Clinical Innovation Executive Director - US

Worldwide Clinical Trials Holdings, Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 167,000 - 332,000; Full time

Job summary

Worldwide Clinical Trials is seeking a Clinical Innovation Executive Director to lead the enterprise vision for automation, AI, and digital solutions in clinical development. You will drive PoCs/PoVs, build business cases, and partner with IT, Quality, and Compliance to realize measurable value.

You’ll collaborate with senior leaders, guide governance for responsible AI, and shape adoption strategies across global, matrixed teams while delivering tangible outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required; advanced degree preferred.
• 15+ years of progressive industry experience.
• 10+ years leading clinical innovation strategy.
• Hands-on operational experience within a clinical development organization.
• Experience designing and implementing automation and AI innovations.
• Experience leading structured experiments (PoCs/PoVs).
• Experience developing business requirements and ROI frameworks.
• Knowledge of AI, workflow tech, and responsible-AI principles.
• Strong English communication and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Define the enterprise clinical innovation vision, strategy, roadmap, and investment priorities.
• Build and prioritize an innovation portfolio aligned with objectives.
• Lead structured experiments, PoCs and PoVs with clear success metrics.
• Translate needs into practical requirements with IT and EPMO.
• Shape business cases, ROI models, and implementation plans.
• Drive adoption, training, and transition to business-as-usual operations.
• Establish governance for responsible AI and automation with stakeholders.
• Measure impact across productivity, quality, and user experience.
• Develop playbooks and reusable methods for faster innovation.

Skills

Clinical innovation

Strategy leadership

Operational experience

AI automation

Stakeholder management

English proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

AI technologies

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 prioritize 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.Join us!

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 realization.

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 prioritize 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‑realization 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 organizational 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 organizations.
• Hands‑on operational experience within a clinical development organization, 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‑realization 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 judgment, 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.

The salary range for this position is annually (For hourly paid positions, the stated salary range reflects hourly rates):

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 labor 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.

To view our other roles, check out our careers page at Discover a world of difference at Worldwide!For more information on Worldwide, visit www.Worldwide.com or connect with us on LinkedIn.