Senior Director, Business Planning & Operations, SMM

Job Title: Senior Director, Business Planning & Operations, SMM

Location: Boston, US. However, we are also open to considering candidates who would prefer to be based at our sites in Gaithersburg or Durham. We welcome applications from individuals interested in any of these locations.

Introduction to role: Are you ready to translate strategy into decisions, plans and delivery for the global engine of clinical study execution?

As Senior Director, Business Planning & Operations (BPO) for Site Management & Monitoring (SMM), you will help shape how one of the largest functions within BioPharmaceuticals Clinical Operations (BPCO) operates, performs and evolves—supporting the delivery of BioPharma studies at country and site level across a global network.

Reporting to the Executive Director, Portfolio & Enabling Functions (P&EF), you will act as Chief of Staff to the Vice President and Global Head of SMM, as well as the business planning lead for the SMM function. SMM comprises more than 2,300 full-time employees, including Functional Service Provider (FSP) colleagues, and plays a critical role in delivering clinical studies across a diverse, geographically dispersed organisation.

As the SMM Head’s principal adviser and integrator, you will run the operating rhythm of the SMM leadership team, ensuring that strategic priorities are translated into clear plans, informed decisions and effective delivery. You will provide the insight, structure and challenge needed to help steer the function through significant organisational change while maintaining focus on performance, productivity and patient impact.

You will be accountable for the annual business plan and medium-term plan for SMM, including strategic objectives, performance scorecards, budget proposals and capacity planning. You will work closely with the SMM Business Strategy & Portfolio and Finance & Capacity Management teams, which will retain ownership of their respective processes and areas of expertise.

As a senior member of the P&EF leadership team and the wider BPCO Business Planning & Operations community, you will connect SMM with broader BPCO planning, standards and decision-making. You may also lead strategic, cross-functional initiatives across BPCO and Research & Development, helping to align priorities, resources and delivery across the organisation.

This is an individual contributor role requiring influence and leadership through a broad matrix. Success will depend on your ability to build trusted relationships, bring clarity to complexity, connect strategy with execution and enable senior leaders to make effective, evidence-based decisions.

How will you use your judgment, influence and analytical rigor to unlock performance for patients and our business?

Key Accountabilities:

Chief of Staff to the VP & Global Head, SMM:

• Chief of Staff and Leadership Operating Rhythm: Serve as trusted adviser and thought partner to the SMM Head.
• Design and run the SMM leadership team cadence—agendas, pre-reads, decision logs, action tracking and offsites—so meetings end in clear decisions with named owners.
• Triage demands on the Head’s time, prepare decision-ready content for enterprise reviews, represent the Head as delegated, and handle sensitive organizational matters with discretion.

SMM business planning and strategy:

• Strategic Planning and Scorecard: Lead the annual business plan and medium-term plan for SMM.
• Translate Clinical Operations 2030 strategy into SMM goals, a balanced scorecard and actionable annual objectives that align teams on outcomes.
• Budget, Capacity and Productivity: Coordinate SMM budget and capacity proposals with Finance & Capacity Management and R&D Finance.
• Link resourcing to portfolio demand, productivity assumptions and strategic priorities.
• Set and track productivity targets (e.g., active patients and sites per CRA, site performance mix) and ensure benefits are reflected in capacity plans.
• Workforce, Sourcing and Location Strategy: Support strategic workforce, sourcing and location planning, optimizing the balance of internal, FSP and other outsourced resources in line with location strategy.

SMM Business operations and performance:

• Monitor and report progress against the SMM scorecard and objectives. Turn complex performance data into clear insights and recommendations. Own risk reporting and mitigation tracking.
• Coordinate timely, consistent responses to enterprise requests and streamline governance, business reviews and reporting in line with BPCO practices.
• Transformation and Change: Support and monitor transformation initiatives within SMM and across BPCO.
• Ensure SMM is properly represented in defining the transformation agenda and roadmap.
• Lead organisational change and communications for major initiatives, shaping messages and channels so colleagues across regions understand priorities and what they mean for them.

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