Global Study Associate Director

Iqvia; Reading; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

IQVIA is seeking a Global Study Associate Director to lead cross-functional study teams and oversee outsourced delivery to ensure timelines, budgets and quality. The role liaises with CPT, sponsors, and external partners to drive study progress from handover to close-out.

The GSAD will develop study documents, manage TMF and EDL, and ensure inspections readiness while guiding other team members and stakeholders in accordance with ICH-GCP and SOPs.

Qualifications

• University degree in medical or biological sciences or related field.
• 5 years of clinical experience in the pharmaceutical industry, including 2 years in project management.
• Extensive knowledge of ICH-GCP and regulatory requirements.
• Strong leadership and communication abilities.
• Ability to manage budgets and timelines with accuracy.

Responsibilities

• Lead a cross-functional study team or oversee outsourced delivery to ensure milestones, timelines, budget and quality.
• Lead and facilitate communication across functions, including with external partners.
• Develop essential study-level documents (CSP through CSR) per SOPs.
• Ensure external service providers perform to contracted goals and timelines.
• Maintain study plans, quality and risk management, and escalation paths.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Project management

Budgeting

ICH-GCP knowledge

Communication

Team leadership

Education

University degree (medical/biological sciences)

5 years clinical experience in pharma

2 years project management experience

Job description

Title: Global Study Associate Director - Single Sponsor dedicated
Locations: Madrid, Spain | Belgrade, Serbia | Vienna, Austria | Budapest, Hungary | Warsaw, Poland | Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Dublin, Ireland | Barcelona, Spain | Sofia, Bulgaria | Ljubljana – Dunajska, Slovenia | Milan, Italy | Bucuresti, Romania | Lisbon, Portugal | Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium | Zagreb, Croatia | Athens, Greece | Prague, Czech Republic | Copenhagen, Denmark | Stockholm, Sweden
Country: Spain
Time type: Full time
Posting start date (Workday): 2026-10-13
Requisition ID: R1568698
Description
The Global Study Associate Director (GSAD) is a business-critical role within Study Management, BioPharmaceuticals Clinical Operations, whose main accountability is the delivery of clinical studies. The GSAD is responsible for leading a cross-functional study team and for providing the team with direction and guidance to enable successful study delivery. The GSAD is the main liaison between the study team and the Clinical Program Team (CPT) starting with study handover through to close-out and archiving. The GSAD is accountable to the CPT for the delivery of a study according to agreed upon timelines, budget, and quality standards by ensuring an effective partnership and teamwork within study team and/or external partners. The GSAD leads the study team and/or study oversight team in accordance with the study team operating model, current clinical trial regulations (e.g. ICH GCP), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), policies and best practices (e.g. guidelines) and in line with values and behaviours.

Essential Functions

• Lead, provide guidance and delegate appropriately to a cross-functional study team or oversee outsourced delivery activities to ensure the clinical study progresses as planned, driving achievement of milestones according to timelines, budget and quality standards. May hold accountability and/or oversight of several studies.
• Lead and facilitate communication across all functions, including external partners and service providers. Lead and conduct investigator meetings and other study related meetings.
• Provide input into and hold accountability for the development of essential study level documents (i.e., Clinical Study Protocol (CSP) through to Clinical Study Report (CSR)) in accordance with relevant SOPs.
• Ensure all external service providers (i.e., Contract Research Organizations (CROs), central laboratories, IXRS, ePRO, etc.) engaged at the study level are performing to contracted goals and timelines/budget and that adequate oversight is documented and any issues are escalated appropriately. May participate in vendor selection activities.
• Develop and maintain relevant study plans including required input into study level quality and risk management planning (e.g., risk-based quality management, proactive risk and contingency plans, etc.) ensuring that the risk response strategies and issue escalation pathways are clear to the entire study team
• Accountable for ensuring that information in all systems utilized at a study-level (e.g. ACCORD/ABACUS, PharmaCM, etc.) are current and accurate.
• Oversee study level performance against agreed upon plans, milestones and key performance indicators (KPIs, quality and operational) by using company tracking systems and project timelines and communicate any risks to timelines and/or quality to CPT and sDSM/DSM along with proposed mitigations
• Identify and report quality issues that have occurred within the study in accordance with relevant SOP and collaborate with all functions as necessary to overcome barriers and achieve milestones; proactively communicate findings and corrective action plans (CAPAs) to relevant stakeholders (e.g. CPT, quality assurance staff, functional line management, etc.)
• Oversee Trial Master File (TMF) completion in accordance with relevant SOPs, including ensuring the TMF plan and Expected Document List (EDL) are in place and that QC activities are performed on an ongoing basis to ensure TMF completeness at all times
• Ensure timely compliance with company-wide governance controls (e.g., Delegation of Authority, Sunshine Act, financial system attestations, Clinical Trial Transparency)
• The GSAD is responsible for study budget re-forecasting following initial budget estimate provided by the CPT and accountable for study budget management through the study lifecycle and for providing budget progress reports to the CPT including any financial risks and mitigation plans (as part of the ongoing study change control process)
• Ensure studies are inspection-ready at all times, according to ICH-GCP and SOP and relevant policies/guidelines; GSAD is the primary Study Management point-of-contact in the event of an audit or inspection
• Provide regular feedback on individual performance to the study team members and their line managers to support their professional development; may mentor less experienced colleagues
• Work on non-drug project work such as being a Study Management representative in process improvements and/or leading improvement projects as discussed and agreed upon with their manage
• May act as Subject Matter Expert for a particular process or system within Study Management.

Qualifications

• University degree (or equivalent), preferably in medical or biological sciences or discipline associated with clinical research
• 5 years of relevant clinical experience in the pharmaceutical industry, including 2 years' project management experience, or equivalent combination of education, training and experience
• Extensive knowledge of ICH-GCP, clinical research regulatory requirements and demonstrated abilities in clinical study management processes and clinical/drug development
• Demonstrated solid project management skills and knowledge of relevant tools
• Strong, demonstrated abilities/skills in team leadership
• Strong abilities in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with internal and external co-workers and stakeholders, along with strong conflict management skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong strategic and critical thinking abilities
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills
• Ability to manage competing priorities

IQVIA is a leading global provider of clinical research services, commercial insights, and healthcare intelligence to the life sciences and healthcare industries. We create intelligent connections to accelerate the development and commercialization of innovative medical treatments to help improve patient outcomes and population health worldwide. Learn more via the company portal.
IQVIA is committed to integrity in our hiring process and maintains a zero tolerance policy for candidate fraud. All information and credentials submitted in your application must be truthful and complete. Any false statements, misrepresentations, or material omissions during the recruitment process will result in immediate disqualification of your application, or termination of employment if discovered later, in accordance with applicable law. We appreciate your honesty and professionalism.
At IQVIA, we believe that diversity, inclusion, and belonging empower our mission to accelerate innovation for a healthier world. We create a culture of belonging by valuing the perspectives of all talented employees worldwide and providing them with the opportunity to power smarter healthcare for everyone, everywhere. When our talented employees bring their authentic selves and their diverse experiences to work, they enable us to accomplish extraordinary things. Multifaceted thought processes spark innovation. Multi-talented collaboration harnesses innovation to deliver superior outcomes. Likewise, as part of this culture, IQVIA is committed to ensuring effective equality between women and men, integrating it as a strategic principle in its corporate and human resources policies.