Director, Customer Engagement

CSL Plasma•Summit, NJ

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Customer Engagement is the owner of customer support strategy and operations for a vaccine organization operating in a highly regulated healthcare environment. This leader owns the end-to-end customer support operating model and drives cross-functional initiatives spanning Commercial Operations to deliver service excellence, operational efficiency, and revenue growth. The Director of Customer Engagement brings equal parts operational discipline, financial acumen, and executive-level communication, translating complex service and cost data into clear decisions and business insight for senior leadership. This role is distinguished by three core behavioral expectations that govern how work is done, not just what is delivered: Lead: This role carries full accountability for the people, performance, and strategic direction of the customer experience. The Director of Customer Engagement does not manage tasks — they build the team, set the standard, and own the outcomes, developing functional leaders who can operate independently and hold the organization to a high bar for quality and execution. Drive: The Head of Customer Experience is the operational authority — the person who sees the full picture, moves first, and does not wait to be told. They own the integrity of the customer support operating model, cost discipline, and downstream financial accuracy without exception, setting the pace for the organization and creating an environment where urgency, precision, and accountability are the baseline. Collaborate: This leader is the enterprise's connective tissue for customer engagement through which Finance, Commercial, and senior leadership understand what's happening with customers and why it matters. Finance turns to them for clarity on cost to serve. Commercial Operations relies on them when customer risk threatens revenue. Executive leadership looks to them for the operational judgment that shapes business decisions. The Director of Customer Engagement doesn't just relay information upward — they synthesize it, frame it in business terms, and bring a point of view that influences how the enterprise moves.

Requirements

Deep expertise in customer support operating models, service level design, escalation frameworks, and performance metrics.
Strong command of operational budget management and cost-driver modeling in a revenue- and margin-sensitive environment.
Experience leading digital enablement and automation initiatives within customer-facing operations.
Experience overseeing order accuracy, billing coordination, dispute resolution, and payment-related inquiry processes.
Previous experience leading multifaceted projects and programs cross-functionally, with high demonstrated success.
Pharmaceutical, biotech, or regulated industry experience required; vaccines and/or biologics highly desirable.
Experience operating within healthcare compliance frameworks requiring precision, auditability, and controlled workflows.
Strong analytical capability, including comfort working with performance metrics, dashboards, and cost-to-serve data to inform decisions.
Strategic thinker with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to simplify complex challenges into clear, actionable recommendations.
Proven ability to lead and influence across a highly matrixed organization without direct authority; builds strong partnerships across Commercial Operations and Technology.
Results-oriented mindset with demonstrated ability to drive executional excellence and deliver measurable cost savings.
Ability to diffuse difficult situations, empower team ownership, and coach independent decision-making.
Demonstrated ability to build and develop high-performing leadership teams, fostering accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement.
Excellent oral, written, and presentation skills with the ability to communicate effectively across all organizational levels, including executive business reviews.
Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while delivering on time and on budget.
Curiosity, adaptability, and a passion for continuous improvement (growth mindset).
Bachelor's degree in Business Administration or related field required.
Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in customer experience, customer support, or commercial operations within the pharmaceutical or regulated healthcare industry.
Experience with vaccines and/or biologics highly desirable.
Minimum 10 years of people leadership experience demonstrating leadership and team-building skills, including developing high-performing leaders and sustaining strong employee engagement.

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Own the end-to-end customer support operating model, including standard operating procedures, service levels, performance metrics, and escalation frameworks.
Manage operational budgets, model cost drivers, and align service investments to revenue and margin objectives; partner with Finance to ensure process discipline, reduce rework, and drive accurate downstream financial outcomes.
Build and develop high-performing leadership teams; lead, coach, and develop a tiered organization of managers, establish performance standards, build succession pipelines, and manage all human resource elements.
Drive digital enablement and automation initiatives to improve the accuracy, speed, and consistency of customer interactions.
Lead cross-functional initiatives spanning Commercial Operations and technology, ensure all workflows meet the precision, auditability, and control standards required in a highly regulated healthcare environment.
Own the end-to-end customer support operating model, including standard operating procedures, service levels, performance metrics, and escalation frameworks.
Accountable for the accuracy and integrity of the customer support operating model and customer-facing processes across the Customer Operations.
Establish, track, and respond to key performance indicators for the department; provide recurring business readouts to senior and executive leadership.
Conduct ongoing analysis of operational strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats; create programs to drive service excellence and cost efficiency.
Manage operational accruals and model cost drivers and align service investments to organizational strategic objectives.
Partner with Finance to ensure processes discipline, reduce rework, and drive accurate downstream financial outcomes.
Continually find and capture efficiency — identifying where process, cost, or effort can be reduced without compromising service, and acting on it before it's asked for.
Build and develop high-performing leadership teams, fostering accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement.
Lead, coach, and develop a tiered organization of managers; establish clear performance standards and build succession pipelines for critical roles.
Manage all HR elements including hiring, onboarding, development planning, and performance management. Partner with leadership to define organizational design and future capability needs.
Develop employee engagement strategies, including recognition programs that retain high performers; sustained an employee engagement index score of 90+ year over year.
Drive digital enablement and automation initiatives to improve the accuracy, speed, and consistency of customer interactions.
Champion forward-thinking process design; consistently identify opportunities to leverage automation and digital tools to eliminate manual effort.
Partner with Technology on systems and digital enablement supporting customer interactions, and with Digital Experience on the digital customer journey and self-service capability.
Lead cross-functional initiatives spanning Commercial Operations and Technology.
Ensure all workflows meet the precision, auditability, and control standards required in a highly regulated healthcare environment.
Negotiate with peer groups across Commercial Operations to establish agile, creative solutions that support the commercial strategic vision.
Recognized as the organizational authority on customer experience performance, cost to serve, and operational risk within Customer Operations.