Senior Director Geography Lead

Job Description

The Senior Director Functional Area Geography Lead provides strategic direction and governance to ensure consistent data-management delivery quality and compliance. The role oversees resource optimization operational performance and organizational effectiveness driving cross-functional alignment with functional and Global Data Management & Standards leadership to enhance delivery talent development and scalability within assigned country.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Geographic Strategy:

• Provide strategic direction within assigned country; ensure consistent execution quality and compliance; develop country-specific objectives aligned with organizational priorities.

• Serve on the functional areas leadership team as assigned; represent geographic and functional perspectives in GDMS (Global Data Management & Standards) LT (Leadership Team)/enterprise forums and audits as needed.

• Lead or participate in cross-functional collaborations with non-GDMS partners and enterprise support functions to achieve geographic strategic and operational objectives.

• Communicate clear narratives to executives on risks trade-offs and decisions; champion innovation automation and risk-based data-management practices; share lessons and maintain quality oversight across geographies.

• Lead the operating model and optimization strategy for the assigned geography integrating functional area and GDMS global strategic objectives.

• Actively identify and support functional area capability development and implementation aligned with industry best practices and business needs; drive adoption of technology across relevant organizations consistent with agreed-upon principles and organizational priorities.

• Inspire teams toward shared goals for our companys Clinical Development Portfolio GCTO (Global Clinical Trial Operations) objectives and cross-functional partners.

• As assigned serve as the GDMS Site Head for the relevant country

• Partner with Country and Regional business support functions (e.g. HR Finance) to enable local business priorities.

Operational Governance Execution & Cross-Functional Alignment:

• Coordinate workforce planning resource management and operational performance.

• Serve as escalation point for country issues and oversee country-specific risk escalation and capacity-management processes; ensure local regulatory business and labor compliance.

• Ensure geography/functional inspection readiness and compliant operational controls including operational data change management and system releases.

• Evaluate and implement process/technology improvements that enhance scalability standardization and quality; support operating model adoption and change management.

• Lead complex cross-functional workstreams focus areas to be determined based on needs of the organization from idea/design to implementation and value realization.

• Actively support and participate in metrics governance and performance reviews with Portfolio & Resource Operations Specialists to ensure transparent portfolio health and operational efficiency.

• Actively manage OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and performance metrics for assigned geography in alignment with broader GDMS goals and priorities; monitor dashboards and drive accountability.

• Conduct enterprise and country scenario planning and implement resilience playbooks to ensure business continuity and protect critical work and service levels.

• Provide concise decision-ready updates and status reporting to leadership and partners.

People Management & Talent Development:

• Align teams around a clear direction; set clear objectives aligned to organizational goals; assign work and set priorities accounting for work-life balance sustainability.

• Conduct regular check-ins and annual reviews; coach for performance; provide recognition.

• Develop career plans; create growth opportunities and promotion cases; ensure appropriate training and mentoring.

• Lead recruiting and hiring and oversee performance management activities including management of sensitive employee-relations matters in partnership with HR.

• Coordinate on-shore/off-shore and contingent resources; ensure role clarity and effective handoffs.

• Manage an operating budget and optimize spend against priorities.

• Inspires and ensures that team leaders are effectively supporting and empowering their individual leaders.

Capability leadership (as assigned):

• Sit on functional area leadership team as the representative for their assigned capability

• Accountable for defining the strategic objectives and roadmap for capability development initiatives aligned to business needs and industry best practices.

• Establish and oversee capability governance with GDMS / GCTO policies and enterprise digital / data initiatives.

• Own development of critical capabilities (tools processes skills) aligned to industry best practices.

• Drive consistent global rollout via playbooks guidance and implementation support; align cross-regional ways of working with partners.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelors Degree in a Life Science Management or related field with 13 years of experience in clinical trial operations or pharmacovigilance including 5 years of people management experience or Advanced Degree (Masters or Doctorate) in a Life Science Management or related field with 10 years of experience in clinical trial operations or pharmacovigilance including 5 years of people management experience

Technical Skills

• Fluent in English language capabilities with exceptional written and verbal communication for technical and business audiences.

• Strong understanding of end-to-end data management processes and systems used for data collection application of data standards cleaning/review reporting governance and use of operational and quality metrics to monitor performance.

• Deep knowledge of ICH/GCP (International Council of Harmonization - Good Clinical Practices) guidelines and how they apply to clinical or safety data management activities.

• Understanding of regulatory requirements quality frameworks and inspection/audit processes; ability to support inspection/audit readiness.

• Proven experience implementing risk-based and digital data practices using data and automation to improve focus and quality.

• Knowledge of geographic risk escalation and capacity management processes.

• Ability to use analytical and forecasting tools (dashboards capacity models) to inform resourcing planning and operational decisions.

• Ability to define and enforce standards for integration reuse and scalability of data tools and solutions.

• Proven financial stewardship including budget ownership workforce cost modeling and development of investment/value realization frameworks.

• Knowledge of local-subsidiary operations (HR vendors facilities finance) and local compliance expectations.

• Expertise in data-product governance (definitions lineage quality controls lifecycle) to maintain a global single source of truth.

Safety Data Management-specific Technical Skills:

• Strong understanding of end-to-end safety data management across collection review governance reporting and associated operational/quality metrics.

• Deep knowledge of pharmacovigilance (PV) regulations and how they apply to safety data management.

• Demonstrated expertise in vendor strategy including SLA/SOW (Service Level Agreement/ Statement of Work) development performance scorecard design and contract risk management.

Non-technical knowledge skills and abilities

• Strategic leadership with the ability to align diverse cross-functional and virtual teams and stakeholders around shared objectives.

• Strong ability in negotiation and conflict resolution; aligning divergent priorities to enterprise outcomes and enforces clear responsibilities.

• Effective facilitation of decision-making coordinating work across teams and driving timely resolution of complex issues.

• Change leadership including executive influence and storytelling to shape decisions across senior leadership levels; ability to communicate with both the technical and business areas.

• Demonstrated ability to drive large-scale change embed innovation and lead continuous improvement initiatives while ensuring adoption of standardized risk-based and digital practices.

• Strong people leadership mentoring and development capabilities across multiple levels and geography; create a high-performance inclusive culture that attracts develops and retains talent.

• Ability to integrate business operational and people dimensions into effective decision-making; demonstrated budget and business acumen.

• Highly adaptable and resilient able to prioritize and perform effectively under pressure.

• Demonstrated disciplined prioritization focused on critical metrics and initiatives.

• Works independently with sound judgment exercising initiative while maintaining alignment with organizational priorities.

• Tailors messaging up across and down with clear actionable feedback to direct reports.

• Capability building focused on senior-level talent development and communities of practice.

Enterprise Leadership Skills

• Talent Growth Build and sustain organizational talent for the geography by establishing systems to attract develop engage and retain top performers and by fostering an environment where people can realize their full potential to meet current and future business needs.

• Strategic Planning Thinks strategically and gains alignment through collaborative stakeholder engagement and influence across development clinical operations regulatory safety and IT.

• Networking & Partnerships Proactively builds and sustains strategic internal and external relationships (crossfunctional leaders service providers alliance partners customers) to accelerate functional area and geography-specific objectives.

Required Skills:

Adaptability Adaptability Budget Management Business Continuity Change Management Clinical Data Management Clinical Study Management Clinical Study Protocols Cross-Functional Alignment Data Analysis Data Governance Data Processing Data Validation Decision Making Ethical Standards Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Labor Compliance Operating Models Operational Control Organizational Effectiveness People Leadership Recruiting Processes Strategic Thinking Talent Development Talent Management 2 more

Preferred Skills:

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Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

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Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

06/8/2026

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