Director, Site Activation

Director, Site Activation - India, Chennai - Office with Flex: Experience in Study Start Up, Project Management and scaling centralized operations to support global delivery required.

ICON plc is a world-leading healthcare intelligence and clinical research organization. We’re proud to foster an inclusive environment driving innovation and excellence, and we welcome you to join us on our mission to shape the future of clinical development.

We are currently seeking a Director, FSA (Feasibility, Study Start-up, and Activation) to join our global leadership team. This position will be based in India and will play a key role in shaping and leading centralized operations to deliver high-quality, efficient, and scalable clinical study support. As the Director, you will be responsible for developing and implementing effective strategies, operating models, and business processes that drive consistency, accelerate timelines, and enhance overall delivery performance. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced leader to contribute to large-scale transformation and operational excellence initiatives within a global organization.

What You Will Be Doing:

• Lead the development, implementation, and optimization of centralized operations to support global delivery.

• Build, scale, and manage high-performing teams, ensuring effective alignment with business goals and operational standards.

• Drive initiatives focused on process improvement, change management, and continuous enhancement of service quality and efficiency.

• Partner with global and regional stakeholders to ensure predictable outcomes, effective risk management, and seamless project execution.

• Provide strategic direction and mentorship to people managers and team leads, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and innovation.

• Contribute to organizational transformation initiatives by identifying opportunities for process automation and technology adoption.

• Represent the function as a senior counterpart to internal and external partners, promoting best practices and operational excellence.

Your Profile:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Life Sciences, Business, or a related discipline.

• Experience in a similar leadership role within a large CRO or pharmaceutical organization, managing complex operational programs.

• Demonstrated success in establishing or expanding centralized operations, with a proven ability to scale teams and processes effectively.

• Strong leadership background in managing global programs, initiatives, or delivery operations within a large, matrixed environment.

• Proven track record of success in driving operational transformation, process improvement, and change management.

• Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence and collaborate across senior levels and global teams.

• Strategic and solutions-oriented mindset, with strong analytical and decision-making capabilities.

• Good to have: Experience implementing automation or technology-based solutions to enhance productivity or operational visibility.

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What ICON can offer you:
Our success depends on the quality of our people. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to build a diverse culture that rewards high performance and nurtures talent.

In addition to your competitive salary, ICON offers a range of additional benefits. Our benefits are designed to be competitive within each country and are focused on well-being and work life balance opportunities for you and your family.

Our benefits examples include:

• Various annual leave entitlements
• A range of health insurance offerings to suit you and your family’s needs.
• Competitive retirement planning offerings to maximize savings and plan with confidence for the years ahead.
• Global Employee Assistance Programme, LifeWorks, offering 24-hour access to a global network of over 80,000 independent specialized professionals who are there to support you and your family’s well-being.
• Life assurance
• Flexible country-specific optional benefits, including childcare vouchers, bike purchase schemes, discounted gym memberships, subsidized travel passes, health assessments, among others.

Visit our careers site to read more about the benefits ICON offers.

At ICON, inclusion & belonging are fundamental to our culture and values. We’re dedicated to providing an inclusive and accessible environment for all candidates. ICON is committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or in order to perform the essential functions of a position, please let us know or submit a request here

Interested in the role, but unsure if you meet all of the requirements? We would encourage you to apply regardless – there’s every chance you’re exactly what we’re looking for here at ICON whether it is for this or other roles.

Are you a current ICON Employee? Please click here to apply