Executive Director, Patient Travel

Description

SUMMARY:

The Executive Director of Patient Travel is responsible for effectively managing travel department and execution of all travel projects. This individual drives delivery of entire travel portfolio, strategic planning, operational planning, business processes, and system rollouts, as needed. This individual develops, modifies, and executes patient travel policies and procedures regarding the patient experience. The Executive Director leads and manages all travel program projects and ensures that budgets, KPIs and goals are met.

The Executive Director will ensure the clients’ studies/portfolios meet all the internal and customer quality standards. The Executive Director will work across the business to identify, scope, and drive strategic alliances within the current portfolio as well as strategic new business opportunities. In this role, the Executive Director will provide subject-matter expertise and leadership skills to actively monitor and make recommendations to travel portfolio and cross-functional team performance to deliver program, project, and portfolio goals effectively.

In addition, the Executive Director manages and mentors travel staff in general team leadership, customer & project management, internal Elligo processes, and project-specific tasks.

Requirements

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Main point of escalation and problem solver for Travel Projects
• Heightens the profitability of the department to meet or exceed the department budget
• Provide department reports to senior management relating to department finances and performance.
• Monitors and participates in overall direction, strategy, and performance standards for project teams:
• Ensures services provided to clients are compliant with company policies, procedures, SOPs, ICH-GCPs, client contractual expectations and regulatory requirements.
• Coordinates with senior management to ensure projects are meeting corporate and client objectives.
• Ensures that each project is managed within the contracted schedule and budget, staff and team maintain effective communication and working relationships with other departments.
• Establish a proactive and out-reaching approach across team leads, department heads and executive team to facilitate communication channels and ensure operational efficiency.
• Prepares analyses and delivering insights; developing presentations; interfacing with corporate colleagues and cross functional leaders to drive projects and facilitating strategic meetings.
• Acts as the key relationship manager for assigned clients; recommend courses of action regarding client management issues; implement plan following approval by Senior Management
• Maintain multi-year roadmap of the department to support robust analysis and aid in executive-level decision-making; by defining and implementing processes to gather and track program and department data as well as supporting the build and maintenance of high-quality department and program datasets and models.
• Contributes to the development and revision of SOPs and departmental policies.
• Participates with senior management in marketing and business development activities including professional meetings, trade shows, seminars, and client capabilities meetings
• Represents department on company-wide project teams.
• Perform other duties and activities as required by the department or company.
• Main point of contact for all strategic aligned travel vendors
  
  

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Responsible for selection, training, development, and performance management of travel department
• Monitor employee productivity and provide constructive feedback and coaching.
• Recommend new employees to the TalentServices team based on an assessment of their performance.
• Identifies and assists in departmental training requirements including internal and external operations and mentor programs.
• Develops project teams to expand employee performance levels and to assure retention of high performing employees.
• Ensure adherence to legal and company policies and procedures and partner with TalentServices to undertake disciplinary actions if needed.
• Provide ongoing feedback and development; to document and deliver performance reviews.
• Ensures appropriate resources are available to meet corporate / client / project objectives with achieving optimal utilization of staff.
• Provides leadership to Travel department. Transmits and facilitates corporate messages and initiatives to the department.
• Set and communicate goals for performance and deadlines in ways that comply with the company’s plans and vision, in addition to departmental objectives.
  
  

Qualifications

• Deep travel clinical trial service line knowledge, specifically experience in clinical trial travel, vendor management, and portfolio management.
• Ability to coordinate and balance multiple projects in a time-sensitive environment, under pressure, and meeting deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal skills with a collaborative style.
• Ability to distill complex issues and ideas down to simple comprehensible terms.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills, strategic thinking capabilities, project management, planning and organizational skills.
• Clear and concise written and oral communication skills, including the ability to present ideas and suggestions clearly and effectively.
• Proven track record of building and maintaining solid relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Self-motivated; able to work independently to complete tasks respond to department requests and collaborate with others to utilize their resources and knowledge to identify quality solutions.
• Strong organizational skills: ability to accomplish multiple tasks within the agreed-upon timeframes through effective prioritization of duties and functions in a fast-paced environment.
  
  

Education And Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business, science or other relevant field required from a 4-year college, university
• A minimum of ten years of industry-related experience including five years leading high performing teams.
• A minimum of ten years of client management and project financial oversight
• Advanced knowledge of Good Clinical Practice (GCP), ICH guidelines, FDA and other applicable country regulations
• Experience running governance bodies, driving efficient and clear decision making.
• Excellent understanding of management and leadership skills, including ability to create schedules with milestones.
• Experience in leading cross-functional teams and effective collaboration in a matrixed global organization.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills, strategic thinking capabilities, project management, planning and organizational skills
• Experience in effective interaction and communication with all levels of stakeholders.