At Cytel, we are passionate about advancing the development of life-changing therapies through innovative statistical, data, and clinical solutions. As a global leader supporting pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device organizations, we help our customers bring treatments to patients faster and more efficiently.
We are seeking an experienced and strategic Vice President, FSP Operations - India to lead and scale our India-based Functional Service Provider (FSP) organization. This executive leader will be accountable for operational excellence, client delivery, workforce strategy, financial performance, and the continued growth of Cytel's FSP business.
This is a highly visible leadership role requiring a proven track record of building high-performing teams, managing large-scale client partnerships, and driving operational transformation within the CRO, biopharmaceutical, or clinical research industry.
ResponsibilitiesStrategic Leadership
Develop and execute the strategic vision for Cytel's India-based FSP operations.
Partner with global executive leadership to support business growth, operational scalability, and client success.
Drive initiatives that enhance delivery quality, operational efficiency, employee engagement, and profitability.
Serve as a key member of the global FSP leadership team.
Operational Excellence
Lead large, multi-functional FSP teams supporting global pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients.
Ensure consistent delivery of services across statistical programming, biostatistics, data management, clinical data science, and related functions.
Establish and monitor operational KPIs, utilization metrics, productivity measures, and quality standards.
Drive continuous improvement and process optimization initiatives.
Client Relationship Management
Act as an executive sponsor for strategic client partnerships.
Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across sponsor organizations.
Support business reviews, governance meetings, escalation management, and account growth opportunities.
Ensure exceptional client satisfaction and long-term retention.
Talent & Organizational Leadership
Build, develop, and retain a high-performing leadership team across India.
Create succession plans and leadership development programs to strengthen organizational capability.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and client-centricity.
Champion diversity, inclusion, and employee engagement initiatives.
Financial & Commercial Management
Own operational financial performance, including revenue delivery, margin management, forecasting, and resource planning.
Partner with Business Development and Account Management teams to support new opportunities and strategic bids.
Ensure efficient workforce planning aligned with current and future client demand.
Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Statistics, Mathematics, Business, or a related discipline.
15+ years of experience within CRO, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or clinical research environments.
Significant leadership experience managing large global delivery organizations.
Deep understanding of FSP, outsourced clinical development, and resource management models.
Proven success leading teams of 200+ professionals across multiple functions and geographies.
Strong financial acumen, including P&L ownership and operational budgeting.
Demonstrated experience building senior-level client relationships.
Experience leading India-based global capability centers or offshore delivery organizations.
Experience supporting top-tier pharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations.
Exceptional communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills.
Why Cytel?
At Cytel, you'll have the opportunity to influence the future of clinical development while leading a talented global team dedicated to improving patient outcomes. We offer a collaborative culture, meaningful work, and the chance to make a significant impact in a growing and evolving organization.
Skills Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences, Statistics, Mathematics, Business, or a related discipline
- 15+ years of experience within CRO, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or clinical research environments
- Significant leadership experience managing large global delivery organizations
- Deep understanding of FSP, outsourced clinical development, and resource management models
- Proven success leading teams of 200+ professionals across multiple functions and geographies
- Strong financial acumen, including P&L ownership and operational budgeting
- Demonstrated experience building senior-level client relationships
- Experience leading India-based global capability centers or offshore delivery organizations
- Experience supporting top-tier pharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations
- Exceptional communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills
Cytel Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Cytel and has not been reviewed or approved by Cytel.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage is described as comprehensive, spanning medical, dental, vision, life and disability, with FSAs/HSAs also available. Plan quality is often characterized as good to excellent, which lifts the perceived value of the overall package.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) with employer match is consistently part of the benefits package. The plan is also characterized as well managed, contributing to a sense of baseline retirement support.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Overall pay is characterized as decent-to-good and broadly competitive in parts of the business, with stronger alignment noted in senior technical tracks like biostatistics and programming. The total package is often framed as respectable rather than premium.
Cytel Insights
What We Do
Cytel enables decision-makers in the life sciences to unlock the full potential of their products. From navigating uncertainty to proving value, Cytel’s 30 years of global expertise in consulting, data-driven analytics, and industry-leading software helps biotech and pharmaceutical companies transform intelligence into confident decisions. We have an uncompromising commitment to scientific rigor and high standards of operational excellence, which are channeled through our locations in North America, Europe, the United Kingdom, and Asia. Together, we enable our clients to deliver the therapies that propel humanity forward. Cytel employs a range of data science tools from biostatistics to machine learning to help executives in the life-sciences to make confident decisions powered by data. We are probably best known for being leaders in the field of adaptive clinical trial design, a subset of trial design that uses interim looks to enhance the patient safety and commercial value of pharmaceutical products. We also have specialists in Bayesian statistics, real world evidence, artificial intelligence, health economics, and a number of other research fields to ensure that academic and scientific findings can have impact on industry quickly and seamlessly. www.cytel.com








