VP / Director, Clinical Operations

CONFIDENTIAL RETAINED SEARCH | SAN DIEGO LIFE SCIENCES

We are conducting a confidential, retained search for a clinical operations vice president at a clinical-stage biotech company in the San Diego life sciences corridor. The VP/Director of Clinical Operations will lead trial execution, CRO oversight, and site management across the clinical portfolio, reporting to the CMO or Chief Development Officer. We seek leaders with 10-15+ years of clinical operations leadership experience in biotech or CRO settings.

Search Reference: TNF-LS-CO-2026 | Trial Execution Leadership Mandate, San Diego Life Sciences

ABOUT THIS SEARCH

Top Notch Finders holds an exclusive, strictly confidential retained search for a VP/Director of Clinical Operations at a client in the San Diego and CaliBaja life sciences corridor. To protect our client and every candidate, we disclose the company’s identity only to qualified candidates under a confidentiality agreement. In addition, Top Notch Finders receives and manages every inquiry and application directly.

THE CLINICAL OPERATIONS VICE PRESIDENT OPPORTUNITY

Our client is a clinical-stage biotech company running pivotal trials in oncology, rare disease, and cell and gene therapy. The VP/Director of Clinical Operations leads trial execution, CRO oversight, and site management across the clinical portfolio. Because the client runs pivotal trials, this leader carries particular responsibility for Phase 2/3 trial delivery. In addition, the role reports to the CMO or Chief Development Officer. Finally, we disclose the exact location only to qualified candidates.

HOW WE SEARCH IN LIFE SCIENCES

For a deeper look at how we evaluate and hire senior leaders in this industry, read our guide, The 2026 San Diego Life Sciences Executive Search Hiring Guide. In addition, it explains our approach to executive search for clinical and operations leadership roles.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead end-to-end clinical trial execution from protocol development through database lock.
• Select, contract, and manage CRO and vendor relationships.
• Oversee site selection, activation, and patient enrollment strategy.
• Ensure GCP compliance and audit readiness across all active trials.
• Manage the clinical operations budget and timeline forecasting.
• Partner with Regulatory Affairs, Biostatistics, and Data Management on submission-ready trial data.
• Build and mentor the clinical operations team as the trial portfolio scales.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• A bachelor’s degree (required); an advanced degree such as an MS or PharmD (preferred).
• 10-15+ years of clinical operations leadership experience in biotech or CRO settings.
• Direct, hands-on experience running a pivotal (Phase 2/3) trial (strongly preferred).
• Deep understanding of GCP, ICH guidelines, and global trial regulatory requirements.
• Strong vendor and CRO negotiation and budget management skills.
• Experience in oncology, rare disease, or advanced-therapy trial designs (a plus).

HOW TO APPLY IN CONFIDENCE

This is a discreet, retained engagement. We will never present your candidacy to any organization without your explicit prior authorization. In addition, the hiring company cannot see any application at this stage.

If you are an accomplished clinical operations leader and want to be considered as our next clinical operations vice president, please submit your resume in confidence through the Top Notch Finders website. Reference search code TNF-LS-CO-2026 in your submission. However, do not include patient-identifiable, trial-blinded, or other confidential clinical information of any kind in your application materials. We will contact only the candidates whose backgrounds align closely with the mandate.