DCT STRATEGY & INNOVATION DIRECTOR (REMOTE US)

About PPD:

PPD, a part of Thermo Fisher Scientific, is a leading global contract research organization providing comprehensive, integrated drug development, laboratory and lifecycle management services. At PPD, we are passionate, deliberate, and driven by our purpose- to improve health!

About the Department:

PPD Digital is PPD’s dedicated business unit responsible to accelerate decentralized trials via strategic consultancy and excellence in execution.

We offer flexible trial solutions across the decentralized (DCT) spectrum to increase patient access and improve the patient experience, resulting in time efficiencies and data quality enhancements.

About the Position:

As DCT Strategy & Innovation Director, you will act as a DCT subject matter expert to provide decentralized strategy to clients, partners and our internal teams to ensure a customized digital and virtual trials delivery model that is most effective for our portfolio of clients. This role provides consultation, direction, and leadership to functional leads and employees to ensure operational excellence, consistency, quality, innovation and learning across the portfolio of work

About our Culture, Career Advancement and Benefits:

At PPD we hire the best, develop ourselves and each other, and recognize the power of being one team. We offer continued career advancement opportunities, award winning training and benefits focused on the health and well-being of our employees.

Job Description:

• Acts as a consultant and subject matter expert for all things relating to DCT trials


• Analyses protocols and client development strategies offering DCT alternative solutions.


• Ability to assess external and industry solutions and develop a supporting business case for adoption.


• Partners globally with other groups to develop new business and to deliver existing business.


• Responsible for achieving overall financial goals (sales/repeat business, revenue and profitability), and ensuring the timely execution of virtual trials and other services.


• Oversee execution of digitally enabled and decentralized trial strategies in line with agreed upon contracts while optimizing speed, quality and cost of delivery, ensuring consistent use of study tools and training materials and compliance with system updates, standard processes, policies and procedures.


• Partners with cross functional leadership on the continuous development and improvement of business processes to support teams and to ensure that work is uniform, complete and managed appropriately.


• Develops excellent working relationships with internal colleagues and leaders responsible for the delivery of projects and services to improve information exchange, project delivery, and understanding between groups. Ensures coordination across geographies, therapeutic areas and functions and achieve superior delivery of projects and services.


• Provides ongoing consultancy, coaching and feedback to colleagues involved in delivering projects and services on behalf of virtual trials clients to improve the overall understanding of the client and ability to deliver to the expectations of the clients.


• Assists in business development activities, representing PPD Digital at bid defenses, ensuring realization of the PPD Digital vision.


• Collaborates with the PPD Digital leadership team and other senior, therapeutic area, geography and functional leaders to enable oversight of operational performance, resourcing, financial health/strategy and business planning and execution.


• Represents PPD Digital at the account governance level and contributes to the compilation of goals and business plan objectives for the strategic partnership


• Coach and/or mentor junior team members around project delivery, planning, project review, risk management and problem solving to ensure global alignment of work practices


• Identify changes in scope and manage change control process, including securing customer agreement to financial and milestone updates as necessary.


• Identify and communicate lessons learned and best practices to promote continuous improvement.

Education and Experience:

Bachelor's degree or equivalent and relevant formal academic / vocational qualification

Previous experience that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the job (comparable to 12 years’ experience) or equivalent combination of education, training, & experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent knowledge of the clinical development lifecycle


• Experience in reviewing/consultancy of protocols and proposing alternative strategies


• Experience of cross functional operational execution and understanding the implications of changes between functions and being comfortable in offering alternative operational strategies.


• Experience in the business development cycle and holding a leading role.


• Creative thinker that can consolidate complex strategies into condensed focused deliverables.


• Ability to develop business cases for future adoption of DCT related solutions.


• Strong financial acumen with strong knowledge of budgeting, forecasting and resource management


• Excellent judgment and decision-making capability with ability to apply critical and analytical thinking skills and manage complex/ambiguous situations


• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to influence at all levels, including the capability to build strong relationships in a matrix organization


• Excellent knowledge of project management principles and application


• Strong understanding of regulatory guidelines and directives


• Proficient in medical therapeutic area and medical terminology


• Strong marketing and negotiation skills


• Cultural awareness with ability to work across geographies and cultures


• Expert in process improvement techniques


• Capable of executing strategic plans through leveraging relationships and influencing others through strategic thinking

Management Role:

• No management responsibility

PPD values the health and well-being of our employees. We support and encourage individuals to create a healthy and balanced environment where they can thrive. Below is listed the working environment/requirements for this role:

• Employees hired in this role may be assigned to a US government contract and if so would be subject to COVID-19 vaccination and reporting requirements


• Able to communicate, receive, and understand information and ideas with diverse groups of people in a comprehensible and reasonable manner.


• Able to work upright and stationary for typical working hours.


• Able to use and learn standard office equipment and technology with proficiency.


• Able to perform successfully under pressure while prioritizing and handling multiple projects or activities.


• This role may require independent travel up to 20%, inclusive of traveling in automobiles, airplanes, and trains.