Vice President, Operations (iCRO)

Spsoft is looking for a Vice President, Operations for one of our core clients.

About our client

Our client is a global Imaging Clinical Research Organization (iCRO) focused on advancing imaging science, technology, and clinical trial services to support the development of life-changing therapies. With operations across Europe, North America, and Asia, they partner with pharmaceutical, biotech, and CRO organizations to deliver high-quality imaging solutions that enable confident clinical decision-making and successful trial outcomes.

Position Summary

The Vice President of Operations is responsible for leading and scaling operational delivery across the organization, ensuring predictable execution, operational excellence, and sustainable growth.

This role provides executive leadership across operational functions supporting clinical trial imaging programs, including project delivery, imaging operations, and data management. The VP Operations is accountable for translating company strategy and commercial objectives into scalable operational execution, driving accountability, improving efficiency, and ensuring consistent delivery quality.

The VP Operations will build scalable operational systems, strengthen organizational performance, and develop high-performing teams capable of supporting continued company growth.

Department: Operations
Reports To: Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership & Delivery

• Provide executive oversight of operational delivery across all active programs.
• Ensure consistent on-time delivery, quality outcomes, and client satisfaction.
• Establish proactive risk identification, escalation, and recovery processes.
• Drive operational KPIs linked to delivery performance and revenue realization.

Operational Excellence & Process Optimization

• Review, optimize, and standardize operational processes, procedures, and workflows.
• Ensure efficient intra- and inter-departmental collaboration across the full study lifecycle (startup through closure).
• Support development, validation, and continuous improvement of operational systems and tools.
• Maintain robust operational oversight to ensure compliance and consistency.

Organizational Leadership

• Lead and develop operational functions including:
• Project Management
• Data Management
• Imaging Operations / Study Delivery teams
• Define clear accountability structures and performance expectations.
• Build a high-performance culture focused on ownership and execution.
• Support hiring, onboarding, and development of operational leaders and staff.

Performance & Accountability

• Establish and monitor performance metrics across operational teams.
• Implement improvement and recovery plans for at-risk programs.
• Provide rigorous oversight and effective escalation pathways.
• Drive continuous improvement and operational maturity.

Strategic Execution

• Translate company strategy into operational plans and measurable outcomes.
• Partner with executive leadership to support organizational scaling.
• Ensure operational readiness for sponsor expectations and regulatory requirements.

Financial & Resource Oversight

• Support forecasting, resource planning, and capacity management.
• Partner with Finance and leadership to optimize operational efficiency and margin.
• Track operational performance against budget and revenue targets.

Commercial & Business Development Support

• Partner with Business Development to ensure operational feasibility and scalability of proposed solutions.
• Provide operational leadership and strategic input during proposal development, bid defense preparation, and client discussions.
• Support training and mentoring of Business Development teams on operational capabilities, delivery models, and execution risks.
• Collaborate with BD to align client expectations with operational reality, ensuring solutions are competitive and deliverable.
• Contribute operational insight to strategic growth initiatives and service expansion opportunities.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as the senior operational liaison across:
  – Product & Development
  – Quality Assurance & Regulatory
  – Business Development
• Ensure alignment, clarity of priorities, and effective communication across departments.
• Represent Operations in client meetings, audits, and inspections as required.

Leadership Expectations

• Provide visible, hands-on leadership across global teams.
• Mentor and develop operational leaders and future managers.
• Drive a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement.
• Lead change initiatives to support organizational growth and scalability.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Advanced degree (MBA, Healthcare Management, or Sciences) preferred.

Experience

• 12+ years of experience in pharmaceutical, biotech, CRO, or clinical trial operations.
• 7+ years in senior operational leadership roles managing global teams.
• Minimum 2+ years of Imaging CRO experience.
• Demonstrated success scaling operational delivery organizations.
• Strong understanding of clinical trial regulations and quality frameworks (FDA, EMA, ICH-GCP).
• Experience with forecasting, resource planning, and operational performance management.

Core Competencies

• Strong operational execution and decision-making.
• Hands-on strategic and tactical leadership.
• Data-driven and KPI-oriented mindset.
• Ability to lead through complexity and ambiguity.
• Executive-level communication and stakeholder management.
• Strong leadership presence with a pragmatic, solutions-focused approach.
• Ability to drive accountability and organizational change.