Regional Director of Operations

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in California.

📋 Description

• Take ownership of the regional P&L and implement strategies to meet budgeted revenue, margin, and EBITDA targets, assuming full responsibility for financial outcomes.

• Drive strategic and tactical decisions aimed at enhancing regional profitability, collaborating closely with Site Directors to achieve financial goals.

• Oversee regional operational and financial metrics, including budget formulation, monthly reporting, variance analysis, and initiatives for continuous improvement.

• Leverage financial tools to manage regional operational budgets, encompassing fixed and variable costs, capital expenditure proposals, and resource distribution.

• Evaluate operational volume and labor staffing models across various sites to identify optimal staffing needs and opportunities for efficiency gains.

• Familiarize yourself with clinical trial agreement budgets to pinpoint opportunities for renegotiation, prioritize Tier 1 studies (those with high patient volume or high randomized per patient value), and ensure proper protocol selection in line with regional capabilities and strategic importance.

• Connect clinical operations with accounting, finance, and commercial teams to align on financial targets and study economics.

• Maintain precise backlog forecasting and pipeline visibility to support regional revenue forecasts and capacity planning.

• Supervise bottom of funnel (BOF) conversion metrics, collaborating with Site Directors and commercial teams to enhance win rates and streamline study activation timelines.

• Implement strategies and processes to sustain and enhance productivity and profitability across all regional locations.

• Identify and capitalize on operational synergies and best practices across regional sites.

• Formulate and execute a regional operational strategy that aligns with corporate goals and the Flourish Approach.

• Acquire in-depth knowledge of the history, operations, competitive landscape, and market dynamics of each site and the regional footprint.

• Provide insights on regional expansion possibilities, including site acquisitions, new developments, and capability enhancements.

• Assist the commercial team in feasibility evaluations and developing strategic sponsor relationships.

• Work with the Medical Advisory Board on regional therapeutic area strategy and engagement with key opinion leaders (KOLs).

• Collaborate with the growth team on planning and executing integration for new site acquisitions within the region.

• Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain high-performing Site Directors and leadership teams at the site level.

• Lead, coach, and inspire a team of Site Directors to implement clinical and operational strategies with clear performance expectations.

• Drive performance management and coaching/development objectives across the regional leadership team.

• Act as the champion for change, culture, and engagement within the region, partnering with HR on People and Culture initiatives.

• Collaborate with the training team to establish a strong pipeline of effective leadership at both site and regional levels.

• Utilize routines and best practices to evaluate performance, acknowledge achievements, and provide performance coaching when gaps are identified.

• Direct the regional recruiting strategy to meet talent needs for immediate, mid-term, and long-term success.

• Encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing among sites to enhance regional operational capabilities.

• Oversee and hold Site Directors accountable for the execution of all clinical trial activities, ensuring compliance with GCP, FDA regulations, ICH guidelines, HIPAA laws, and sponsor protocols.

• Drive standardization of operations, systems, and processes across all regional sites to ensure consistency, efficiency, and operational excellence.

• Ensure Site Directors maintain structured standard operating procedures (SOPs), policies, and processes in collaboration with Quality and Risk teams.

• Monitor site-level performance regarding enrollment, retention, data quality, protocol compliance, and sponsor satisfaction metrics.

• Ensure continuous high-level involvement from Principal Investigators through Site Director coaching and investigator engagement.

• Guarantee data integrity and prompt submission of quality data to sponsors by effectively overseeing site quality control processes.

• Ensure the safety of study participants through appropriate training and oversight in partnership with the Medical Advisory Board.

• Hold Flourish shared services functions accountable for meeting agreed-upon service level targets, including Human Resources, Feasibility, Budgets and Contracts, Quality, Training, Information Technology, and Finance.

• Represent the region in corporate strategy discussions and planning processes.

• Escalate issues and advocate for regional needs with executive leadership and shared services teams.

• Collaborate with Quality leadership to drive regional quality metrics and ensure audit readiness.

• Work with IT and training teams to ensure successful adoption of systems and processes.

• Partner with the commercial team to communicate regional capacity, capabilities, and competitive positioning.

• Professionally represent Flourish Research in all interactions with staff, clients, and vendors, both verbally and in writing, as well as in appearance.

• Perform additional duties as assigned by management.

⛳️ Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree preferred or equivalent experience.

• Experience: 10+ years in clinical research required, including 5+ years in site leadership positions (Site Director or RDO).

• In-depth knowledge of clinical research methodologies.

• Strong management and leadership capabilities.

• Proven ability to collaborate and align with operations.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Proficient in computer skills, including Office365 products.

• Experience in drafting and reviewing Standard Operating Procedures.

• Strong skills in problem-solving, risk assessment, and impact analysis.

• Proven experience in process improvement.

• Strong negotiation and conflict management skills.

• Flexible, capable of managing multiple tasks and prioritizing competing demands.

• Ability to think independently and influence when appropriate.

🏝️ Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision insurance plans.

• 401(k) with a 100% employer match on the first 4% of employee contributions.

• Tuition reimbursement.

• Parental leave.

• Employee referral program.

• Employee assistance program.

• Life insurance.

• Disability insurance.

• Generous PTO plan covering vacation, sick, personal days, and 8 paid holidays.