Sr. Director, Business Transformation & Execution

The Sr. Director, Business Transformation & Execution leads execution of DSA’s highest-priority cross-site and cross-functional initiatives and embeds the DSA operating model into daily management practice. This role ensures that DSA increasingly operates as one coordinated organization from the customer’s perspective—not as independently optimized sites or functions. The Sr. Director translates strategic priorities into clear execution plans; establishes accountability, milestones, governance, and decision paths;

removes barriers to implementation; and drives sustained adoption and measurable business results. Reporting directly to the COO, this leader serves as DSA’s central execution capability for business transformation. The role does not replace site or functional accountability. Rather, it provides the execution discipline, cross-functional coordination, escalation, and follow-through that enable site and functional leaders to deliver common DSA outcomes consistently.

The Sr. Director will continue as a member of the Discovery and Translational Sciences leadership team and lead implementation of the DTS execution plan. The role will also build broader execution capability across DSA by establishing common methods, routines, tools, and internal change leaders.

Enterprise execution and transformation

Lead end-to-end execution of DSA’s highest-priority cross-site and cross-functional initiatives, from planning through implementation, adoption, performance review, and sustainment. Translate strategic priorities into integrated execution plans with clear scope, ownership, milestones, dependencies, risks, resource requirements, decision points, and escalation paths. Establish and maintain a practical DSA execution system that creates transparency, accountability, timely decision-making, and reliable follow-through. Design and facilitate the operating cadence required to manage priorities, including transformation governance, priority reviews, action tracking, risk management, decision forums, and executive reporting.

Identify barriers that impede execution; engage the appropriate accountable leaders; and drive decisions, interventions, and closure. Ensure DSA-wide priorities remain on track when competing site demands, local priorities, or functional constraints threaten execution. One‑DSA customer experience and standardization Lead cross‑site standardization initiatives that create a more consistent customer experience across DSA services, systems, processes, handoffs, and operating practices. Ensure enterprise and DSA initiatives are implemented to a common customer‑facing standard across applicable sites rather than being considered complete through locally variable implementation.

Identify and remove operational and customer obstacles that inhibit study placement, work transfer, service consistency, or efficient delivery across the network. Partner with site and functional leaders to establish common practices, decision rights, process ownership, implementation expectations, and measures for priority customer‑facing processes. Facilitate appropriate trade‑offs between local optimization and the needs of the DSA network to improve customer value, capacity utilization, and profitability.

Operating‑model implementation

Partner with the COO and DSA leadership team to embed the DSA operating model into leader behaviors, management routines, and organizational practices. Advance adoption of the operating‑model modules: effective task assignment and accountability; disciplined change management; appropriate time span of discretion; and manager‑once‑removed practices. Convert operating‑model principles into practical tools, meeting routines, leader expectations, training, implementation plans, and performance measures. Diagnose and address execution problems arising from unclear accountability, ineffective delegation, insufficient decision authority, inconsistent management routines, weak handoffs, or poor change adoption.

Coach leaders and teams in disciplined execution, including outcome definition, accountable ownership, milestone management, dependency management,…