Delivery Head

Persistent Systems; New Jersey; On-site; USD 260,000 - 380,000; Full time

Job summary

Persistent Systems is seeking a Delivery Head for Lifesciences (Pharma) to lead end-to-end delivery across pharma accounts on the East Coast. You will own program outcomes, governance, and value delivery in regulated environments, guiding global teams.

The role requires deep pharma knowledge, executive presence, and a track record of driving transformation with AI-enabled engineering and data platforms.

Qualifications

• 20+ years of IT services or enterprise technology delivery leadership.
• 10+ years serving pharmaceutical, biotech, CRO or CDMO clients; global accounts preferred.
• Deep understanding of the pharmaceutical value chain including regulatory, manufacturing and quality.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end delivery across pharmaceutical accounts with accountability for scope, quality, timelines, and outcomes.
• Establish multi-level governance with client executives, business leaders, technology teams and quality functions.
• Lead structured recovery, root-cause analysis, corrective actions and closure of critical issues.
• Translate priorities into executable transformation roadmaps and measurable value realization.
• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across R&D, regulatory, safety, manufacturing and enterprise tech.

Skills

Executive leadership

Delivery management

Global program management

Pharma domain knowledge

GxP compliance

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Life Sciences

MBA or master’s degree preferred

Tools

Veeva

Medidata

LIMS

QMS

RIM

CTMS

Safety systems

MES

ERP

Cloud ecosystems

Job description

We are an AI-led, platform-driven Digital Engineering and Enterprise Modernization partner, combining deep technical expertise and industry experience to help our clients anticipate what’s next. Our offerings and proven solutions create a unique competitive advantage for our clients by giving them the power to see beyond and rise above. We work with many industry-leading organizations across the world, including 20 Fortune 50 companies and 4 of the 5 top banks in both the US and India, and numerous innovators across the healthcare ecosystem.

Our disruptor’s mindset, commitment to client success, and agility to thrive in the dynamic environment have enabled us to sustain our growth momentum. Persistent has been recognized across top industry platforms for innovation, leadership, and inclusion. We have delivered 23 sequential quarters of growth with $422.5M in Q3 FY26 revenue, up 4.0% Q-o-Q and 17.3% Y-o-Y growth. Our 26,500+ global team members, located in 18 countries, have been instrumental in helping the market leaders transform their industries. We won the 2025 ISG Star of Excellence™ Award for AI and Data Excellence and were named a Leader in the Everest Group Talent Readiness for Next-generation Data, Analytics and AI Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025.

Our company fosters a values-driven and people-centric work environment that enables our employees to:

• Accelerate growth, both professionally and personally
• Impact the world in powerful, positive ways, using the latest technologies
• Enjoy collaborative innovation, with diversity and work-life wellbeing at the core
• Unlock global opportunities to work and learn with the industry’s best

About the Position

Position: Delivery Head - Lifesciences (Pharma)

Location: East Coast (NJ/NY preferred)

Industry / Domain: Lifescience - Pharma

We are seeking an accomplished Delivery Head to lead a portfolio of strategic pharmaceutical and life sciences customers. The leader will own end-to-end delivery, customer outcomes, operational excellence, financial performance and account growth across complex digital engineering, enterprise modernization, data, cloud, quality and managed-services programs. The ideal candidate combines deep knowledge of the pharmaceutical value chain with executive customer leadership and a strong record of building high-performing global teams in regulated environments.

What You’ll Do

Delivery and Customer Leadership

• Own end-to-end delivery across a portfolio of pharmaceutical accounts, with accountability for scope, quality, timelines, service levels, customer satisfaction and business outcomes.
• Establish multi-level governance with client executives, business leaders, technology teams, quality functions and program stakeholders.
• Serve as the senior escalation point; lead structured recovery, root-cause analysis, corrective and preventive actions, and transparent closure of critical issues.
• Translate customer priorities into executable transformation roadmaps and ensure measurable value realization.
• Build trusted‑advisor relationships with senior stakeholders across R&D, clinical, regulatory, safety, manufacturing, quality, commercial and enterprise technology functions.

Portfolio, Commercial and Growth Accountability

• Own portfolio revenue, gross margin, utilization, productivity, forecasting and delivery‑related commercial commitments.
• Manage staffing, pyramids, subcontractors, partners and location strategy across onsite, nearshore and offshore delivery models.
• Partner with sales, consulting, domain and solution teams to shape proposals, estimates, transition plans and outcome‑led solutions.
• Identify expansion opportunities within existing accounts and support renewals, cross‑selling and large‑deal pursuits.
• Drive productivity through automation, reusable assets, AI‑enabled engineering and disciplined continuous improvement.

Quality, Risk and Regulatory Excellence

• Ensure programs adhere to applicable GxP expectations, validation and assurance practices, data‑integrity principles, privacy, security and customer quality systems.
• Provide governance for computerized system lifecycle controls, including risk assessment, validation planning, change control, traceability, audit trails and inspection readiness.
• Maintain strong delivery controls across RAID management, service performance, engineering quality, business continuity and supplier governance.
• Work closely with customer Quality Assurance and internal quality teams to ensure compliant and audit‑ready delivery.
• Embed patient safety, data protection and responsible use of AI into delivery decisions and solution governance.

People and Capability Leadership

• Lead, coach and retain a globally distributed organization of delivery leaders, program managers, architects, engineers, domain consultants and quality specialists.
• Build succession plans for critical roles and develop the next generation of delivery leaders.
• Strengthen pharmaceutical domain readiness through role‑based learning, mentoring and relevant compliance training.
• Promote a culture of ownership, collaboration, inclusion, engineering excellence and continuous learning.

Expertise You’ll Bring

• 20+ years of experience in IT services, digital engineering or enterprise technology delivery, with sustained leadership of large, complex portfolios.
• 10+ years of direct experience serving pharmaceutical, biotechnology, CRO or CDMO customers; experience with multiple global pharma accounts is strongly preferred.
• Deep understanding of the pharmaceutical value chain—drug discovery, pre‑clinical and clinical development, regulatory submissions, pharmacovigilance, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, medical affairs and commercialization.
• Strong working knowledge of GxP, GAMP 5, CSV/CSA, 21 CFR Part 11, EU Annex 11, data integrity/ALCOA+ and relevant privacy and security expectations.
• Proven ownership of a sizeable portfolio or business unit, including revenue, margin, customer satisfaction, talent and delivery risk.
• Experience leading global delivery models and complex programs involving application engineering, platform modernization, data and AI, cloud, integration, quality engineering and managed services.
• Demonstrated executive presence, negotiation ability, commercial judgement and experience influencing C‑suite and senior customer stakeholders.
• Strong analytical, communication, presentation and crisis‑management skills.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Life Sciences or a related discipline; a master’s degree or MBA is preferred.

Preferred Experience

• Delivery experience with global top‑tier pharmaceutical customers and familiarity with their quality, sourcing and governance models.
• Exposure to platforms such as Veeva, Medidata, LIMS, QMS, RIM, CTMS, safety systems, MES, ERP and major cloud ecosystems.
• Experience leading transitions, vendor consolidation, transformation programs or multi‑year managed‑services engagements.
• Relevant certifications in program management, IT service management, cloud, quality or pharmaceutical compliance.
• Established thought leadership in pharmaceutical digital transformation, data, AI or regulated product engineering.