Clinical Innovation Executive Director - US

Worldwide Clinical Trials Holdings, Inc.; North Carolina; Hybrid; USD 167,000 - 332,000; Full time

Job summary

Worldwide Clinical Trials Holdings, Inc. seeks a Clinical Innovation Executive Director to shape the enterprise vision for automation, AI, analytics, and workflow transformation.

You will drive portfolio prioritization, structure experiments, and align initiatives with operational and financial goals. You will partner with IT, EPMO and governance to deliver scalable solutions, ensure adoption, and realise measurable benefits across global clinical development teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent; advanced degree preferred.
• 15+ years in the industry with 10+ years in clinical innovation strategy.
• Experience designing AI and automation in clinical development; strong governance.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional programs and measure outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Define enterprise clinical innovation strategy, roadmap and investment priorities.
• Lead PoCs/PoVs with clear objectives, success metrics and value realization.
• Collaborate with IT, Quality, Compliance and governance stakeholders.
• Build scalable methods and playbooks for repeatable innovation.

Skills

Strategic leadership

AI in clinical dev

Structured experiments

Stakeholder management

Clear communication

Change management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

AI technologies

Automation tools

Workflow platforms

Job description

Who we are

We’re a global, midsize CRO that pushes boundaries, innovates and invents because the path to a cure for the world’s most persistent diseases is not paved by those who play it safe. It is built by those who take pioneering, creative approaches and implement them with quality and excellence. We are Worldwide Clinical Trials, and we are a global team of over 3,500+ experts, bright thinkers, dreamers and doers and, together, we are changing the way the world experiences CROs - in the best possible way. Our mission is to work with passion and purpose every day to improve lives and we are looking for others who value this same pursuit.

Why Worldwide

We believe everyone plays an important role in making a world of difference for patients and their caregivers. From our hands-on, accessible leaders, to our cohesive and supportive teams, we are committed to enabling professionals from all backgrounds and experiences to succeed. We prioritise cultivating a diverse and inclusive environment that continues to promote collaboration and creativity. We are proud to be a workplace where people thrive by being themselves and are inspired to do their best work every day.

Make an Impact as a Clinical Innovation Executive Director at Worldwide

Shape how clinical development uses automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital solutions to deliver measurable improvements in quality, efficiency, employee experience, customer value, and financial performance. As Clinical Innovation Executive Director, you’ll set the enterprise vision and roadmap for clinical innovation, turning strategic opportunities into scalable solutions. You’ll lead initiatives from opportunity definition through proof of concept (PoC), proof of value (PoV), and business-case development, while supporting implementation, adoption, and value realisation. Working with senior operational leaders, subject matter experts, IT, EPMO, and governance stakeholders, you’ll help Worldwide make evidence-based investment decisions and build responsible, repeatable approaches to innovation across clinical development.

Where You'll Work

This is a remote role open to candidates based in the US. You will collaborate with global teams across multiple time zones.

What You'll Do

Define the enterprise clinical innovation vision, strategy, roadmap, and investment priorities across automation, AI, analytics, and workflow transformation. Build and prioritise an innovation portfolio aligned with strategic, operational, financial, and customer objectives. Lead structured experimentation through PoCs and PoVs, establishing clear objectives, success measures, risks, decision criteria, and recommendations for scaling, refinement or termination. Translate clinical and operational needs into practical solution, workflow, data, integration, control, and support requirements in partnership with IT and EPMO. Shape business cases, ROI models, implementation plans, and value-realisation frameworks that connect innovation investments to measurable outcomes. Drive operational readiness and adoption, including ownership, training, communications, human oversight, exception handling, feedback, and transition to business-as-usual operations. Establish governance for responsible AI, automation, and clinical innovation, partnering with Quality, Compliance, Legal, Information Security, Privacy, and Regulatory stakeholders. Measure operational and financial impact across productivity, capacity, quality, throughput, service improvement, user experience, and control effectiveness. Build reusable methods, playbooks and organisational capability that improve the speed, consistency, and effectiveness of clinical innovation.

What You'll Bring

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent education and relevant experience required; an advanced degree in a clinical, scientific, business, technology, engineering, or related discipline is preferred. 15+ years of progressive industry experience, including 10+ years leading clinical innovation strategy for organisations. Hands-on operational experience within a clinical development organisation, with strong knowledge of clinical delivery workflows, roles, controls, quality, and compliance expectations. Demonstrated experience designing and implementing automation and AI innovations in clinical development, from problem definition and solution design through implementation, adoption and measurable operational impact. Experience leading structured experiments, pilots, PoCs or PoVs, including baselines, success measures, evidence capture, decision criteria, and implementation recommendations. Experience developing business requirements, business cases, implementation plans, change and adoption approaches, and measurable benefits-realisation frameworks. Working knowledge of AI, intelligent automation, workflow technologies, data-driven decision support and responsible-AI principles, with the ability to lead across complex global, matrixed stakeholder groups. Strong business acumen, analytical judgement, facilitation, stakeholder management, written communication, change-leadership skills, and proficiency in English.

At Worldwide Clinical Trials, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace by providing transparent compensation.

United States of America - $167,000.00 - $332,000.00

The salary range provided is intended to give candidates an understanding of potential earnings. Compensation will fall within the provided range, and it not a guarantee of exact salary. The final salary will be determined based on relevant experience, performance, education, and internal equity.

In addition to base salary, we offer a competitive benefits package depending on location. We ensure pay equity and transparency and comply with all applicable labour laws. Salary information will be discussed during the interview process, and we encourage candidates to inquire about compensation at any stage.

We love knowing that someone is going to have a better life because of the work we do.

This is who we are. We’re a team of clinicians, scientists, and researchers who want to make healthcare better. We were founded on an unwavering commitment to authentic, personalized attention. And today, as CROs consolidate and the industry changes rapidly, that personalised attention is more important than ever. We all came to this industry for different reasons, from different walks of life. If you ask any one of us why we’re here, you’ll get a different answer. And that’s what makes us special.

For more information on Worldwide, visit www.Worldwide.com or connect with us on LinkedIn.