Senior Pharma Operations Associate

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. The Senior Pharma Operations Associate plays a key role in planning and executing complex pharma partner projects, with a particular focus on scientifically rigorous implementation of Tempus' data and diagnostic solutions. This role requires advanced training in a quantitative or life science discipline (M.Sc or PhD) and comfort interfacing with both scientific and operational stakeholders. This position is primarily responsible for customer interaction and success: you will serve as a day‑to‑day operational point of contact for pharma partners, ensure their needs are understood and translated into executable plans, and drive high‑quality, on‑time delivery that supports long‑term partner satisfaction and expansion.

Responsibilities:

Serve as the primary operational contact for assigned pharma partners, driving a responsive, solutions‑oriented, and professional experience. Develop a strong understanding of each partner's strategic objectives and success metrics, and ensure Tempus' work is aligned to those goals. Own recurring partner touchpoints (e.g., status meetings, check‑ins, milestone reviews), including agenda setting, facilitation, and follow‑up. Proactively communicate project status, risks, and mitigations to partners, and manage expectations around scope, timelines, and deliverables. Collect, synthesize, and relay partner feedback internally; track and close the loop on issues to maintain a high level of trust and satisfaction. Collaborate with Account Management / BD to identify and support opportunities for renewal, expansion, and new workstreams based on partner needs. Perform structured checks on scientific/technical deliverables (e.g., cohort definitions, variable lists, QC summaries, data dictionaries) to ensure they meet partner requirements and are ready for external delivery. Prepare partner‑facing materials such as status reports, slide decks, and delivery summaries that clearly communicate results and next steps. Maintain, and interpret analytical dashboards (e.g., Looker, Tableau, Power BI, or similar) to track project performance, timelines, and operational KPIs relevant to customer success. Use dashboard insights and metrics to drive conversations with partners and internal teams about performance, risks, and opportunities for improvement. Assist in designing and operationalizing pilots or new solution types for pharma partners, including structured feedback capture and iteration. Contribute to continuous improvement of Pharma Ops processes, templates, and best practices with a focus on customer experience, scalability, and scientific rigor. Ensure adherence to regulatory, privacy, and quality standards, working closely with Legal, Compliance, and Quality.

Qualifications:

Required:

Bachelor's degree, M.Sc or PhD in a relevant field (e.g., Biomedical Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Bioinformatics, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Public Health, Pharmacy, or related quantitative/life science discipline). 1-5+ years of relevant experience (may include PhD/postdoc work or industry experience) in pharma/biotech, clinical research, RWE/HEOR, diagnostics, healthcare technology, or other health‑data‑driven environments. Demonstrated ability to interpret scientific/clinical documentation (protocols, SAPs, SOWs, publications) and translate it into structured requirements. Experience in a client‑facing or stakeholder‑facing role with a strong focus on relationship management and customer success. Strong organizational and project coordination skills; able to manage multiple partner workstreams and deadlines simultaneously. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical/scientific topics to non‑technical stakeholders and represent Tempus with external partners. Experience with AI and Generative AI concepts and their application to healthcare, life sciences, or data workflows (e.g., using AI/GenAI to streamline data review, documentation, or analytics). Familiarity with oncology, genomics, and/or precision medicine. Comfort working with structured datasets, spreadsheets, and basic analytics or visualization tools. Ability to generate, maintain, and interpret analytical dashboards (e.g., Looker, Tableau, Power BI, or similar) to monitor and communicate project and customer‑success metrics. Understanding of data privacy and regulatory considerations relevant to clinical and real‑world data (RWD) datasets.

Preferred:

Experience supporting or coordinating pharma‑sponsored studies, RWE projects, HEOR analyses, or companion diagnostics programs. Experience working cross‑functionally with technical teams (e.g., data engineering, data science, bioinformatics, software engineering). Exposure to project management methodologies and tools (Asana, Jira, Smartsheet, or similar).

Key Competencies:

Customer Focus & Success:

Centers decisions and communication on partner outcomes, satisfaction, and long‑term relationship health.

Scientific & Operational Translation:

Bridges scientific/clinical requirements and executable operational plans for both internal teams and partners.

Detail Orientation & Rigor:

Ensures accuracy and completeness in documentation, dashboards, and deliverables. Cross‑functional

Collaboration:

Works effectively with scientific, technical, and commercial stakeholders.

Structured Execution & Problem Solving:

Uses tools, metrics, and process discipline to drive predictable delivery and resolve issues quickly.

Illinois Pay Range:

$90,000-$118,000 The expected salary range above is applicable if the role is performed from Illinois and may vary for other locations (California, Colorado, New York). 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. Tempus was founded in August of 2015 by Eric Lefkofsky, after his wife was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Shortly after he founded the company in an effort to bring the power of technology and artificial intelligence to cancer care, he convinced Ryan Fukushima to join as the company's first employee. Ryan and Eric began assembling a world class team, focused on building the first version of a platform capable of ingesting real time healthcare data in an effort to personalize diagnostics. We built the platform for oncology and have expanded it to neuropsychiatry, cardiology, infectious disease (through COVID), and radiology. Despite our rapid growth, our mission remains the same—to help make sure patients are on the right drug at the right time, so they can live longer and healthier lives. We're looking for people who can change the world. Who question the status quo and don't shy away from tough problems. For the builders who are never done building and the learners who are never done learning. We're looking for passionate people with undying curiosity. Those who want to attack one of the most challenging problems mankind has ever faced. Head on.