Associate Director, Country & Site Operations (CSO)

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for an Associate Director, Country & Site Operations (CSO) based in the United States.

This leadership role is responsible for the people, capability, and operational effectiveness of teams supporting clinical trials across multiple phases and therapeutic areas.
You will provide direct management and development for Clinical Country & Site Leads, Site Managers, and Site Feasibility professionals.
The role combines talent leadership, country and site strategy, operational oversight, and cross-functional collaboration in a global clinical development environment.
You will help ensure teams are appropriately resourced, equipped, and aligned to deliver consistent, high-quality trial execution.
The position involves close collaboration with clinical delivery, medical, quality, regulatory, affiliate, and external CRO/FSP partners.
You will also contribute to process improvement, operating-model initiatives, resource planning, and organizational development.
With a focus on operational excellence and patient impact, this role offers the opportunity to influence how clinical trials are delivered across diverse countries and portfolios.

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Accountabilities

• People leadership: Provide direct line management for assigned Clinical Country & Site Leads, Site Managers, and Site Feasibility team members, including regular one-on-ones, goal setting, performance reviews, development planning, coaching, recognition, and performance management.

• Talent and capability development: Build team capability and succession strength through structured onboarding, mentoring, feedback, development assignments, career planning, and continuous learning.

• Resource allocation: Allocate Clinical Country & Site Leads across country and study portfolios based on business priorities, skills, capacity, and development needs, while monitoring workload and identifying resource or prioritization risks.

• Operational oversight: Ensure consistent delivery of country and site operations, including country intelligence, investigator engagement, country and site strategy, sponsor oversight visits, CRO/FSP oversight, issue escalation, and audit or inspection support.

• Strategic country and site input: Guide teams in translating local operational, scientific, healthcare, competitive, and regulatory insights into recommendations for protocol planning, country and site selection, enrollment assumptions, and study execution.

• Issue management: Serve as an escalation and decision-support resource for country, site, investigator, data integrity, patient safety, quality, and partner-performance concerns, ensuring issues reach the appropriate stakeholders promptly.

• Cross-functional collaboration: Partner with clinical monitoring, site management, study teams, affiliates, medical teams, feasibility teams, CROs, and FSP organizations to clarify responsibilities, strengthen oversight, and resolve operational barriers.

• Performance and portfolio management: Track team objectives, operational performance, capability needs, and portfolio risks, providing concise updates and recommendations to CSO leadership.

• Workforce and planning support: Contribute to workforce, resource, and budget planning and help align team capacity with evolving portfolio requirements.

• Continuous improvement: Lead or contribute to CSO operating-model, process-improvement, and change initiatives, representing the function in selected cross-functional forums.

• Stakeholder leadership: Build trusted relationships across a complex global matrix and translate operational insights into practical recommendations and decisions.

• Travel: Travel approximately 10% may be required depending on business and clinical site needs.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor's degree required; an advanced degree is preferred.

• Clinical experience: 8+ years of experience in clinical research, clinical development, or clinical operations, including substantial country-facing or site-facing operational experience.

• Outsourced delivery: Demonstrated experience managing clinical trial activities and sponsor oversight within CRO, FSP, outsourced, or hybrid delivery models.

• People leadership: Experience leading people and/or matrix teams, including coaching, talent development, performance management, workload planning, and delivery oversight.

• Global collaboration: Experience partnering with global study teams, affiliates, Medical, Development, Quality, monitoring teams, site feasibility teams, and external partners.

• Operational expertise: Strong understanding of clinical trial execution, country and site strategy, regulatory requirements, patient safety, quality oversight, and sponsor responsibilities.

• Leadership skills: Strong judgment, problem-solving, communication, stakeholder management, influencing, and decision-making skills within complex matrix organizations.

• Resource management: Ability to assess team capability and workload, establish priorities, allocate resources, and maintain accountability across multiple countries, studies, and stakeholders.

• People management: Ability to handle sensitive employee matters with discretion and partner effectively with Human Resources and senior leadership.

• Digital proficiency: Effective use of digital tools to support virtual teams, performance visibility, resource planning, communication, and operational oversight.

• Site feasibility: Experience with clinical site feasibility activities is preferred.

• Leadership approach: Collaborative and empowering leadership style with a demonstrated commitment to accountability, inclusion, continuous improvement, and team development.

Benefits

• Base salary: $171,000–$235,500 annually, with compensation determined based on factors including relevant skills and experience, work location, and internal equity.

• Incentives: Eligibility for short-term and long-term incentive opportunities, including cash bonuses and equity incentives, subject to applicable plans and performance.

• Healthcare: Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance coverage.

• Wellness: Fitness and wellness programs, including fitness reimbursement.

• Disability coverage: Short- and long-term disability insurance.

• Paid time off: Minimum of 15 vacation days, plus additional year-end shutdown time off from December 26–31.

• Holidays: Up to 12 company-paid holidays plus 3 paid days off for personal significance.

• Sick leave: 80 hours of sick time per calendar year.

• Family support: Paid maternity and parental leave.

• Retirement: 401(k) participation with company-matched contributions.

• Employee stock purchase: Access to an employee stock purchase plan.

• Education: Tuition reimbursement of up to $10,000 per calendar year.

• Community and inclusion: Employee Resource Group participation and an inclusive, collaborative work environment.

• Remote work: Remote position based in the United States.

• Professional development: Opportunities to expand leadership, clinical operations, and cross-functional capabilities within a global biotechnology environment.

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How Jobgether works:

We use an AI-powered matching process to ensure your application is reviewed quickly, objectively, and fairly against the role's core requirements. Our system identifies the top-fitting candidates, and this shortlist is then shared directly with the hiring company. The final decision and next steps (interviews, assessments) are managed by their internal team.

We appreciate your interest and wish you the best!

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