Clinical Development Operations, Country Operations Lead

The Position

  • Clinical Development Operations (CDO) Country Operations in Canada drives, consolidates, communicates and utilizes internal and external strategic insights to optimize clinical trial delivery; and identifies opportunities to maximize efficiencies in clinical development including services delivered by CDO external partnerships. 
  • Clinical Development Operations, Country Operations Lead is responsible for supporting the Head, Clinical Development Operations in setting the strategic direction for clinical trial delivery in line with the HBPU Intent, One Medicine Vision and CDO priorities, identifying opportunities that drive clinical development execution excellence and utilize best in class industry standards. 
  • They are  responsible for providing forecast and actualized resource utilization information to leadership within CDO. Together with local functional line managers and the feasibility team for future portfolio requirements, supports and co-ordinates CDO trial team workforce capacities and planning. They ensure implementation of the global CDO site quality and compliance framework by the R/OPUs at the site level and work with the CDO Site Quality & Compliance  lead to provide functional expertise for site quality and compliance activities in CDO. 
  • Leads the Trial Feasibility, Start-up and Recruitment team to provide direction and steering of expert engagement, including engagement of centers of excellence. 
    Oversees feasibility activities to ensure appropriate country commitments and strategic selection of investigative sites to deliver speed and patient value.
  • Ensures optimized management and end-to-end logistics of both non-drug and drug-related supplies ensuring timely procurement, shipping, and oversight of delivery of materials to clinical sites, while maintaining compliance with regulatory and internal standards. 
  • Sets the direction and guides the Clinical Research Organisation (CRO) strategic partnership. Together with the Local Vendor Manager, country CDO management team and SMEs, ensures the optimal governance of the partnership to ensure Canadian trial commitments are delivered with maximum speed and highest customer value. Provides visibility of the portfolio requirements to the CRO to execute best planning including timely resource allocation. Ensures strong collaboration with both Global CDO and CRO leadership, providing feedback to Head Global Vendor Partnerships to drive excellence in delivery of pipeline commitments for CDO.

This job posting is for an existing vacant position. 

 

Responsibilities

  • In alignment with the HBPU Intent, Medicine Excellence goals and CDO priorities, is responsible for centralized operations in Canada that drive execution excellence.
  • Fosters continuous improvement and innovation within CDO Country Operations that optimize work processes and implements industry best practices in alignment with the global/regional strategy.  
  • Leads the CDO Country Operations team including the Country Operations Specialist to build efficiency in common activities undertaken across trials by (i) keeping abreast with latest functional development in the pharma industry, trending and competitive analysis, (ii) supporting consistency, coherence and compliance, (iii) establishing area relevant standards, (iv) encouraging innovation.
  • Responsible for the CDO resources management in collaboration with the line managers and medical systems specialist in Canada, providing overview to the different stakeholders and alignment with HR and Finance.
  • Accountable for providing analysis and insights using key business information including consolidated financial reports, Veeva and other information systems. Produces and analyses reports and provides feedback to support informed decision making.
  • Responsible for tracking and reporting financial forecasting and actuals for CDO Canada.
  • Responsible for providing forecasted and actual resource information to the CDO Canadian Leadership team. In consultation with the Head, CDO Canada,  and local management team, determines and assigns resource allocations for local trial team assignments.
  • Responsible for the development(when not available at global), implementation and maintenance of business support tools for CDO Canada (eg. recruitment, patient and site engagement).
  • Supports the development a performance driven culture to ensure successful delivery of the pipeline. Support  the implementation, communication and maintenance of CDO Regions performance metrics in Canada. 
  • Oversees Clinical Trial Contract and Budget Management team to ensure effectively managed external budgets for assigned studies including budget development, budget negotiation, processing payments and forecasting for the full life cycle of the clinical trial.
  • Supports Clinical Trial Contract development and execution. Ensures that the team develops legally sound external contracts through timely and cost effective negotiations.
  • Co-ordination of communication and change management for CDO Clinical Operations in collaboration with CDO country management and country operations specialist.
  • Direct communication and change efforts within CDO to ensure the implementation of the CDO communication strategy and increase effectiveness of CDO engagement in Canada.
  • Develops strategy and implementation plans for the effective creation, management, maintenance, use and monitoring of CDO communication and collaboration platforms to ensure they meet the business needs of CDO and build community engagement.
  • Leads creation, editing and distribution of CDO communications, such as print and electronic publications, presentations, podcasts, videos, intranet and digital social media content, to build employee engagement and support the delivery of key business messages and goals; engage with content creators to develop interesting, relevant and easily-understood content.
  • Supports CDO Canadian Leadership to develop and/or cascade clear, concise, business messages for key CDO events and campaigns to facilitate understanding and delivery of business goals.
  • Leads the Trial Feasibility, Start-up and Recruitment team to provide direction and steering of expert engagement, including centers of excellence. 
  • Oversees all feasibility activities to ensure appropriate country commitments and strategic selection of investigative sites to deliver speed and patient value.
  • Supports the team to liaise with global strategic feasibility group to ensure optimal commitments.
  • Ensures implementation of the global CDO site quality and compliance framework by the R/OPUs at the site level. Works with the CDO Site Quality & Compliance  lead to provide functional expertise for site quality and compliance activities in CDO. 
  • Creates an environment that inspires, motivates, and empowers colleagues promoting one common CDO identity to accelerate clinical development timelines and create value for patients.
  • Fosters a learning culture in CDO by encouraging continuous learning, sharing bast practices, learning from failures.
  • Supports integration and full collaboration amongst all CDO functions.
  • Embraces innovative technologies, as well as creates and maintains a culture that drives empowerment, smart risk taking and one common CDO identity.

This position is based in the Burlington, Ontario office located at 5180 South Service Road and is flexible.
Employees in flexible roles are required to be at the office a minimum of 50% of the time each month and must report to the office when requested and required by their Manager/Department.  

 

Requirements

  • Degree /education: Minimum B.S. degree, Advanced degree (e.g. Masters, PhD, or MD) preferred. Major, focus: Life Science or Business
  • Minimum of 5 years' professional experience with pharmaceutical industry or CRO with proven record of successful implementing innovative business /management solutions and change management. High competency in technology highly desirable.
  • Visionary: Ability to step back from one’s daily routine, explore ideas for the future, regard the facts from a distance and see them in a broader context or in the longer term
  • The Customer Value Driver: Ability to actively engage with customers, building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
  • Stakeholder management: Ability to effectively build and manage relationships with different stakeholders internally and externally, engaging with them in a planned and meaningful way in pursuit of the company’s strategic objectives and feeding intelligence back to the company to maximize the deliverables.
  • (Agile) Project Management: Ability to initiating, plan, executing, controlling and closing projects including reporting on results and/or lessons learned
  • Effective Communication & Influencing Skills: Ability to have a positive impact on others, to persuade or convince them in order to gain their support.
  • Solid Medical/Scientific understanding, including general understanding of Pharma industry, rules, and regulations.
  • Financial acumen: Ability to interpret and apply understanding of key financial indicators to make better business decisions.
  • Effective cross-functional collaborations: Ability to develop and maintain relations, alliances and coalitions within and outside the organization and to use them in order to obtain information, support and cooperation
  • Curiosity, innovative thinking: Ability and a strong desire to know or learn something, inquisitiveness, interest, curiousness.
  • Digital expertise: Displays the ability to use technologies to access information, be creative, innovative, solve problems, communicate, navigate, learn & apply in a digital environment.
  • Integrity and compliance mindset: Adherence to the standards, values and rules of conduct associated with one’s position and the culture in which one operates.
  • Outcome orientation: is driven by outcomes and results
  • Data-driven insights: Ability to take decisions based on data analysis and interpretation.

 

Total Rewards

We offer competitive total rewards that includes a generous amount of paid time off (vacation, personal days, contingency paid time off days for Long Term Contract Employees), comprehensive and flexible benefits plan, Defined Contribution Pension Plan with company matching of RRSPs, Employee and Family Assistance Plan, employee and leadership development programs, and programs to support overall health and wellness for employees. 

Our total rewards philosophy reflects and recognizes employee contributions to the company. 

Visit https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/ca/careers/explore-our-company/benefits-rewards

The salary range for this position is from $138,150 to $184,230.  Performance, relevant experience and competency in the role will be a key factor in driving the compensation offered.  In addition, this position is eligible for a variable bonus target opportunity of 15% of the annual base salary. 

 

READY TO APPLY? 

Click the "Apply Now" button below to submit your application.

We thank all applicants for their interest in our company.  Please note that only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. 

Boehringer Ingelheim Canada is committed to providing accommodations for people with disabilities to support their participation in all aspects of the recruitment and selection process.  If you require accommodation, we will work with you to meet your needs. 

Boehringer Ingelheim Canada does not use artificial intelligence to screen, assess, or select applicants in the recruitment process. 

 

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Applications for this position will be accepted until March 16, 2026

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