Senior Director, Commercial Strategy & Operations

Description

This position serves as a pivotal strategic advisor and operational leader, reporting to the Syneos Health Senior Vice President while working in close collaboration with the customer's Vice President, Head of Sales. The core responsibility is to act as a trusted partner who translates the customer's strategy into flawless execution, driving organizational effectiveness and alignment across Commercial functions, and ensuring the timely delivery of all strategic priorities.

In this role you will be accountable for the development, coordination, and measurement of strategic commercial initiatives, which impact the overall effectiveness of the organization, including incentive programs, POA execution, performance management, productivity analysis, and of monitoring budget/expenses.

The ideal candidate possesses a strong background in pharmaceutical industry strategy combined with proven product launch expertise. Success in this role requires a leader with exceptional project management capabilities, strong business acumen, prior sales leadership experience and excellent communication skills. They must have a demonstrated ability to manage relationships effectively and assist with guiding teams through the complexities of go-to-market strategies, from planning and risk mitigation to post-launch analysis.

Essential Requirements: Strategic Planning & Business Execution

• Partner with Commercial Leadership to develop, execute, and monitor short- and long-term commercial strategies.
• Drive annual strategic planning, business reviews, launch readiness assessments, and operating plan development.
• Monitor progress against key commercial priorities, identifying risks, opportunities, and mitigation plans.
• Ensure alignment of resources, investments, and organizational priorities with business objectives.

Executive Leadership Support

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the VP of Sales and Commercial Leadership Team.
• Prepare executive presentations, business reviews, board materials, and strategic recommendations.
• Lead development of leadership meeting agendas, action tracking, and decision governance.
• Support executive communications and change management initiatives.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Coordinate activities across Sales, Marketing, Market Access, Operations, Medical Affairs, Finance, HR, and Analytics.
• Facilitate collaboration and alignment on critical initiatives including product launches, organizational transformations, and growth strategies.
• Remove barriers to execution and resolve cross-functional issues impacting performance.

Commercial Operations & Organizational Effectiveness

• Establish processes that improve decision-making, accountability, and operational efficiency.
• Lead commercial governance processes, including business reviews and performance management cadence.
• Drive implementation of key initiatives and organizational priorities.
• Develop dashboards and performance metrics to monitor commercial success.

Program & Portfolio Management

• Lead high-priority strategic initiatives from concept through implementation.
• Manage commercial project portfolios to ensure milestones, timelines, and deliverables are achieved.
• Coordinate launch planning activities for new products, indications, or business initiatives.
• Provide structured project management support for enterprise-wide programs.

Business Insights & Performance Management

• Analyze market, competition, and business performance trends.
• Synthesize complex information into actionable recommendations for leadership.
• Monitor commercial KPIs and performance against goals.

Culture & Organizational Development

• Foster a high-performance culture focused on accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Drive employee engagement efforts and organizational communications.
• Operational Oversight: Support all aspects of the co-employment agreement to include interviewing and hiring, aligning strategic perspectives, coaching core behaviors, financial and administrative oversight, and all aspects of employment including performance management solutions.

Requirements:

• Education: Bachelor's degree in business, Life Sciences, or related field.
• Experience: Minimum of 10 years of relevant pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry experience, with sales leadership experience & direct experience in developing product strategy and executing product launches.
• 5+ years of experience in commercial strategy, sales leadership, marketing, market access, consulting, business operations, or related functions.
• Experience supporting senior executives (CCO, Commercial President, General Manager, or Business Unit Head) preferred.
• GI/Hepatology/Rare Disease experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives.
• Strong understanding of pharmaceutical commercialization, product launches, market access, customer engagement, and healthcare ecosystem dynamics.
• Analytical Skills: Strong analytical skills with the ability to turn complex data into actionable insights.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including strong formal presentation skills.
• Strategic Agility: Ability to synthesize data, deliver key messages, and recommend action plans.
• Launch Planning Software: Familiarity with launch planning software and project management tools (e.g., Smartsheet, MS Project, Veeva).
• Adaptability: Able to adapt to changes in the work environment, ambiguity, and managing demands.
• Ability to travel up to 25% required

The annual base salary for this position ranges from $240,000 to $250,000. The base salary range represents the anticipated low and high of the Syneos Health range for this position. Actual salary will vary based on various factors such as the candidate's qualifications, skills, competencies, and proficiency for the role. In addition, some positions may include eligibility to earn commissions/bonus based on company and / or individual performance.

At Syneos Health, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace. If your past experience doesn't align perfectly, we encourage you to apply anyway. At times, we will consider transferable skills from previous roles. We also encourage you to join our Talent Network to stay connected to additional career opportunities.

Why Syneos Health? Here, the work is challenging, and the pace is exhilarating. By joining one of our commercial teams, you're empowered to succeed with the support, resources, and autonomy that you need. The diversification and breadth of our new and existing partnerships create a multitude of career paths and employment opportunities. Syneos Health has launched more sales teams in the last 5 years across all major therapeutic areas than the top 25 pharma companies combined. Join our game-changing, global company dedicated to creating better, smarter, faster ways to get biopharmaceutical therapies to patients. Experience the thrill of knowing that your everyday efforts are contributing to improving patients' lives around the world.

Work Here Matters Everywhere | How are you inspired to change lives?

Syneos Health companies are affirmative action/equal opportunity employers (Minorities/Females/Veterans/Disabled)

At Syneos Health, we believe in providing an environment and culture in which Our People can thrive, develop and advance. We reward and recognize our people by providing valuable benefits and a quality-of-life balance. The benefits for this position will include a competitive compensation package, Health benefits to include Medical, Dental and Vision, Company match 401k, flexible paid time off (PTO) and sick time. Because certain states and municipalities have regulated paid sick time requirements, eligibility for paid sick time may vary depending on where you work. Syneos Health complies with all applicable federal, state, and municipal paid sick time requirements.

400005088