Head, Clinical Development & Operations Quality

Job description

SUMMARY The Head, Clinical Development & Operations (CD&O) Quality is the senior leader accountable for defining and leading the global GCP quality, compliance and integrity strategy across Clinical Development & Operations. Reporting to the Head of Clinical Development & Operations and serving as a member of the CD&O Leadership Team, this leader provides independent, authoritative advice on the quality and regulatory risks associated with Pfizer's global clinical-development portfolio, operating model, technology strategy, external partnerships and organizational transformation. The role holds enterprise accountability for the effectiveness and continued evolution of the GCP quality-management framework across clinical development, from first-in-human studies through post-approval commitments. The leader establishes the governance, standards, decision frameworks and management insights required to protect clinical-trial participants, preserve data integrity, maintain regulatory compliance and support reliable portfolio delivery across therapeutic areas, regions and operating models. The Head of CD&O Quality advises CD&O and R&D leadership on material quality risks and their implications for portfolio priorities, investment decisions, clinical-trial design and conduct, vendor and partner strategies, acquisitions and integrations, and the deployment of AI and digital capabilities. The role has authority to escalate significant risks, require appropriate mitigation and challenge or recommend changes to business decisions when quality, compliance, participant protection or data integrity may be compromised. This leader represents CD&O in senior quality, compliance and risk-governance forums and maintains critical relationships with Regulatory Quality Assurance, Legal, Corporate Compliance, Digital, clinical-development leaders, health authorities and external partners. The role builds a culture in which quality is embedded in business decisions and owned at every level, positioning quality as an enabler of innovation, speed and sustainable clinical-development performance rather than as a downstream control. The role leads a globally distributed organization of senior quality professionals and leaders, setting the long-term capability, talent, technology, resource and operating-model strategy required for a future-ready, data-driven and AI-enabled quality organization. JOB RESPONSIBILITIES Enterprise GCP Quality Strategy and State of Control Set and execute the long-term GCP quality, compliance and integrity strategy for CD&O, aligned with Pfizer portfolio strategy, regulatory obligations, the Purpose Blueprint and the evolving clinical-development model. Own the enterprise framework through which CD&O assesses, understands and communicates its state of GCP quality, integrating leading and lagging indicators, emerging regulatory expectations, operational data, audit and inspection outcomes, and quality-event trends. Translate quality intelligence into strategic recommendations for CD&O and R&D leadership, including implications for portfolio priorities, operating-model design, capability investment, resourcing and risk acceptance. Executive Quality Governance and Decision Authority Design and lead an integrated, risk-based GCP quality-governance model with clear decision rights, escalation thresholds, accountability and interfaces across CD&O, R&D, Regulatory Quality Assurance, Legal, Corporate Compliance, Digital and other quality pillars. Chair the GCP Quality Oversight Committee and ensure material quality risks, systemic trends and remediation priorities are elevated to the appropriate executive governance bodies with clear recommendations and accountable decisions. Exercise independent judgment and constructive challenge when clinical-development, portfolio, financial, technology or operating-model decisions may create unacceptable risk to participants, data integrity, regulatory compliance or Pfizer's ability to defend its clinical evidence. Portfolio Quality and Regulatory Risk Leadership Provide strategic quality oversight across the global Phase I-IV portfolio, focusing leadership attention and resources on the assets, studies, partners and processes presenting the greatest participant, data-integrity, regulatory or business risk. Ensure inspection readiness for pivotal trials, submissions and major regulatory interactions, and act as the senior CD&O quality representative in significant sponsor inspections, regulatory engagements and executive remediation decisions. Ensure significant quality issues are identified early, investigated rigorously, remediated sustainably and used to drive portfolio-wide learning and prevention. AI, Digital and Data-Enabled Quality Define the GCP quality and compliance framework for the responsible design, validation, deployment, oversight and lifecycle management of AI-enabled and digital capabilities used in clinical development. Partner with Digital, Data, Legal, Compliance and business leaders to ensure AI innovation incorporates appropriate human accountability, explainability, data integrity, risk controls and regulatory readiness from design through sustained use. Sponsor modernization of quality intelligence through integrated data, predictive indicators, automation and AI-enabled insights, with measurable improvement in risk detection, decision quality, inspection readiness and operational performance. Determine when existing processes, controls and governance must be redesigned rather than merely automated, ensuring technology reduces complexity instead of embedding it. Quality by Design and Business Enablement Embed quality by design and proactive risk management into portfolio planning, protocol and operational strategy, study execution, vendor models and technology transformation. Establish pragmatic, risk-proportionate frameworks that enable innovation and speed while maintaining participant protection, data integrity and regulatory compliance. Build quality ownership across CD&O so operational teams retain accountability for the quality of their work, supported by expert guidance, independent oversight and clear escalation pathways. External Partner, Acquisition and Ecosystem Quality Set the enterprise quality strategy and risk framework for CROs, vendors, site organizations, strategic partners, licensed partners and other third parties supporting clinical development. Ensure risk-based due diligence, contracting expectations, oversight, performance intelligence and escalation are proportionate to the criticality and complexity of externally performed work. Establish the GCP quality approach for acquisitions, integrations and new operating models, ensuring quality risks are understood before decisions are finalized and post-close obligations are governed through completion. Represent Pfizer externally with regulators, industry bodies and strategic partners to anticipate regulatory change and help shape the evolution of quality practice in clinical research. Enterprise Remediation and Organizational Learning Provide executive leadership for systemic quality remediation, ensuring root causes are addressed across process, technology, capability, governance and culture rather than through isolated corrective actions. Establish mechanisms to translate quality events, audits, inspections and near misses into enterprise learning, preventive action and measurable improvements in clinical-trial execution. Ensure transparent accountability for remediation commitments, including appropriate challenge of timelines, resources, evidence of effectiveness and residual risk. Organization, Talent and Resource Leadership Lead and develop a globally distributed organization of senior quality leaders and professionals, establishing clear strategic ownership, decision authority and accountability at every level. Own the long-term organizational, skills, succession, workforce, technology and sourcing strategy for C