Best suited to seasoned HR leaders with biotech/pharma commercial experience working in Cambridge, MA, who can navigate rapid growth and cross-functional collaboration.
Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.
Original posting from Relay Therapeutics via Greenhouse
Relay Tx is a clinical-stage biotech preparing for its transition to a commercial company, and we are looking for a Senior Director, HR Business Partner – Commercial to serve as the senior strategic people partner to our Head of Commercial and Commercial leadership team. This is an opportunity to architect and build Relay’s Commercial organization from the ground up — the structures, talent, and leadership capability needed for a successful first launch — while helping Relay stay true to its culture as it grows. Most importantly, you’ll make an impact by helping to bring life-changing medicines to patients who need them the most!
Reporting to the Chief Administrative Officer as a member of the People leadership team, this role leads people partnership across the Commercial organization, including Sales, Marketing, Market Access, Commercial Operations, and related launch functions.
This role is ideal for a seasoned HR leader who has built or scaled a commercial organization in biotech or pharma, brings deep credibility with commercial executives, and is energized by moving fluidly between enterprise strategy, executive advisory, and hands-on execution during a period of rapid growth.
In this role, you will:
Executive Partnership to Commercial Leadership
Serve as the primary people partner and trusted advisor to the Head of Commercial on organizational strategy, leadership effectiveness, talent, and culture
Translate commercial strategy and launch plans into an integrated people strategy covering organization design, workforce planning, talent acquisition priorities, capability building, and leadership development
Coach senior commercial leaders — many of whom will be new to Relay — on leading through rapid growth, building high-performing teams, and integrating into Relay’s culture and ways of working
Advise on complex and sensitive leadership matters, employee relations, and executive-level decisions with sound judgment, discretion, and a strong understanding of risk
Partner with People leadership to align the Commercial people strategy with enterprise priorities and with partner functions such as Clinical Development and Medical Affairs
Commercial Organization Build & Launch Readiness
Lead the people workstream of Relay’s commercial build, including organization design, phased hiring plans, sequencing of leadership hires, and field force sizing and deployment in partnership with Commercial Operations and Finance
Partner with Talent Acquisition to execute high-volume, time-sensitive hiring waves — senior commercial leaders, field sales and key account teams, and market access roles — with a high bar for quality and fit
Partner with Total Rewards to design market-competitive compensation structures, sales incentive compensation plans, and job architecture for commercial and field-based roles
Design onboarding and integration experiences for commercial hires and new leaders, including field-based and remote employees, that build connection to Relay’s science, mission, and culture
Partner with Legal, Compliance, and People Operations to establish the policies, training, and infrastructure needed to support a multi-state, field-based workforce
Organizational Effectiveness & Talent Strategy
Build commercial leadership capability through talent reviews, succession planning, and development planning for critical roles
Establish clear manager expectations and performance practices suited to a commercial environment, including goal setting tied to launch milestones and field performance
Use people analytics, engagement data, and organizational insights to monitor the health of a fast-growing organization and recommend timely actions
Anticipate capability needs across the commercial lifecycle — from pre-launch through launch and growth — and shape workforce plans accordingly
Enterprise People Strategy & Leadership
Contribute to Relay’s enterprise people strategy and operating model as a member of the People leadership team as the company transitions to commercialization
Shape scalable people programs — performance management, talent reviews and succession, engagement and pulse surveys, and leadership development — that work for research, development, and commercial teams alike
Partner with colleagues on the People, Finance, IT, and Operations teams as part of a seamless business partner model that supports senior stakeholders
Bring an external perspective on commercial HR best practices and help build People team capability as the company scales
Change Management & Culture
Lead change strategies that help the broader organization understand and embrace Relay’s evolution into a commercial company
Bridge cultures between long-tenured scientific and development teams and newly hired commercial talent, fostering collaboration across functions
Serve as a culture ambassador, reinforcing Relay’s values and building an inclusive, high-performing environment as the company grows
Critical Competencies
Business-Focused
Speaks the language of the commercial business — launch planning, field performance, market access — and responds as needs change and the organization scales rapidly
Aligns the people strategy with broader business and launch priorities
Strategic Thinker
Sees the possibilities and thinks “yes, if,” rather than “no, because”
Big-picture thinker who anticipates future trends and consequences and builds people plans ahead of the business
Challenges the status quo and constantly strives for improvement
Gets it Done
Take-charge leader who is resourceful, driven, and motivated to achieve
Comfortable in a fast-paced, dynamic, rapidly growing biotech environment
A “builder” excited by the journey of standing up and nurturing newly formed teams
Demonstrates a sense of urgency to overcome obstacles and achieve measurable results
Connector of People
Communicates clearly, listens, and delivers messages in a “plain language” way
Builds rapport quickly and establishes trust, respect, and confidence with executives and frontline employees alike
Superior written, verbal, and presentation skills
Politically astute, humble, mature, and flexible, with a high level of collaboration and influencing skill
Qualifications & Experience
15+ years of progressive Human Resources experience, including significant senior HR Business Partner experience supporting commercial organizations
Direct experience supporting a biotech or pharmaceutical commercial organization through a product launch; experience building a commercial function from the ground up strongly preferred
Proven track record as a strategic advisor to C-suite and senior commercial leaders, with the ability to influence organizational decisions
Deep expertise in organization design, workforce planning, and large-scale hiring for commercial and field-based teams
Working knowledge of sales incentive compensation, commercial job architecture, and the people practices of field-based, multi-state workforces
Strong expertise in leadership coaching, talent management, performance management, employee relations, and change management
Exceptional executive presence and business acumen, with the ability to connect people strategies to commercial outcomes
Ability to balance enterprise-level strategic thinking with hands-on execution in a fast-paced, evolving environment
Estimated Salary Range: [$193,000 - $275,000].
The range provided above is based on what we believe to be a reasonable estimate for this job at the time of posting. Actual base salary will depend on a number of factors, including but not limited to, a candidate’s education, experience, skills and location.
#JO1
About Relay Therapeutics
Relay Therapeutics is a clinical-stage precision medicines company transforming the drug discovery process with the goal of bringing life-changing therapies to patients. Built on unparalleled insights into protein motion and how this dynamic behavior relates to protein function, we aim to effectively drug protein targets that have previously been intractable, with an initial focus on enhancing small molecule therapeutic discovery in targeted oncology. Our Dynamo platform integrates an array of leading-edge experimental and computational approaches to provide a differentiated understanding of protein structure and motion to drug these targets. We have built a world-class team of leading experts from each of these disciplines, and they are driven by a deep collaboration at every step of our drug discovery process.
Our team is equal parts fearless and relentless, with a shared passion for working collaboratively in intellectually stimulating environments. If you’re excited by the challenge of putting protein motion at the heart of drug discovery and passionate about making a difference in the lives of patients, join us!