Head of Clinical Operations (Sr. Director / Executive Director)

Company:

Chronic kidney diseases are a severe and growing worldwide health challenge that affects 1 in 7 people. Without effective treatments patients can experience kidney failure leading to dialysis and transplantation, a high burden to patients, families and the health care system. Despite recent advances for certain kidney disease patients, many forms of highly prevalent kidney diseases do not have effective treatments.

At Borealis Biosciences, Patients are our True North. Borealis was founded on the premise that a convergence of scientific and translational breakthroughs will enable RNA therapeutics to address some of the largest untreated kidney diseases and beyond. Borealis builds on the success of Chinook Therapeutics, a kidney disease company with a research site in Vancouver that was acquired by Novartis in 2023 for up to $3.5 billion. The Borealis team retains Chinook's strong experience in kidney diseases, while also bringing deep expertise in RNA therapeutics, to create a company uniquely focused on RNA-based solutions to renal diseases. We are headquartered in Vancouver, BC, with state-of-the-art wet labs for molecular and cellular biology, in vivo pharmacology, chemistry, DMPK, bioinformatics and analytical capabilities.

We are a creative and innovative team that strives for excellence in all we do and has fun along the way. Our core focus is on helping patients and advancing science. For more information on Borealis, visit borealisbio.com or find us on LinkedIn .

We seek applicants from all backgrounds to ensure we get the best, most innovative talent on our team. We are building a diverse and inclusive workforce – come and be a part of our growth! We strongly encourage candidates with less traditional backgrounds or those who may meet the qualifications in a different way to apply.

Position:

The Head of Clinical Operations leads the operational planning and execution of Borealis’ clinical development programs and builds the company’s clinical operational capability as our first programs advance into human studies. This is a highly visible, hands-on leadership role with the opportunity to build the people, processes, systems, and external partnerships required to successfully execute Borealis’ clinical development strategy.

The near-term priority for this role is operational planning for Borealis’ upcoming Phase 1/2 trial, including CRO selection and contracting, vendor strategy, study start-up planning, and establishment of the operational infrastructure required for trial execution.

The successful candidate will build and develop the Clinical Operations team over time, which calls for a genuine interest in mentoring and the patience to support team members stretching beyond their current specialization.

This position reports to the Sr. Vice President, Translational Medicine.

Responsibilities include:

Clinical Operations

Provide strategic and operational leadership for Borealis’ clinical development programs from early development through later-stage studies as the portfolio advances.

Lead end-to-end operational planning and execution of clinical trials, with an initial focus on the company’s upcoming Phase 1/2 study.

Translate clinical development plans and protocols into executable operational strategies, timelines, budgets, enrollment projections, and risk mitigation plans.

Establish study governance, decision-making processes, and clear accountability across internal and external study teams.

Deliver studies on time and on budget, in accordance with protocols, applicable regulatory requirements, GCP, and Borealis quality standards.

Identify operational risks early and lead mitigation and contingency planning.

Partner closely with Clinical Development, Regulatory, CMC, Data Management, Biostatistics, Translational Medicine, Quality, and other functions to support integrated clinical development planning.

CRO Selection, Contracting and Oversight

Own the outsourcing strategy for upcoming Phase 1/2 clinical trials and future clinical programs.

Lead the CRO identification and competitive selection process, including development of RFPs, evaluation criteria, bid-defense strategy, proposal assessment, and final CRO recommendation.

Partner with Finance, Legal, and other stakeholders to establish study scope, budgets, assumptions, contracts, and change-order management processes.

Set clear expectations, roles, responsibilities, escalation pathways, and performance standards for CRO partners.

Actively oversee CRO performance throughout study execution and establish operational and executive-level governance structures.

Build productive, accountable relationships with CRO partners while ensuring Borealis maintains appropriate sponsor oversight and ownership of its clinical programs.

Vendor Strategy and Oversight

Define vendor strategy required to support each clinical program, including central laboratories, imaging providers, IRT, eCOA, clinical supply/logistics providers, specialty laboratories, and other service providers as required by study design.

Lead vendor identification, qualification, selection, contracting, and implementation.

Ensure vendor scopes of work, budgets, assumptions, timelines, deliverables, and responsibilities are clearly defined and aligned across providers.

Establish fit-for-purpose vendor governance and oversight processes.

Monitor vendor performance against agreed KPIs, timelines, quality expectations, and budgets.

Site Start-Up, Enrollment and Study Delivery

Develop site identification, feasibility, selection, and activation strategies in partnership with CROs and internal stakeholders.

Develop patient recruitment and retention strategies appropriate to the disease, protocol, and patient population.

Monitor enrollment performance and lead development of mitigation.

Build strong investigators and sites relationships, and ensure that site needs and operational realities inform study planning and execution.

Team Building and Leadership

Design the Clinical Operations organization required to support Borealis’ evolving clinical portfolio.

Develop a thoughtful resourcing strategy that balances internal capabilities, CRO support, consultants, and functional service providers.

Recruit, onboard, develop, and retain high-performing Clinical Operations professionals as organizational needs grow.

Coach and mentor team members to expand beyond their existing expertise without compromising on delivery.

Model Borealis’ values, knowing that Patients are our True North:

Act with urgency, resilience and creativity to serve patients;

Be open to new ideas, honest conversations and two-way transparency;

Stay connected to team members and to science; being kind, humble, and taking risks together.

Location:

This is a hybrid/remote position open to candidates in the US or Canada, with a preference given to those in the Greater Vancouver area or willing to relocate.

Immigration support and relocation benefits are available.

Regular travel to the Vancouver office is required.

Education, Experience, and Skills:

Required:

Significant Clinical Operations leadership experience in biotechnology or pharmaceutical development, including experience working within lean, fast-moving organizations.

Proven success leading outsourced clinical trials with effective sponsor oversight of CROs and other external partners.

Direct experience leading CRO selection and outsourcing activities, including RFP development, bid defenses, proposal and budget evaluation, contracting, governance, and performance management.

Strong experience planning and executing early-stage clinical trials, preferably including first-in-human and Phase 1/2 studies.

Demonstrated ability to build Clinical Operations capabilities, including development and implementation of SOPs, processes, tools, systems, and governance structures.

Exper