant educational strategies.
• Partner with internal medical affairs, educational strategy, instructional design, analytics, and grant administration teams to develop competitive proposals.
• Provide strategic oversight throughout proposal development while ensuring quality, differentiation, compliance, and alignment with educational priorities.
• Present new program concepts, capabilities, and outcomes data to current and prospective supporters.
• Maintain supporter communication following grant awards and strengthen relationships through effective reporting and outcomes presentations.
• Identify opportunities for new educational formats, digital learning models, AI-enabled solutions, and cross-functional partnerships.
• Develop productive relationships with clinical experts, KOLs, associations, and strategic partners.
• Represent the organization at industry conferences, association meetings, and supporter meetings.
• Manage opportunities, forecasts, relationship activity, and business plans through CRM and internal reporting systems.
• Collaborate across internal teams and external partners to move complex opportunities forward.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of business development, supporter engagement, or educational strategy experience within independent CME, CE, or medical education.
• Demonstrated success securing and expanding grant-funded educational business.
• Proven track record of generating $3M+ in annual CME/CE funding or comparable revenue.
• Established relationships with medical affairs, independent medical education, and grant-management stakeholders within life sciences companies.
• Strong understanding of ACCME requirements, independent medical education practices, and appropriate boundaries associated with commercial support.
• Ability to develop and communicate educational strategies rather than relying solely on transactional sales relationships.
• Strong presentation, negotiation, discovery, and relationship-management capabilities.
• Comfort operating across multiple therapeutic areas and identifying areas of emerging funding potential.
• Experience in one or more of the following areas would be especially valuable: oncology, hematology, rare disease, cardiometabolic disease, and/or neurology.
• Ability to interpret clinical data, educational gaps, and outcomes results sufficiently to lead strategic supporter conversations.
• Experience managing cross-functional teams through complex proposals and funded initiatives.
• Advanced degree and/or CCMEP certification is advantageous but not required.
• Ability to travel approximately 25%-30%.