Director, Site Budgets and Payments Operational Excellence

MSD•North Wales, PA

21h•$173,200 - $272,600•Onsite

About The Position

The Head, Site Budgets & Payments Operational Excellence is accountable for stewardship of the end-to-end global processes through which Site Budgets and Site Payments capabilities operate. The role leads global process architecture, integration, governance, implementation, enablement, analytics, and continuous improvement across budgets, payment setup, payment execution, systems, and downstream processes. It ensures globally coherent, scalable, compliant, and sustainable ways of working across capability and delivery teams. The role partners closely with Site Budgets, Site Payment Operations, country and regional delivery teams, Digital/IT, Business Enablement, Finance, Tax, Compliance, vendors, and other functional owners to align functional requirements, operational priorities, local needs, and technology delivery within a common global process. It also represents Regional Operations in governance forums and cross-functional partnerships, jointly shaping the common global process and integrated roadmap with Site Budgets and Site Payment Operations capability owners. The position is based primarily in North Wales, Pennsylvania, with a 25% travel requirement and a first-shift schedule. Relocation is not offered, and visa sponsorship is not available. The listed salary range for the primary location is $173,200 to $272,600, with eligibility for an annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable. The company describes a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, and other insurance benefits; retirement benefits including a 401(k); paid holidays; vacation; and compassionate and sick days.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required; scientific, business, finance, technology, or related discipline preferred.
10+ years of clinical research experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, including experience leading operational teams and driving business outcomes in complex environments.
Strong business acumen and understanding of clinical trial financial operations, including site payments, investigator grants, Fair Market Value principles, and related operational processes.
Experience managing teams of professional employees directly or indirectly.
Proven success leading teams, developing talent, and driving operational performance in a matrixed environment.
Ability to leverage data and insights to support decision-making, continuous improvement, and achievement of business objectives.
Demonstrated ability to communicate complex issues and influence decision-making at senior leadership levels.
Strong collaboration, stakeholder management, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to develop effective partnerships across functions and geographies.
Initiative, innovative thinking, and a continuous improvement mindset, including the ability to challenge traditional approaches and identify opportunities to simplify, modernize, and transform work.
Strong communication, presentation, and change leadership skills.
Knowledge of and ability to apply Good Clinical Practice (GCP), International Council for Harmonisation (ICH), and applicable regulatory requirements.
Strong organizational, prioritization, and execution management skills.
Required skills listed: Business Decisions, Clinical Trial Management, Clinical Trials Operations, Ethical Standards, Executive Presence, ICH GCP Guidelines, Motivating People, Multiple Therapeutic Areas, Organizational Leadership, People Leadership, Process Improvements, Relationship Management, Stakeholder Analysis, Strategic Analysis, Strategic Thinking, and Strategy Development.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree is a plus.
Preferred skills listed: Clinical Research and Global Experience.

Responsibilities

Own the global Site Budgets & Payments Operational Excellence capability and stewardship model for end-to-end budget and payment processes; define strategic direction and evolve process architecture, systems integration, governance, analytics, enablement, and organizational capabilities to meet changing portfolio, market, and business needs.
Serve as the senior authority for end-to-end process stewardship across Site Budgets and Site Payments, including process architecture, cross-functional and cross-system integration, governance, implementation, analytics, enablement, organizational effectiveness, and business transformation.
Establish and maintain globally consistent end-to-end process architecture, documentation, governance, and change control; incorporate ex-US requirements, standardize ways of working, and define and manage approved regional and local variations.
Lead the Regional Support Model and regional onboarding and implementation approach, ensuring effective resource deployment, incorporation of country requirements, implementation support, operational flexibility, adoption, and benefits realization.
Build organizational capability through common training, communications, onboarding, knowledge management, and change strategies that improve readiness, consistent adoption, and operational effectiveness across regions.
Steward the integrated business process and systems roadmap for budget and payment operations; coordinate enhancement intake, cross-functional prioritization, dependencies, and sequencing with capability owners and technology owners.
Partner with Site Budgets and Site Payment Operations leadership to gather and reconcile requirements, priorities, risks, and future capability needs; translate them into integrated process, governance, analytics, enablement, and change solutions; and obtain functional acceptance from the accountable capability owner before implementation.
Establish common analytics and use operational data, performance metrics, and stakeholder insights to guide integrated priorities, measure adoption and benefits, identify recurring issues, and support cross-capability and regional decisions.
Lead end-to-end root-cause analysis, remediation governance, and continuous improvement for cross-functional, cross-system, and recurring process issues; convert operational problems into scalable improvements while immediate operational containment remains with the relevant delivery owner.
Represent Regional Operations in governance forums and cross-functional partnerships as the accountable leader for Site Budgets & Payments Operational Excellence and end-to-end process stewardship.
Ensure end-to-end process strategies, governance, documentation, integrations, and controls align with applicable regulations, corporate policies, and compliant business practices.
Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, continuous improvement, organizational learning, and data-driven decision-making.
Sponsor responsible digital, data-driven, and AI-enabled ways of working.