Executive Director Clinical Operations, Program Management

Job Title: Executive Director Clinical Operations, Program Management

Possible Locations:

Gaithersburg, MD or Boston, MA

Cambridge, United Kingdom

Introduction to role:

Are you ready to set the strategic direction for global clinical program delivery that speeds life-changing medicines to people living with cancer?

Do you thrive on building high-performing teams, solving complex delivery challenges, and turning bold vision into measurable outcomes?

As Executive Director Clinical Operations, Program Management, you will lead a global community of program leaders across a fast-growing Oncology portfolio.

Your remit spans indications and late-stage development, ensuring programs are strategically planned, operationally robust, and delivered to time, quality, and budget.

You will drive standardization across a complex portfolio, serve as a key route for issue escalation and resolution, and strengthen how we interface with our internal and external customers—ultimately accelerating impact for patients.

You will partner closely with Global Product and Global Clinical leaders to embed rigorous governance and scenario planning, sponsor cross-functional improvement initiatives, and develop the next generation of Senior and Global Program Directors.

This role offers the platform, resources, and mandate to influence across the enterprise while staying grounded in delivery excellence.

Accountabilities:

Strategic Direction and Communication: Communicate business priorities and vision; ensure adoption of globally agreed therapeutic area and clinical development strategies across programs and teams.

Program Delivery and Operational Excellence: Ensure delivery of all operational and clinical development components of global clinical programs within scope; drive standardization and proactive mitigation to meet timelines and commitments.

People Leadership and Capability Build: Line manage Senior Global Clinical Operations Program Directors and Global Clinical Operations Program Directors; recruit, develop, and performance manage talent; build capability and a performance-driven global culture.

Resource and Portfolio Planning: Assign capable clinical operations resources to meet project demands in collaboration with capacity management; forecast and balance resourcing across a dynamic portfolio.

Governance and Decision-Making: Be a core member of protocol and development review committees; ensure robust strategic and operational planning through governance; contribute to indication-level decisions.

External Partner and Customer Interface: Lead and evolve the global customer interface and support model for the therapeutic area; strengthen partnerships with internal stakeholders and external providers to optimize delivery.

Issue Escalation and Risk Management: Act as a key point of escalation for issues impacting across programs; anticipate risks and lead cross-functional mitigation and resolution.

Cross-Functional Leadership and Change: Serve as an extended member of the late-stage leadership team; sponsor non-drug strategy and organizational infrastructure initiatives; catalyze cross-functional improvements and drive organizational change.

Financial Stewardship: Deliver agreed departmental activities within budget, including management of FTEs; contribute to delivery model options that balance customer needs and efficiency.

Essential Skills/Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
• At least 10 years of experience with late stage Oncology Drug Development ideally including time in role as a Senior Global Clinical Program Director (GCPD) or equivalent in a previous organizations.
• Line management expertise; experience of performance management of Associate Director level staff (experience of managing Director level staff desirable but not essential)
• Demonstrated development of others, identifying and providing opportunities to improve the capabilities of other people
• Functional experience in contributing meaningfully to Clinical Operations functional improvement initiatives that cross clinical programs
• Management experience, managing resourcing, budget planning and functional level activities
• Established and well-connected network with other TA Leaders, Development Operations Leadership and Early Development Oncology
• Professional excellence: Background of high professional achievement and willingness to encourage this in others
• Manages change with a positive approach; sees change as an opportunity to improve performance and add value to the business
• Influencing and stakeholder management
• Supplier/Partnership Management
• Excellent communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to set and manage priorities, resources, performance targets and project initiatives in a global environment
• Creative and Innovative: Seeks to improve continuously where it counts, based on good awareness of external competitive practice, and creativity and initiative

…