Director, Digital Product Manager, Clinical Execution

Work Schedule

Environmental Conditions

Job Description

At Thermo Fisher’s PPD clinical research business, we’re using digital innovation, data science, and AI to reimagine how life-changing therapies reach patients. Our teams combine deep scientific expertise with advanced analytics, automation, and digital platforms to make research smarter, faster, and more connected.

At PPD we know that innovation happens when diverse minds meet. Our Digital Science, Data, and AI professionals collaborate closely with scientists, clinicians, and operational experts to solve real-world challenges in clinical research. Alongside our partnership with Open AI, you can be part of the collaboration that will help to improve the speed and success of drug development, enabling customers to get medicines to patients faster and more cost effectively.

You’ll join a culture that values experimentation, learning, and collaboration — where your ideas can help shape how we deliver life-saving solutions and improve global health outcomes. Whether you’re a data engineer, product manager, software developer, or AI scientist, you’ll find opportunities here to apply your skills to work that truly matters — improving global health outcomes. 

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Director, Digital Product Manager, Clinical Execution, will be responsible for driving the product strategy, vision, and execution of the product roadmap in our clinical execution domain. This role owns the product roadmap from concept through scale, modernization, and when appropriate, responsible transition or sunsetting. You will define and execute a unified strategy that enables real-time visibility, performance optimization, and cross-functional coordination across digital products. This role ensures alignment with business objectives and customer needs. 

You will lead cross-functional teams to deliver innovative, impactful, and user-centric solutions that enhance clinical trial operations, improve delivery outcomes, and shape the future of clinical research. This position requires hands-on experience in translating complex business requirements into exceptional software features, along with deep knowledge of clinical operations (Data management and bio statistician), and emerging data and AI technologies.

Key Responsibilities: 

Product Roadmap and Vision: 

• Develop and communicate a clear, compelling product vision and roadmap aligned with organizational goals. 
• Conduct detailed industry research, competitor analysis, and customer/end user discovery to uncover opportunities and translate them into actionable product initiatives. 
• Proactively monitor industry trends, regulatory changes, and advancements in clinical research technology, especially related to AI-driven data solutions. 

Detailed Product Definition and Execution: 

• Translate complex business requirements into detailed product specifications, features, and user stories that lead to exceptional software experiences and business outcomes. 
• Work closely with engineering, data analytics, AI, UX/UI, PMO, business leaders, quality and validation, and clinical operations teams ensuring precise and effective execution of product initiatives. 
• Drive agile product development, ensuring clarity in requirements, rapid iteration, and continuous delivery of high-quality, impactful features. 
• Work closely with quality and regulatory teams in ensure compliance, security and maintenance of the product throughout the lifecycle.
• Apply deep knowledge of clinical operations and management processes, regulatory standards, and best practices to guide feature design and implementation. 

Predictive Modeling and Machine Learning: 

• Comfortable working with data scientists and AI/ML engineers; able to understand model types (regression, classification, NLP, and deep learning) and their limitations. 
• Leverage AI and advanced analytics to enhance clinical data capabilities, improve operational efficiencies, and deliver innovative solutions to complex research challenges. 

User-Centric Product Development: 

• Champion exceptional user experience, consistently validating solutions through rigorous user research, analytics, and testing. 
• Continuously refine and enhance features based on direct user feedback and analytics-driven insights to maximize customer satisfaction and adoption. 

Stakeholder Management and Communication: 

• Closely collaborate with internal stakeholders, clinical experts, data scientists, and external partners to ensure products exceed expectations and deliver measurable value. 
• Clearly articulate complex product concepts and progress updates to stakeholders, including senior management and external clients. 
• Influence decisions through data-driven insights and compelling justifications of product investments. 

Leadership and Mentorship: 

• Guide and mentor product managers and product owners, emphasizing practical skills in product execution, detailed feature design, and data-driven decision-making. 
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement within the product team. 

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree or advanced degree in healthcare, life sciences, computer science, business, or related field preferred. Masters degree preferred.
• Previous product management experience specifically delivering detailed software features, data and AI capabilities) that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the job (comparable to 12+ years’ experience) 
• 5+ years leading products in clinical research, pharmaceutical or healthcare industries preferred. 
• In some cases, an equivalency, consisting of appropriate education, training, and/or directly related experience will be considered sufficient for an individual to meet the requirements of the role.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Sharp intuition for what makes products great and the ability to prioritize features that move the needle vs noise. 
• Skilled at managing up and aligning with stakeholders.
• Innovation Scouting: Inject emerging tech (AI/ML, decentralized trials) into roadmap through structured discovery.
• Skilled at executive-level storytelling, roadmaps, and tradeoff discussions. 
• Exceptional skill in translating complex business requirements into intuitive, impactful software features that exceed customer expectations. 
• Deep understanding of clinical trial processes, clinical data management, and leveraging AI technologies to address data complexities. 
• Proven ability to leverage user insights and data analytics to drive feature development and continuous improvement. 
• Outstanding communication and stakeholder management abilities, capable of clearly articulating detailed product requirements and vision.

At Thermo Fisher Scientific, we are committed to fostering a healthy and harmonious workplace for our employees. We understand the importance of creating an environment that allows individuals to excel. Please see below for the required qualifications for this position, which also includes the possibility of equivalent experience:

• Able to communicate, receive, and understand information and ideas with diverse groups of people in a comprehensible and reasonable manner.
• Able to work upright and stationary for typical working hours. 
• Ability to use and learn standard office equipment and technology with proficiency.
• Able to perform successfully under pressure while prioritizing and handling multiple projects or activities. 
• May require as-needed travel (0-20%). 

Location: Remote US (East Coast preferred). Relocation assistance is NOT provided.
  

*Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.
 
*Must be able to pass a comprehensive background check, which includes a drug screening.
 

The annual salary range estimated for this position in North Carolina is $185,000- $215,000 USD. This position may also be eligible to receive a variable annual bonus based on company, team, and/or individual performance results in accordance with company policy.