Executive Director, Clinical Business Operations

General Description:

• As a global operational strategy and governance leader, drive operational excellence, financial stewardship, compliance, scalability, and digital transformation initiatives across Clinical Business Operations team.

• Oversee investigator budgets, site contracts, site payments, and budget data hub team to ensure precise budget forecasting, efficient site contract execution, timely and accurate site payments and budget data entry in databases.

• Responsible for CBO workforce planning, talent acquisition, succession planning, capability development, performance management, and fostering a high-performing, agile, and continuously improving team.

Essential Functions of the Job:

• Ensure alignment of regional execution strategies with global governance frameworks, including clear accountability models, decision-making processes, and issue escalation mechanisms across cross-functional and cross-country stakeholders.

• Establish and lead recurring governance cadences, including quarterly business reviews, escalation forums, and executive reporting to ensure risks, trends, and operational performance are proactively managed and communicated.

• Own and monitor key operational and financial performance indicators (KPIs) across investigator budgeting, site contracting, payments, and budget data governance functions, including but not limited to:

• Site contract cycle time and execution timeliness

• Budget forecast accuracy and forecast vs. actual variance

• Site payment timeliness and reconciliation accuracy

• Provide strategic oversight of investigator fee budget planning activities to support accurate financial forecasting.

• Direct the development, review, negotiation, and timely execution of site budgets and clinical trial agreements in alignment within Fair Market value principles, study requirements, company standards, and study start-up timelines to support efficient operational delivery.

• Supervise the end-to-end site payment process and payment reconciliation process to ensure financial obligations are processed accurately and in accordance with contractual terms and payment schedules.

• Oversee the collection, validation, and maintenance of budget-related information within designated databases and systems to support data integrity and accuracy.

• Ensure all budget, contract, payment, and supporting operational documentation remains audit ready and compliant with applicable regulatory, financial, and internal governance standards.

• Maintain oversight of Sunshine reporting obligations and global transparency requirements, ensuring appropriate processes, controls and stakeholder alignment are consistently implemented across regions.

• Provide strategic oversight of outsourced vendors and external business partners, including performance monitoring, service quality oversight, issue escalation, and governance.

• Establish strong partnerships with Corporate Finance to drive financial governance, including oversight of accruals, forecast versus actual, and reconciliation processes.

• Oversee operational finances and team resources to ensure activities remain within approved budgets and resource allocations.

• Provide leadership, guidance, and performance management to team members, fostering accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

• Support implementation of automation tools and digital solutions to improve overall productivity.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Yes

Computer Skills:

• MicrosoftOfficeapps,PowerBI,orequivalent,CTMS,ContractLifecycle Management System,Veeva,Sharepoint etc.

Education Required:

• Bachelor’sdegree or above, inLifeSciences, Medical Science/ Medical, Finance, Health Economics, or relatedfields.

• 14+ yearsof experience in Clinical operations, orstudy start-up, clinical site budgets,clinicalsitecontracts,within a pharmaceutical sponsor or CRO environment.

• 20+ years of experience preferred.

Other Qualifications:

• Strongplanningandorganizationalskillsandtheabilitytoeffectively leading teaminadynamicenvironment withcompeting priorities.

• Strongexecutivecommunicationskillswithabilitytopresentdata-driven insights to Senior leadership.

• Solution-driven and results-focused, with a willingness to dive deep and take a hands-on approach to work.

• Demonstratedabilitytoanalyzecomplexfinancialdataandtranslate insightsintoactionableguidance.

• Experienceworkingcross-functionallywithClinicalOperations,Finance, Payments, and Legal stakeholders.

• AdvancedproficiencyinExcelanddataanalyticstools;experiencewith budgetsystemsandcontractlifecyclemanagementplatformspreferred.

• GoodknowledgeofICH-GCP,pharmaceuticalrelatedregulationsandlaws.

Travel:

• Yes,10%

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.