Executive Director, Payment Services

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, which manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for an Executive Director, Payment Services based in the United States.

As Executive Director, Payment Services, you will lead the strategy, operations, and growth of payment solutions supporting clinical trial sponsors, contract research organizations (CROs), and research sites. You will oversee the reliable delivery of investigator payments, site payments, and patient reimbursements in a regulated life sciences environment. As a senior leader, you will build trusted executive relationships with key clients, manage complex escalations, and strengthen service quality and client retention. You will partner with Product and Engineering to translate operational challenges and client needs into scalable platform capabilities. You will also recruit, develop, and lead teams across payment operations and client services while establishing consistent processes and performance standards. This is an opportunity to shape a growing service offering, drive operational excellence, and make clinical research payments more accurate, efficient, and dependable.
\Take overall responsibility for payment operations, client delivery, service quality, and the continued development of the payments offering for clinical trial sponsors, CROs, and research sites.
Manage strategic client relationships: Serve as the executive point of contact for major sponsor, CRO, and site-network clients. Build trusted partnerships, manage escalations, support renewals, and ensure service delivery aligns with client expectations.
Design, refine, and implement consistent processes for investigator payments, research site payments, and patient reimbursements, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and operational reliability.
Drive operational performance: Establish and monitor key performance indicators, including payment cycle times, transaction accuracy, client satisfaction, service quality, and delivered-service margins. Use performance insights to identify improvement opportunities and address operational risks.
Collaborate with Product and Engineering teams to translate client feedback, operational requirements, and business priorities into platform enhancements and roadmap initiatives.
Oversee hiring, team development, performance management, and organizational growth across payment operations and client services. Scale service delivery: Develop operating models, processes, and capabilities that support increasing client demand while maintaining quality, efficiency, and a strong customer experience.
Ensure payment processes reflect the needs of sponsors, CROs, investigators, research sites, and patients within the regulated clinical research environment.
Support business growth and profitability: Balance client satisfaction, operational efficiency, service quality, and margins while helping shape the long-term direction and scalability of the payments business.
Establish processes and operating structures where needed, make pragmatic decisions in an evolving environment, and guide the function through periods of growth and change.
At least 15 years of professional experience in life sciences services, clinical research, pharmaceuticals, or related industries. Relevant backgrounds may include CROs, clinical site networks, clinical technology providers, payments vendors, consultancies, or comparable organizations.
Demonstrated experience leading a business function with broad responsibility for operations, service delivery, team performance, and business outcomes. Executive-level capability is essential, regardless of current job title.
Experience working for an organization that serves life sciences clients, with a strong understanding of how pharmaceutical sponsors and CROs evaluate service providers, manage vendor relationships, and handle escalations.
Proven ability to manage complex service operations, establish performance standards, improve processes, and maintain consistent service quality across multiple stakeholders.
Client relationship management: Strong executive presence and experience managing strategic client relationships, resolving sensitive issues, supporting renewals, and building long-term partnerships.
Team building and development: Experience recruiting, mentoring, and developing teams, establishing accountability, and creating effective operating structures that support business growth.
Strategic and commercial judgment: Ability to balance client needs, operational efficiency, service quality, and profitability while making decisions that support sustainable growth.
Experience partnering with Product, Engineering, and other business teams to translate operational challenges and customer requirements into practical solutions.
Direct experience managing investigator payments, clinical site payments, or patient reimbursement programs.
Part-time executive position.
Opportunity to lead payment operations, client delivery, and service growth within the clinical research ecosystem.
Direct involvement in service design, operational strategy, client relationships, and platform development.
Growth opportunity: Healthcare coverage, retirement benefits, paid time off, bonus eligibility, and other benefits are not specified in the available job description and should be confirmed with the hiring team.
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