Senior Director, Clinical Project Management – Centre of Excellence

ICON plc

. Lead the strategy, operating model, charter and roadmap for ICON’s federated Project Management Centre of Excellence .

Posted 11/11/2026full-timeRemote • United States, Canada, IrelandSeniorWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates extensive global clinical trial delivery experience across the full study lifecycle, with a strong focus on establishing enterprise project-management standards and governance. Proven ability to build and lead high-performing teams while leveraging digital and AI-enabled solutions to enhance project management capabilities.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Global Clinical Trial Delivery ExperienceProject Management Centre Of ExcellenceRole-Based Competency Framework DesignICH-GCP KnowledgePMP Certification

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Project ManagementProcess EngineeringClinical Trial StandardsGovernance MechanismsResource PlanningStakeholder ManagementContinuous Learning ArchitectureStudy Lifecycle ManagementQuality AssuranceRisk Management

Soft Skills

LeadershipCollaborationCommunicationTrainingMentoring

Tools & Technologies

Learning PlatformsAnalytics SolutionsDigital SolutionsAI-Enabled Solutions

Certifications & Qualifications

PMPPgMPProsci

Industry Keywords

Clinical DevelopmentCRO EnvironmentInspection ReadinessCAPAMatrixed Organization

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

PMP

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead the strategy, operating model, charter and roadmap for ICON’s federated Project Management Centre of Excellence
Establish and govern enterprise project-management standards, methodologies, processes, templates, systems and certification requirements for clinical trial delivery
Design and own a role-based competency framework, structured onboarding journey and continuous-learning architecture
Build, train and certify a distributed network of functional champions and subject-matter experts
Standardise study intake and outtake processes and improve study start-up, site activation, closeout, quality and cycle-time performance
Establish governance, adoption measures, scorecards and accountability mechanisms across functions, divisions and geographies
Partner with Quality and Oversight, Governance & Oversight, Data Analytics, Business Transformation, and Digital and AI teams
Engage senior executives and delivery leaders to position project-management capability as a driver of quality, operational performance, sponsor experience and business growth
Build, lead and develop a high-performing central team with accountability for resource planning, priorities and stakeholder management

Requirements

What you’ll need

Extensive global clinical trial delivery experience across the full study lifecycle, including start-up, conduct and closeout, with personal accountability for scope, timelines, financials, risk, resources, vendors, sponsors and quality
Significant senior leadership experience within project management, a PMO or comparable enterprise capability function in a global, matrixed clinical development or CRO environment
Proven experience designing and owning a role-based competency framework and structured onboarding and continuous-learning pathway for clinical project-leadership roles, with demonstrated adoption and measurable impact
Demonstrated success establishing enterprise project-management standards across functions outside your direct line authority, including governance, decision rights and accountability mechanisms
Experience building and leading a distributed capability network, such as certified champions, subject-matter experts or train-the-trainer communities
Strong working knowledge of ICH-GCP, clinical trial regulatory and quality requirements, inspection readiness and CAPA
Experience establishing a Project Management Centre of Excellence or leading a significant operating-model transformation
Experience using learning platforms, analytics, digital or AI-enabled solutions to scale capability and measure effectiveness
Relevant credentials such as PMP, PgMP, Prosci or continuous-improvement qualifications are an advantage
Proven experience using process-engineering principles to design and embed standardised, scalable project-management processes
Live in Eastern US or Midwest US, Canada, or Ireland and able to travel 10%
Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, business, project management or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience
Legal right to work in the country where the role is based

Benefits

Comp & perks

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