Vice President, Business Operations

The VP, Business Operations leader will partner with all functional heads under the Chief Development Officer (CDO), inclusive of non-clinical, CMC, Development Operations, and program leadership to plan and execute on critical business transactions and activities.  Including and not limited to, the VP, Business Operations leader will oversee end to end vendor selection and outsourcing activities, be accountable for development costing and ongoing financial reviews with FP&A, ensure compliance with contractual agreements with legal, as well as oversee development systems and processes with IT and quality.  The role will enable operational optimization for all development functions and withhold stewardship of compliance in partnership with development functions.  The VP, Business Operations leader is instrumental to the success of the development organization as it will introduce harmonization and efficiency in how the CDO organization operates day to day and strategically.

• Setting the vision for Business Operations (BO) and then creating and iteratively enhancing the standards, processes and tools utilized by the function.
• Leading the forecasting of program and clinical expenses for all Development service categories such as toxicology, clinical study management, investigator grants, central labs, specialty labs, bioanalytical services, etc.
• Defining and managing the source-to-pay lifecycle including Request-for-Information (RFI) and Request-for-Proposal (RFP) activities for development services such as study management (CRO services), central laboratory, bioanalytical services, interactive response technology (IRT), etc.
• Managing the contract lifecycle (i.e. drafting, negotiating, executing, tracking, archiving) of vendor agreements including effective negotiation of budget and payment terms.
• Defining and measuring outcome-based key performance indicators (KPIs) for critical service categories.
• Developing and maintaining strategic partnerships with key vendors to enable effective collaboration, issue resolution and a governance framework.
• Supporting the quarterly financial reviews of Development expenses with Corporate Finance and other Development business units.
• Defining and maintaining the Fair-Market Value (FMV) standards utilized by Pliant.
• Leading the development of protocol-specific budget templates utilized in Clinical Trial Agreement (CTA) negotiations with investigative sites.
• Reviewing and approving escalated CTA budgets by CROs managing Pliant's clinical trials.
• Effectively partnering with relevant internal and external stakeholders such as Clinical Operations, Legal, Corporate Finance, Regulatory, Quality Assurance and/or vendors, as applicable, to enable informed, risk-considered decisions.
• Building, leading and managing the BO team.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, abilities and prior experience required.

• 18+ years of relevant clinical development experience preferred with a B.A./B.S. degree; or 15+ years of relevant clinical development experience preferred with an advanced degree.
• 8+ years in a leadership role leading and managing teams.
• Ability to utilize complex Microsoft Excel formulas and functions - e.g. VLOOKUP, INDEX, MATCH and pivots.
• Experience with writing VBA macros or other programming languages a plus.
• Demonstrated leadership focused on driving results.
• Successful track record of people management, experience leading teams, strong internal and communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to effectively build and manage senior level relationships across the company, and with external stakeholders.
• Ability to set priorities, juggle multiple demands, and manage changing priorities.
• Ability to provide critical thinking and be a proactive problem-solver.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively while exercising initiative, flexibility, and sound judgment.
• Ability to operate in alignment with Pliant's values and culture.

Pliant requires all new hires to be fully vaccinated prior to the first date of employment (subject to any legally required exemptions).

The annual base salary for this role is $325,000 - $335,000. Individual pay may vary based on additional factors, including, and without limitation job-related skills, experience, work location and relevant education or training. Pliant's compensation package also includes benefits, equity, and annual target bonus for fulltime positions.