Director, Clinical Business Operations

Maze Therapeutics•South San Francisco, CA

9d•$222,000 - $271,000•Hybrid

About The Position

At Maze Therapeutics, we believe precision medicine has the power to transform the lives of patients with both common and rare diseases. As Director, Clinical Business Operations, you will serve as a strategic business partner to the Head of Clinical Operations and the Clinical Development organization. Working closely with Finance and cross-functional stakeholders, you will provide direction for the financial planning, budgeting, contracting, and operational business processes that support efficient and predictable clinical trial execution. In partnership with the Head of Clinical Operations, Oversight Directors, Study Leads, and Clinical Development functional leaders, you will oversee study and program budgets, financial forecasting, vendor financial management, and clinical business operations across the development portfolio. You will help build scalable processes, establish budgeting standards, and provide the financial insights needed to support informed business decisions while maintaining sound fiscal stewardship. This role requires a highly collaborative professional who enjoys solving complex operational challenges and working across Clinical Operations, Safety, Biometrics, Finance, Procurement, Legal, and external partners to support operational effectiveness and organizational success.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Life Sciences, Healthcare Administration, or a related field.
10–12+ years of experience in Clinical Business Operations, Clinical Finance, Strategic Sourcing, Clinical Operations, or related business roles within biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or CRO organizations.
Extensive experience developing and managing global clinical trial budgets across all phases of clinical development.
Demonstrated success negotiating CRO, vendor, and investigator site budgets, including Master Service Agreements, work orders, study budgets, site budgets, and change orders.
Strong understanding of clinical development, outsourcing models, fair market value methodologies, vendor contracting, and financial planning processes.
Experience partnering closely with Finance on monthly accruals and forecasting, annual budgeting, long-range planning, and financial governance.
Strong financial acumen with demonstrated ability to analyze complex financial data and translate insights into strategic business recommendations.
Experience establishing scalable business processes, templates, governance models, and operational standards within a growing organization.
Exceptional negotiation, project management, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence cross-functional teams, external partners, and executive leadership.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving biotech environment while managing multiple priorities with a strong sense of urgency.
Willing to occasionally travel to support vendor relationship needs.

Responsibilities

Serve as a strategic business partner to the Head of Clinical Operations, providing financial and operational guidance to the Clinical Development organization.
Develop scalable business processes, governance models, and operational standards that improve forecasting accuracy, budget visibility, and operational quality and decision-making.
Oversee Clinical Development's preferred vendor program by evaluating emerging vendors, establishing strategic partnerships, and maintaining a strong network of qualified providers that support current and future development programs.
Establish standardized budgeting methodologies, templates, assumptions, and financial tools aligned with industry benchmarks and organizational needs.
Develop dashboards and KPIs that provide visibility into budget performance, vendor spend, forecasting accuracy, contracting timelines, and operational efficiency.
Oversee development of study budgets from protocol planning through study closeout, ensuring budgets appropriately reflect study objectives and operational requirements.
Partner with Clinical Study Leads and Oversight Directors and Clinical Development Functional Leads to develop realistic financial forecasts and proactively manage study financial risks.
Collaborate closely with Finance to support monthly accruals and forecasting, quarterly financial updates, annual operating plans, and long-range portfolio planning.
Monitor study financial performance, identify budget variances, and develop mitigation strategies to maintain financial objectives.
Prepare executive-level financial analyses, dashboards, and budget reporting to support portfolio and corporate decision-making.
Ensure vendors maintain accurate change logs and communicate budget impacts in a timely and transparent manner where applicable.
Facilitate negotiations for CRO, vendor, and clinical site budgets, balancing market competitiveness, operational requirements, study timelines, and organizational financial objectives.
Partner with Legal to support negotiation and execution of Master Service Agreements (MSAs), work orders, study budgets, site budgets, change orders, and other clinical service agreements.
Develop negotiation strategies, templates, and playbooks that establish organizational standards and improve consistency across studies.
Serve as the Clinical Operations subject matter expert for financial negotiations, providing strategic guidance to Study Leads, Oversight Directors, and senior leadership.
Maintain awareness of industry pricing trends and fair market value benchmarks to support competitive and fiscally responsible negotiations.
Serve as the senior operational escalation point for CRO, vendor, and critical site performance issues
Develop and oversee financial governance for CROs, vendors, and central laboratories, ensuring budget adherence, accurate forecasting, and contractual compliance for Clinical Development vendors.
Build collaborative relationships with strategic vendors that promote financial transparency, accountability, and high-quality execution.
Partner with vendors to proactively identify financial risks and develop mitigation strategies before they impact study execution.
Establish vendor performance metrics related to financial delivery, forecasting accuracy, invoice quality, and budget management.
Support invoice review, financial reconciliation, and budget tracking throughout the lifecycle of each study.
Builds communication channels across Maze for sharing information
Influences Senior Management decisions through persuasive arguments
Respectfully addresses differing opinions leading to support of decision
Champions partnerships and connections across Maze
Proactively addresses issues that could result in breakdown of team relationships
Spotlights team and individual contributions in public forums
Addresses gaps and leverages strengths to get best results
Maintains a steadying presence and clarifies priorities during change
Anticipates and removes barriers that put functional/corporate goals at risk
Removes barriers to staff development and empowers them to make their own decisions
Stays current on industry trends and keeps direct-reports prepared and responsive