ICON is a global healthcare intelligence and clinical research organisation united by a mission to bring new medicines and treatments to patients faster.
As a values-driven organisation, integrity, collaboration, agility, and inclusion are at the heart of how we work and interact with each other, customers, patients and suppliers.
The Senior Director, FSA Project Management provides strategic and operational leadership across a portfolio of global clinical development programs, with accountability for the successful delivery of site startup activities, including regulatory, contracting, and site activation.
In this role, you will lead and develop FSA Project Management leaders and their teams, driving consistent portfolio performance, client satisfaction, financial delivery, and operational excellence. You will serve as a senior escalation point for startup risks and operational challenges, partnering closely with sponsors, project leadership, and cross-functional stakeholders to develop effective startup strategies and deliver predictable, high-quality outcomes that support study timelines and broader business objectives. The role has portfolio accountability across a mix of large pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients and provides leadership across a broad FSA Project Management organization.
What You Will Do
- Provide strategic leadership and oversight across a portfolio of global clinical development programs, ensuring successful delivery of site startup, regulatory, contracting, and activation activities while driving timelines, quality, financial performance, and client experience.
- Lead, coach, and develop FSA Project Management leaders and their teams, fostering a high-performance culture, building a strong talent pipeline, and ensuring effective resource planning.
- Partner with sponsors, project leadership, and cross-functional stakeholders to develop and execute startup strategies, proactively manage risks, and resolve complex operational escalations.
- Drive operational excellence and continuous improvement by optimizing processes, ways of working, and adoption of innovative technologies to improve efficiency and predictability of delivery.
- Provide effective portfolio governance and strategic oversight, supporting strong customer relationships, financial health, achievement of business objectives, and sustainable portfolio growth.
What You Need
- Significant leadership experience within clinical research, clinical development, or a related life sciences environment, with responsibility for complex global programs or portfolios.
- Strong knowledge of clinical trial startup activities, including site activation, regulatory processes, contracting, and associated operational dependencies.
- Demonstrated experience leading and developing people leaders and building high-performing teams within a complex, matrixed organization.
- Proven ability to manage portfolio performance across operational delivery, quality, financial performance, resource planning, and client experience.
- Strong client and stakeholder management capabilities, with experience partnering with pharmaceutical and/or biotechnology sponsors and senior cross-functional leaders.
- Proven ability to anticipate and manage operational risks, resolve complex escalations, and drive effective decision-making in a fast-paced global environment.
- Strategic and continuous-improvement mindset, with demonstrated success optimizing processes, ways of working, and adoption of innovative technologies.
- Live in the US
- Able to travel up to 25%
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#LI-REMOTE
Employment with ICON is contingent upon having the legal right to work in the country where the role is based.
Rewards & Benefits
ICON offers a competitive and comprehensive total rewards package designed to support your health, wellbeing, and career development.
Benefits may include:
- Competitive base salary and performance related incentives
- Health and wellbeing programmes including medical, dental, and vision coverage where applicable
- Retirement and pension plans
- Life assurance and disability coverage
- Employee assistance programmes and wellbeing resources
- Learning and development opportunities through structured training and career pathways
Benefits may vary depending on role and location.
Visit our careers site to read more about the benefits ICON offers.
Inclusion and Accessibility
ICON is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building an inclusive and accessible workplace where everyone feels valued and supported.
If you require reasonable accommodations during the recruitment process, please let us know or submit a request here.
Are you a current ICON Employee? Please click here to apply
Skills Required
- Significant leadership experience within clinical research, clinical development, or a related life sciences environment
- Experience with complex global clinical programs or portfolios
- Strong knowledge of clinical trial startup activities, including site activation, regulatory processes, contracting, and operational dependencies
- Experience leading and developing people leaders and building high-performing teams in a complex, matrixed organization
- Experience managing portfolio performance across operational delivery, quality, financial performance, resource planning, and client experience
- Strong client and stakeholder management capabilities
- Experience partnering with pharmaceutical and/or biotechnology sponsors and senior cross-functional leaders
- Ability to anticipate and manage operational risks, resolve complex escalations, and drive effective decision-making
- Strategic and continuous-improvement mindset, including success optimizing processes, ways of working, and technology adoption
- Must live in the United States
- Able to travel up to 25%
- Legal right to work in the country where the role is based
ICON plc Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about ICON plc and has not been reviewed or approved by ICON plc.
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Healthcare Strength — Benefits are described as comprehensive, with medical coverage and wellness initiatives highlighted. Larger sites are also associated with added wellness supports such as onsite fitness options and access to an employee assistance program.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off and flexibility provisions are positioned as a meaningful part of the total package, including vacation/annual leave and flexible work scheduling. Flexibility is sometimes cited as helping offset long hours in certain roles.
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Retirement Support — Retirement and savings support is presented as a core component of the benefits package, including offerings such as pension arrangements in some locations and a U.S. 401(k) plan with company match. Financial planning resources are also emphasized as part of broader security benefits.
ICON plc Insights
What We Do
Since our foundation in Dublin, Ireland in 1990, our mission has been to help our clients to accelerate the development of drugs and devices that save lives and improve quality of life. We do this by delivering best in class information, solutions and performance, with an unyielding focus on quality at all times. We offer a full range of consulting, development and commercialisation services from a global network of offices in 53 countries. We focus our innovation on the factors that are critical to our clients – reducing time to market, reducing cost, and increasing quality – and our global team of experts has extensive experience in a broad range of therapeutic areas.
