Exelixis Inc Posted August 20, 2026

Senior Director, Clinical Operations Compliance Management (GCP/Biotechnology/Oncology)

Remote, United States Full time
Clinical Development Oncology Senior Director
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Exelixis 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

SUMMARY/JOB PURPOSE (Basic purpose of the job):

The Senior Director, Clinical Operations Compliance Management (COCM) is responsible for ensuring that clinical research activities are conducted by clinical staff in accordance with ICH GCP, relevant international and local regulations, requirements and guidelines, as well as Exelixis written standards. Key activities include focus on risk management, issue management, vendor oversight and site and data monitoring. COCM drives a common approach to study conduct, compliance, risk and issue management as well as management of protocol deviations. The Senior Director of COCM is a key partner with our Quality Assurance team and other functional groups (including Clinical Development, Data Management, etc.) and is responsible for supporting inspection readiness activities, driving cross-study consistency in study execution and compliance with governing functional procedures and processes, and escalation of identified operational issues within development and of identified quality issues to QA. This Leader focuses on streamlining and standardizing cross-functional processes and templates as well as supporting development on the use of systems managed by the Clinical Operations function. The Senior Director of COCM utilizes data from internal sources and external initiatives to identify and highlight drivers of change and recommend process improvements.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Leadership of risk and issue management process for Clinical Operations focusing on compliant delivery of study execution.

Provide trends and other relevant reporting to Process Owners and Clinical Operations and/or appropriate Leadership Teams and help translate trends to enable process improvements and smart risk-based decisions.

Define strategy and methodology for functional risk/issue management, create annual functional risk management plan to ensure inspection readiness, review periodically the outcomes of risk management/management monitoring; collaborate cross-functionally on risk management activities, and escalate to appropriate governance and adapt accordingly.

Provide support to Clinical Operations (and other functions being supported by embedded compliance role) CAPA owners, including owner assignment, follow-up and completion.

Provide development leadership with updates on CAPA completion data (late, near due, due later).

Work closely with and act as liaison for Quality Assurance team and other functional teams across R&D and beyond.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

May manage direct reports and/or consultants.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS:

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in related discipline and a minimum of 15 years of related experience; or,

Master’s degree in related discipline and a minimum of 13 years of related experience; or,

Doctoral degree in related discipline and a minimum of 12 years of related experience; or,

Equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience:

Typically requires a minimum of 15 years of related experience and/or combination of education/training and experience.

Experience in biotech/pharmaceutical industry required.

Experience in biotech/pharmaceutical industry: CROs, R&D outsourcing, purchasing or procurement roles required.

Evidence of leadership and management skills of a team at a senior level in a relevant industry role involving strong engagement with external suppliers.

Current understanding of the relevant external scientific, legal and regulatory environment.

Prior experience leading a team.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Leadership and networking skills.

Communication and engagement skills.

Partnership and collaboration skills.

Influencing skills to drive robust oversight processes across a complex supplier landscape.

In-depth knowledge of biopharmaceutical industry regulations, standards and best practices.

Poise and confidence to provide verbal and written communications and formal presentations to Exelixis’ and external vendors’ executives, senior management, functional management and individual contributors.

Must be a self-starter, quick learner, strong collaborator and team player with ability to work independently with minimal supervision.

Must have excellent analytical, strategic thinking, problem-solving, time management, change management and organizational skills with demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced environment and adapt to changing business plans and priorities.

Strong interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.

Strong attention to detail.

Ability to identify and communicate issues and risks.

Excellent presentation skills.

Ability to build and maintain strong relationships.

Ability to influence without direct authority.

Excellent computer skills, including advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook.

Embraces Exelixis’ core values: Be Exceptional; Excel for Patients; Exceed Together.

Accountable for leading, designing and driving changes in ways of working across a complex network of stakeholders and SMEs.

Ensure processes are efficient and minimize burden on business owners across the clinical landscape.

Responsible for embedding a risk and issue management framework.

May include occasional travel (less than 10%) to current and/or prospective vendor facilities.

Work Environment/Physical Demands:

Our office is a modern, open-plan space that foster collaborations and creativity.  Teams work closely together, sharing ideas and solutions in a supportive atmosphere.  We provide all necessary equipment, including dual monitors and ergonomic chairs, to ensure a comfortable workspace.

#LI-JD1

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The base pay range for this position is $246,000 - $349,500 annually. The base pay range may take into account the candidate’s geographic region, which will adjust the pay depending on the specific work location. The base pay offered will take into account the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, experience and internal equity, among other factors.

In addition to the base salary, as part of our Total Rewards program, Exelixis offers comprehensive employee benefits package, including a 401k plan with generous company contributions, group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts. Employees are also eligible for a discretionary annual bonus program, or if field sales staff, a sales-based incentive plan. Exelixis also offers employees the opportunity to purchase company stock, and receive long-term incentives, 15 accrued vacation days in their first year, 17 paid holidays including a company-wide winter shutdown in December, and up to 10 sick days throughout the calendar year.

If you have a disability and need an accommodation in relation to the recruiting process, please email us at: ApplicantAccommodations@exelixis.com .

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Our office is a modern space that fosters collaboration and creativity. Teams work closely together, sharing ideas and solutions in a supportive atmosphere. We provide all necessary equipment, including dual monitors and ergonomic chairs, to ensure a comfortable workspace.

DISCLAIMER: 

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification.  It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to the job.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.

Job details

Seniority
Senior Director
Function
Clinical Development
Therapeutic area
Oncology
Location
Remote, 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 Senior Director Clinical Development roles across 46 biopharma companies.

274Comparable roles tracked
262Currently active
46Companies hiring similar roles
17Countries represented

Salary context

143 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 $246,000/yr – $349,500/yr
Lowest disclosed · Sr Director CDOS Process Owner - Clinical Trial Foundations · Lilly $156,000/yr – $228,800/yr
Peer group range $192,400 – $458,800 (median $286,500)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 274 comparable roles

United States219
United Kingdom13
India8
Spain7
Switzerland5
Sweden3

+ 11 more countries

Seniority mix

274 of 274 peers have a known seniority level

Director200
Senior Director43
Executive/VP31

Therapeutic area mix

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

Oncology48
Immunology22
Neuroscience13
Respiratory11
Cardiovascular / CVRM4
Ophthalmology4
Gastroenterology1
Rare Disease1
Vaccines & Infectious Disease1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

100%similar
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Gilead Sciences, Inc. Foster City, United States Senior Director
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AstraZeneca Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America Director
Same function Same therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Same country

Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

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.

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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.