Head of Clinical Operations, Vaccines

Scorpion Therapeutics; Pennsylvania; On-site; USD 250,000 - 370,000; Full time

Job summary

Scorpion Therapeutics is seeking a senior leader to head Clinical Operations for the vaccines trial portfolio, based in Pennsylvania, with global oversight.

You will guide a global team of 80–120 professionals, manage CROs and sites, and drive AI-enabled, data-centric decision-making while ensuring timely delivery and quality within budget. Travel up to 40% may be required.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a relevant scientific or medical field.
• Fluent in English.
• 15+ years of professional business experience.
• 10+ years in progressive leadership roles with people management.
• Proven track record leading large clinical operations teams in pharma/biopharma.
• Experience managing external partnerships (CROs, trial sites, regulators).
• AI experience strongly preferred.
• Up to 40% travel.

Responsibilities

• Lead the operational strategy and execution of the vaccines clinical trial portfolio across regions, ensuring on-time delivery and high quality.
• Oversee a ~$200M annual clinical operations budget with planning, resource allocation, and budget oversight.
• Build and lead a global Clinical Operations team of 80–120 professionals and contractors across multiple regions.
• Manage strategic CRO partnerships, vendor governance, and budget oversight.
• Drive digital and AI transformation of Clinical Operations, enabling data-driven decision-making.
• Contribute to the Global Clinical Development Leadership Team roadmap and continuous improvement.
• Develop leadership and succession planning while ensuring regulatory compliance and quality.

Skills

Leadership

People development

Project management

Communication

Digital transformation

AI / data analytics

Education

Master’s degree in a relevant scientific or medical field

Fluent in English

Job description

Main Responsibilities

• Lead the operational strategy and execution of the full vaccines clinical trial portfolio across all regions, ensuring studies are delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards (monitoring KPIs and milestones).
• Oversee a clinical operations budget of approximately $200M annually (financial planning, resource allocation, and budget management in collaboration with finance/planning).
• Build and lead a global Clinical Operations platform of 80–120 professionals and contractors across the US, Europe, Latin America, and Asia; foster an inclusive, high-performing culture and ensure capacity/resource planning.
• Manage strategic CRO partnerships (vendor selection, governance, relationship management, and budget oversight).
• Drive digital and AI transformation of Clinical Operations (new tools, data literacy/digital skills, and data-driven decision-making).
• Contribute to Global Clinical Development Leadership Team (GCD 2030 Roadmap, continuous improvement, and evolving function to meet future demands).
• Develop and mentor leadership and broader organization (succession planning, growth plans, pipeline of future leaders) while maintaining regulatory compliance and quality.

Experience / Qualifications

• Minimum 15 years of professional business experience.
• Minimum 10 years in progressive formal leadership roles with people management.
• Proven track record leading large clinical operations teams in pharma/biopharma, including global trials across multiple regions.
• Demonstrated experience leading organizational transformation.
• Experience managing strategic external partnerships (CROs, trial sites, regulatory bodies).
• AI experience strongly preferred.
• Up to 40% travel.

Skills

• Strong leadership and people development; inspire geographically dispersed teams.
• Excellent project/study management for complex multi-program portfolios.
• Effective communicator/collaborator across senior stakeholders and partners.
• Curiosity/commitment to digital innovation and AI-enabled, data-centric clinical research.

Education / Language

• Master’s (or advanced) degree in a relevant scientific or medical field.
• Fluent in English.