Vice President, Clinical Operations

Cytokinetics•South San Francisco, CA

21d•Onsite

About The Position

Cytokinetics is a specialty cardiovascular biopharmaceutical company, building on its over 25 years of pioneering scientific innovations in muscle biology, and advancing a pipeline of potential new medicines for patients suffering from diseases of cardiac muscle dysfunction. At Cytokinetics, each team member plays an integral part in advancing our mission to improve the lives of patients. We are seeking tenacious, compassionate, and collaborative individuals who are driven to make a positive impact. The Vice President, Clinical Operations provides strategic and operational leadership for the execution of Cytokinetics’ global clinical development programs. Reporting to the SVP, Development Operations, this role is accountable for delivering high-quality, compliant, and efficient clinical trials that advance Cytokinetics’ mission to improve outcomes for patients with serious muscle-related diseases. Consistent with Cytokinetics’ leadership expectations, the VP Clinical Operations leads with a strong sense of ownership, scientific rigor, integrity, and collaboration, while maintaining an unwavering focus on patients, data quality, and regulatory excellence. This role is based on-site in South San Francisco and is a key leadership presence within the Development organization.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (MS, MPH, PharmD, PhD) preferred.
18+ years of progressive clinical operations experience in biotechnology or pharmaceuticals.
Proven leadership with all phases of clinical trials; cardiovascular or rare disease experience strongly preferred.
Demonstrated success leading teams in a late-stage, science-driven biotech environment.
Extensive experience managing CROs and global vendors.
Drug development experience in being a strategic partner for program strategy.
Demonstrated ability to lead with integrity, accountability, and ownership.
Strong scientific judgment paired with operational discipline.
Ability to collaborate effectively in an onsite, fast-moving, cross-functional environment.
Clear, influential communicator at the executive and Board-facing level.

Responsibilities

Lead clinical operations with a patient-first mindset, ensuring participant safety, ethical conduct, and data integrity are central to all decisions.
Act as an enterprise leader within Development Operations, balancing asset-level priorities with portfolio-level needs.
Model accountability, transparency, and integrity in all interactions, consistent with Cytokinetics’ leadership expectations.
A valued, strategic partner in the development of clinical program strategy
Translate clinical development objectives into executable operational strategies that reflect Cytokinetics’ commitment to rigorous science and high-quality data.
Provide operational leadership for Phase 1–3 and post-approval studies, including large, global cardiovascular trials.
Ensure trials are conducted in full compliance with ICH-GCP, FDA, EMA, and other applicable global regulations.
Provide strategic direction and long-range planning enabling Clinical Operations to be at the forefront of performance.
Own delivery of clinical trial milestones, timelines, and budgets across the development portfolio.
Proactively identify operational risks and implement mitigation strategies, escalating issues with clarity and solutions.
Establish and monitor performance metrics that drive accountability and continuous improvement.
Partner closely with senior cross-functional peers within Clinical Research, Biometrics, Regulatory Affairs, Quality Assurance (QA), Medical Affairs, CMC, Operational Excellence, Clinical Compliance and Training (CCaT) and other functions to ensure alignment and integrated execution.
Foster strong cross-functional decision-making grounded in mutual respect, scientific debate, and shared goals.
Represent Clinical Operations effectively in governance forums and executive discussions.
Establish a consistent approach in clinical trials strategy and practices across all programs
Lead Clinical Operations CRO and vendor strategy with a focus on partnership, performance, and accountability.
Ensure external partners operate to Cytokinetics’ standards for quality, compliance, and ethical conduct.
Serve as Clinical Operations executive lead on strategic and partner joint-development activities
Resolve escalated issues in a decisive, solution-oriented manner.
Build, lead, and develop a high-performing Clinical Operations organization aligned with Cytokinetics’ leadership behaviors
Create an inclusive, collaborative environment that drives engagement and performance; provides opportunities for growth and development and proactively removes barriers
Actively mentor senior leaders and develop succession plans to support organizational sustainability.
Ensure continuous inspection readiness and strong collaboration with CCaT and QA.
Lead responses to audits and inspections with rigor, transparency, and corrective action discipline.
Reinforce a culture where quality is owned by the organization.
Support the development and implementation of best practices, SOPs, standards, work instructions, and policies for Clinical Operations.