Associate Director Study Start-up

Join Amgen’s mission of serving patients. At Amgen, our shared mission—to serve patients living with serious illnesses—drives all that we do. Since 1980, we’ve helped pioneer the world of biotech in our fight against the world’s toughest diseases. With a focus on four therapeutic areas—Oncology, Inflammation, General Medicine, and Rare Disease—we reach millions of patients each year. As a member of the Amgen team, you’ll help make a lasting impact on the lives of patients through research, manufacturing, and delivering innovative medicines.

About the role

In this vital role, you will drive world-class study start-up planning and execution across a global portfolio, ensuring clinical trials launch with quality, efficiency, and speed.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a team of Study Start-up Managers, ensuring high-quality, compliant study start-up delivery across multiple programs and therapeutic areas.
• Drive end-to-end study start-up planning and execution from global to local, delivering milestones on time, within budget, and in line with ICH-GCP and regulatory requirements.
• Provide portfolio-level oversight of study start-up performance, resourcing, and delivery metrics, escalating risks with solution-focused recommendations.
• Build team capability through coaching, mentoring, performance management, and role modeling of best practices in study start-up delivery.
• Partner with functional and hub leaders to strengthen study start-up capabilities, ways of working, and operational readiness across the organization.
• Own and embed study start-up business processes, ensuring consistent application through training, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement.
• Foster a collaborative, high-engagement culture that encourages innovation, learning, and the sharing of knowledge and best practice.
• Contribute to the evolution of the Study Start-up Hub model, shaping future ways of working through feedback, insights, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Requirements

• Pharma Expertise: Requires pharma and clinical trial processes and operations expertise; no relevant therapeutic knowledge required.
• Management Experience: Requires experience leading and managing global teams and project management experience.
• Tech Skills: No prior Veeva experience required.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• Doctorate degree and 3 years of clinical execution experience, OR
• Master’s degree and 7 years of clinical execution experience, OR
• Bachelor’s degree and 9 years of clinical execution experience, OR
• Associate’s degree and 12 years of clinical execution experience, OR
• High school diploma / GED and 14 years of clinical execution experience.
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience directly managing people and/or leadership experience leading teams, projects, programs, or directing the allocation of resources. Your managerial experience may run concurrently with the required technical experience referenced above.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 7 years work experience in the life sciences industry, particularly focusing on clinical trial work, including 5 years of biopharmaceutical clinical research experience obtained at a biotech or pharmaceutical company.
• Experience managing multiple teams / direct reports across multiple clinical functions.

Benefits

From our competitive benefits to our collaborative culture, we’ll support your journey every step of the way. The Total Rewards Plan, based on eligibility, may include:

• Comprehensive employee benefits package, including a Retirement and Savings Plan with generous company contributions, group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts.
• A discretionary annual bonus program, or for field sales representatives, a sales-based incentive plan.
• Stock-based long-term incentives.
• Award-winning time-off plans and bi-annual company-wide shutdowns.
• Flexible work models, including remote work arrangements, where possible.

Pay

The annual base salary range for this opportunity in the U.S. is $182,145 - $212,860.