Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. Posted July 31, 2026

Director, Clinical Operations

US CA San Diego, United States Full time
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Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Who We Are:

Neurocrine Biosciences is a leading biopharmaceutical company with a simple purpose: to relieve suffering for people with great needs. We are dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing life-changing treatments for patients with under-addressed neurological, psychiatric, endocrine and immunological disorders. The company's diverse portfolio includes FDA-approved treatments for tardive dyskinesia, chorea associated with Huntington's disease, classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia, hyperphagia in Prader-Willi syndrome, endometriosis* and uterine fibroids*, as well as a robust pipeline including multiple compounds in mid- to late-phase clinical development across our core therapeutic areas. For more than three decades, we have applied our unique insight into neuroscience and the interconnections between brain and body systems to treat complex conditions. We relentlessly pursue medicines to ease the burden of debilitating diseases and disorders, because you deserve brave science. For more information, visit  neurocrine.com , and follow the company on  LinkedIn ,  X , Facebook and YouTube . ( *in collaboration with AbbVie )

At Neurocrine, strong leadership drives both business results and team success. We look for leaders who think strategically, anticipate what’s ahead and set clear direction, while building and empowering high-performing teams. Successful leaders foster an environment where people are motivated to do their best work and deliver meaningful, measurable impact through sound decision-making and accountability.

 About the Role:

Responsible for developing strategic plans, objectives and overall management for Clinical Operations team executing Neurocrine's clinical studies (all phases). Ensure clinical study activities are conducted in compliance with FDA regulations, EU Directive, ICH guidelines, and are in adherence with corporate and departmental Standard Operations Procedures. A key focus will be on the oversight of CROs, external vendors and internal stakeholders to ensure studies are conducted according to timelines, budgets, and resources to achieve program objectives and corporate goals. The Director will also manage career development of multiple direct reports within clinical operations group. _

Your Contributions (include, but are not limited to):

Design and implement clinical strategies using internal and external resources

Provides leadership to the Clinical Operations study team (Associate Directors, Clinical Trial Managers, Specialists, Clinical Trial Associates, and other subordinate employees)

Lead the tactical implementation and execution of the clinical development process (all phases) primarily for selected programs

Ensure these activities are conducted in compliance with FDA regulations, EU Directive and ICH guidelines, and are in adherence with corporate and departmental Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

Establish and manage overall clinical program budgets as well as individual study budgets

Develop and maintain clinical trial timelines to achieve corporate goals

Create and establish critical metrics to benchmark activities to develop and revise performance to reach and maintain highest possible standards of excellence

Identify and introduce process improvements within clinical organization

Manage relationships and expectations with CROs and other clinical contract service providers. Act as point of contact with external bodies

Manage inter-department relationships (Regulatory, QA, etc) to ensure adequate support for clinical programs as well as provide input into cross functional meetings and documentation

Interface with Medical Directors by providing operational input to clinical protocols, clinical development plans and clinical study reports

Recruit, train, and manage career development of multiple direct reports within the clinical operations group

Manage operational activities of clinical programs with corporate partners

Perform additional tasks and duties as assigned

Requirements:

BS/BA degree in scientific or related field AND 12+ years of extensive experience with traditional progression in clinical research in pharmaceutical/biotech industry, or CRO or relevant experience required. Experience in clinical drug development process including working knowledge of ICH, GCPs, FDA regulations and EU directive also required. Prior experience directing global studies, particularly in endocrine related indications and/or rare diseases. OR

Master's degree in scientific or related field or MBA AND 10+ years of similar experience shown above. OR

Extensive previous managerial experiences also required

Detailed knowledge of clinical drug development process including working knowledge of ICH, GCPs, FDA regulations and EU directive.

Ability to effectively manage, mentor and train personnel and ability to motivate and influence personnel to achieve goals

Expertise directing global studies, particularly in endocrine related indications and/or rare diseases

Strategic vendor management skills, particularly CROs or similar complexity

Recognized as an internal thought leader with extensive technical and business expertise within a strategic organization

Applies in-depth knowledge of own function, business / commercial / scientific expertise to solve critical issues successfully and innovatively

Evaluates key business / scientific challenges and completes complex, ambiguous initiatives having cross-functional impact

Ability to work independently and cooperate and collaborate with a wide variety of individuals, groups, and teams

Ability to effectively operate in a multi-level matrix environment

Strong organizational, interpersonal and leadership skills

Strong internal/external negotiation / influencing skills

#LI-RS1

Neurocrine Biosciences is an EEO/Disability/Vets employer.

We are committed to building a workplace of belonging, respect, and empowerment , and we recognize there are a variety of ways to meet our requirements. We are looking for the best candidate for the job and encourage you to apply even if your experience or qualifications don’t line up to exactly what we have outlined in the job description.

_

The annual base salary we reasonably expect to pay is $190,500.00-$260,000.00. Individual pay decisions depend on various factors, such as primary work location, complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. In addition, this position offers an annual bonus with a target of 35% of the earned base salary and eligibility to participate in our equity based long term incentive program. Benefits offered include a retirement savings plan (with company match), paid vacation, holiday and personal days, paid caregiver/parental and medical leave, and health benefits to include medical, prescription drug, dental and vision coverage in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans.

Job details

Seniority
Director
Function
Clinical Development
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
US CA San Diego, United States
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Clinical Development role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 274 comparable Director Clinical Development roles across 51 biopharma companies.

274Comparable roles tracked
262Currently active
51Companies hiring similar roles
20Countries represented

Salary context

137 of 274 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject $190,500/yr – $260,000/yr
Lowest disclosed · Sr. Principal Associate - QA Clinical Trial Packaging Engineer · Lilly $65,250/yr – $169,400/yr
Peer group range $117,325 – $392,100 (median $264,000)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 274 comparable roles

United States209
United Kingdom15
India10
Spain7
Switzerland7
Sweden3

+ 14 more countries

Seniority mix

274 of 274 peers have a known seniority level

Director199
Senior Director44
Principal31

Therapeutic area mix

92 of 274 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology46
Immunology17
Neuroscience12
Respiratory6
Cardiovascular / CVRM4
Ophthalmology4
Rare Disease1
Dermatology & Aesthetics1
Vaccines & Infectious Disease1

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Open in 3 locations

North Chicago, United StatesWaltham, United StatesSouth San Francisco, United States

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How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

60%
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Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.