[Hiring] Senior Director, Project Management Centre of Excellence @ICON plc

Role Description

We are currently seeking a Senior Director, Project Management Centre of Excellence to lead the evolution of ICON’s Project Management Office into a federated Project Management Centre of Excellence. This role will establish the standards, governance, capability framework and enabling infrastructure that support consistent, high-quality clinical project delivery.

The successful candidate will create a central hub that defines the quality bar while building a distributed network of certified champions who embed project-management capability within ICON’s delivery functions. This is a standard-setting and capability-building leadership role. It does not own clinical delivery directly; it owns the enterprise standards, methods, capability framework and performance mechanisms that enable project teams to deliver consistently.

Success will require the clinical delivery credibility to influence senior stakeholders, combined with the governance, capability architecture and change leadership expertise to establish enterprise standards across a complex global matrix.

What You Will Do:

• Lead the strategy, operating model, charter and roadmap for ICON’s federated Project Management Centre of Excellence, clearly defining central ownership, local delivery responsibilities and decision rights.
• 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 covering project-leadership roles across the organisation.
• Build, train and certify a distributed network of functional champions and subject-matter experts, securing the protected capacity and governance required to deliver central standards consistently at a local level.
• Standardise study intake and outtake processes and drive measurable improvements in study start-up, site activation, closeout, quality and cycle-time performance.
• Establish governance, adoption measures, scorecards and accountability mechanisms that embed standards across functions, divisions and geographies.
• Partner with Quality and Oversight, Governance & Oversight, Data Analytics, Business Transformation, and Digital and AI teams to scale capability, strengthen process effectiveness and demonstrate measurable business value.
• Engage senior executives and delivery leaders, positioning 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.

Qualifications

• 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 the governance, decision rights and accountability mechanisms needed to drive sustained adoption.
• Experience building and leading a distributed capability network, such as certified champions, subject-matter experts or train-the-trainer communities, that enables central standards to be delivered consistently within individual functions.
• Strong working knowledge of ICH-GCP, clinical trial regulatory and quality requirements, inspection readiness and CAPA, combined with executive-level influencing skills and the ability to lead effectively through a complex matrix.
• Experience establishing a Project Management Centre of Excellence or leading a significant operating-model transformation, with demonstrated improvements in areas such as study start-up, site activation, close-out, quality or cycle-time performance.
• 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 across a complex global organisation, supported by clear controls, performance measures and continuous improvement.
• Live in Eastern US 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.

Benefits

• 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.
• Benefits may vary depending on role and location.