Executive Director, Clinical Platforms and Product Development

Fortrea•Durham, NC

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Executive Director, Clinical Platforms & Product Development is a senior technology and operations leader responsible for defining, building, and operationalizing Fortrea’s Clinical Platforms ecosystem. This role serves as the strategic and operational partner to the Vice President, Clinical IT Platforms, driving end-to-end product development, platform strategy, and delivery execution across the clinical technology portfolio. This position is accountable for the full lifecycle of clinical technology solutions—from concept and product strategy through engineering, deployment, and operational enablement—ensuring alignment with Fortrea’s clinical trial delivery model, regulatory environment, and sponsor expectations. The Executive Director leads the operating engine for Clinical Platforms, ensuring predictable delivery, strong governance, and high-quality execution across internal teams, external vendors, and client-facing activities. The role also plays a critical part in commercial enablement, sponsor engagement, and bid defense, positioning Fortrea’s platforms as differentiated, scalable, and innovation-driven. This leader must combine deep clinical trial expertise, digital health experience, and a proven background in building enterprise-grade applications within a regulated CRO or pharmaceutical environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Health Informatics, Life Sciences, Business Administration, or a related field. Fortrea may consider relevant and equivalent experience and successful project outcomes in lieu of educational requirements.
Extensive experience in clinical research, CRO, pharmaceutical, or regulated healthcare technology environments.
Demonstrated experience leading end-to-end product development and building enterprise-scale applications/platforms.
Deep understanding of the full clinical trial lifecycle and supporting technology ecosystems.
Proven experience in digital health technologies, clinical platforms, or patient-centric solutions.
Significant leadership experience across product management, engineering, and operational delivery.
Experience operating and leading complex PMO and enterprise delivery functions.
Proven track record supporting client-facing engagements, sponsor interactions, and bid defense activities.
Strong experience managing vendor ecosystems and external strategic partners.
Experience working in highly matrixed, global organizations.
Demonstrated ability to balance strategic vision with hands-on execution.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree (MBA, Health Informatics, or related field).
Experience in clinical monitoring, project management, or clinical operations delivery.
Relevant certifications (e.g., PMP, SAFe, ITIL, Agile).

Responsibilities

Define and execute the clinical platforms product strategy and roadmap, aligned to Fortrea’s enterprise and clinical delivery objectives.
Lead end-to-end product development lifecycle, including ideation, engineering, validation, deployment, and lifecycle management of applications.
Drive adoption of a product-centric operating model (agile, DevOps, customer-first delivery).
Ensure solutions are scalable, secure, and compliant with regulatory requirements within clinical research.
Evaluate and integrate digital health, AI/ML, and emerging technologies to enhance clinical trial and delivery and patient experience.
Continuously evaluate market trends, competitive landscape, and technology trends to ensure Fortrea maintains competitive position in the marker.
Lead the day-to-day operating model for Clinical Platforms, ensuring delivery predictability, quality, and efficiency.
Own PMO governance, portfolio prioritization, and execution discipline across platform initiatives.
Establish consistent delivery standards, reporting cadence, and performance metrics.
Proactively identify and mitigate risks, dependencies, and resource constraints.
Ensure alignment between product roadmaps and delivery capacity.
Drive continuous improvement in delivery speed, cost efficiency, and quality outcomes.
Ensure platforms support the end-to-end clinical trial lifecycle, including study startup, site management, data capture, monitoring, safety, and regulatory submission.
Translate clinical and operational needs into technology-enabled solutions that improve efficiency, compliance, and data integrity.
Partner with Leaders in Global Clinical Development and Clinical Pharmacology teams to ensure platform capabilities align to trial execution needs.
Act as the primary integrator across Clinical Operations, Commercial, Quality, Regulatory, Security, and Data Privacy.
Partner with business leaders to ensure clear accountability, governance, and decision-making across complex initiatives.
Ensure platform capabilities are effectively adopted and embedded within the business.
Simplify complexity through clear ownership and streamlined processes.
Partner with the Head of Digital Health & Innovation for representation in client engagements, sponsor meetings, and bid defense activities.
Develop and deliver platform narratives, demonstrations, and supporting materials.
Partner with Commercial and Business Development teams to position platforms as a differentiated capability.
Support executive sponsors by ensuring readiness, alignment, and follow-through for client interactions.
Own development of executive-level communications, presentations, and external-facing materials.
Build and maintain a standardized library of platform assets (decks, demos, one-pagers).
Ensure messaging is aligned to Fortrea strategy, brand, and value proposition.
Lead management of strategic vendors and technology partners, including performance, SLAs, and delivery outcomes.
Drive vendor optimization, cost efficiency, and performance improvement initiatives.
Provide executive-level recommendations on partner strategy and investment decisions.
Own budget, financial planning, and resource allocation for Clinical Platforms.
Lead and scale high-performing global product, engineering, and operations teams.
Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Build organizational capability in product management, engineering excellence, and platform operations.