Associate Director, Operational Design Lead

Associate Director, Operational Design Lead

Work Your Magic with us!

Ready to explore, break barriers, and discover more? We know you've got big plans – so do we! Our colleagues across the globe love innovating with science and technology to enrich people's lives with our solutions in Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics. Together, we dream big and are passionate about caring for our rich mix of people, customers, patients, and planet.

That's why we are always looking for curious minds that see themselves imagining the unimaginable with us.

United As One for Patients, our purpose in Healthcare is to help create, improve and prolong lives. We develop medicines, intelligent devices and innovative technologies in therapeutic areas such as Oncology, Neurology and Fertility. Our teams work together across 6 continents with passion and relentless curiosity in order to help patients at every stage of life. Joining our Healthcare team is becoming part of a diverse, inclusive and flexible working culture, presenting great opportunities for personal development and career advancement across the globe.

This role requires to be on-site in our office in Maroussi, Greece for 3 days per week.

Clinical development decisions are only as strong as the data and operational insight behind them. As Associate Director, Operational Design Lead, you will sit at the intersection of clinical operations, data science, and strategic advisory — translating complex analytical outputs into concrete, evidence-based recommendations that directly shape Phase I–III study design and operational planning across a global clinical portfolio. Reporting to the Head of the Operational Design Center, you will orchestrate the end-to-end delivery of data-driven insights, working in close partnership with design analysts, feasibility specialists, and cross-functional study teams — including Contract Research Organization partners — to ensure that analytic solutions are fit-for-purpose and drive measurable improvements in study timelines, cost projections, and decision quality.

You will lead process improvement initiatives, contribute to the evolution of the operational design strategy and future vision, and prioritize the activities of analysts and feasibility specialists in line with business needs. You will also identify and evaluate new data sources and vendor partnerships, build business case documentation for study scenario models, and guide study teams in integrating demand for analytical services into the broader planning pipeline.

By balancing human judgment with data-driven recommendations and leveraging emerging technologies — including generative AI tools — you will reduce decision latency and increase the probability of operational success across the clinical development organization.

• You hold a Master's or PhD in life sciences, data science, biostatistics, pharmaceutical sciences, or a related quantitative discipline — or bring an equivalent combination of education and substantial professional experience.
• You have 7+ years of relevant experience, including at least 5 years in pharmaceutical drug development, with direct exposure to clinical trial design, operational feasibility, or study planning.
• You bring deep expertise in Phase I–III study design, enrollment scenario modeling, country and site selection, and operational planning, with a strong track record of translating complex data into actionable recommendations for study teams and senior stakeholders.
• You are experienced in leading process improvement and managing multiple concurrent projects in a cross-functional, matrixed environment — including coordination with Contract Research Organization partners.
• You demonstrate strong analytical and data visualization skills, with the ability to structure complex problems and communicate findings clearly to non-technical audiences; experience with data storytelling for leadership communication is a distinct advantage.
• You are a proactive collaborator and communicator, skilled at engaging diverse stakeholders to define business questions, align on assumptions, and deliver fit-for-purpose insights that guide…