Vice President, Clinical Operations and Research Ethics

Cytokinetics is a specialty cardiovascular biopharmaceutical company, building on its over 25 years of pioneering scientific innovations in muscle biology, and advancing a pipeline of potential new medicines for patients suffering from diseases of cardiac muscle dysfunction.

At Cytokinetics, each team member plays an integral part in advancing our mission to improve the lives of patients. We are seeking tenacious, compassionate, and collaborative individuals who are driven to make a positive impact.
 

The Vice President, Clinical Operations provides strategic and operational leadership for the execution of Cytokinetics’ global clinical development programs. Reporting to the SVP, Development Operations, this role is accountable for delivering high-quality, compliant, and efficient clinical trials that advance Cytokinetics’ mission to improve outcomes for patients with serious muscle-related diseases.

Consistent with Cytokinetics’ leadership expectations, the VP Clinical Operations leads with a strong sense of ownership, scientific rigor, integrity, and collaboration, while maintaining an unwavering focus on patients, data quality, and regulatory excellence. This role is based on-site in South San Francisco and is a key leadership presence within the Development organization.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise and Patient-Focused Leadership

• Lead clinical operations with a patient-first mindset, ensuring participant safety, ethical conduct, and data integrity are central to all decisions.

• Act as an enterprise leader within Development Operations, balancing asset-level priorities with portfolio-level needs.

• Model accountability, transparency, and integrity in all interactions, consistent with Cytokinetics’ leadership expectations.

Scientific and Operational Excellence

• A valued, strategic partner in the development of clinical program strategy

• Translate clinical development objectives into executable operational strategies that reflect Cytokinetics’ commitment to rigorous science and high-quality data.

• Provide operational leadership for Phase 1–3 and post-approval studies, including large, global cardiovascular trials.

• Ensure trials are conducted in full compliance with ICH-GCP, FDA, EMA, and other applicable global regulations.

• Provide strategic direction and long-range planning enabling Clinical Operations to be at the forefront of performance.

Ownership and Results Orientation

• Own delivery of clinical trial milestones, timelines, and budgets across the development portfolio.

• Proactively identify operational risks and implement mitigation strategies, escalating issues with clarity and solutions.

• Establish and monitor performance metrics that drive accountability and continuous improvement.

Collaborative “One-Team” Leadership

• Partner closely with senior cross-functional peers within Clinical Research, Biometrics, Regulatory Affairs, Quality Assurance (QA), Medical Affairs, CMC, Operational Excellence, Clinical Compliance and Training (CCaT) and other functions to ensure alignment and integrated execution.

• Foster strong cross-functional decision-making grounded in mutual respect, scientific debate, and shared goals.

• Represent Clinical Operations effectively in governance forums and executive discussions.

• Establish a consistent approach in clinical trials strategy and practices across all programs

Vendor and Partner Stewardship

• Lead Clinical Operations CRO and vendor strategy with a focus on partnership, performance, and accountability.

• Ensure external partners operate to Cytokinetics’ standards for quality, compliance, and ethical conduct.

• Serve as Clinical Operations executive lead on strategic and partner joint-development activities

• Resolve escalated issues in a decisive, solution-oriented manner.

People Leadership and Talent Development

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing Clinical Operations organization aligned with Cytokinetics’ leadership behaviors

• Create an inclusive, collaborative environment that drives engagement and performance; provides opportunities for growth and development and proactively removes barriers

• Actively mentor senior leaders and develop succession plans to support organizational sustainability.

Quality and Inspection Readiness

• Ensure continuous inspection readiness and strong collaboration with CCaT and QA.

• Lead responses to audits and inspections with rigor, transparency, and corrective action discipline.

• Reinforce a culture where quality is owned by the organization.

• Support the development and implementation of best practices, SOPs, standards, work instructions, and policies for Clinical Operations.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (MS, MPH, PharmD, PhD) preferred.

Experience

• 18+ years of progressive clinical operations experience in biotechnology or pharmaceuticals.

• Proven leadership with all phases of clinical trials; cardiovascular or rare disease experience strongly preferred.

• Demonstrated success leading teams in a late-stage, science-driven biotech environment.

• Extensive experience managing CROs and global vendors.

• Drug development experience in being a strategic partner for program strategy.

Capabilities Aligned to Leadership Expectations

• Demonstrated ability to lead with integrity, accountability, and ownership.

• Strong scientific judgment paired with operational discipline.

• Ability to collaborate effectively in an onsite, fast-moving, cross-functional environment.

• Clear, influential communicator at the executive and Board-facing level.

Work Environment and Travel

• This role is on-site at Cytokinetics’ headquarters in South San Francisco, CA.

• Domestic and international travel expected (approximately 15%).

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Pay Range:

In the U.S., the hiring pay range for fully qualified candidates is $350,000 - $390,000 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors.

Our employees come from different backgrounds, and we celebrate those differences. We are looking for the best candidates for our open roles, but do not expect applicants to meet every qualification in order to be considered. If you are excited about what you could accomplish at Cytokinetics and believe you can add value to our team, we would love to hear from you.

Please review our General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) policy PRIOR to applying.  

Our passion is anchored in robust scientific thinking, grounded in integrity and critical thinking. We keep the patient front and center in all we do – all actions and decisions are in service of the patient and their caregivers. We champion integrity, ethics, doing the right thing, and being our best selves.

Fraud Warning: How to Identify Impersonated Cytokinetics Job Postings and Offers

Recently, there have been fraudulent employment offers being sent to candidates on behalf of Cytokinetics. Please be advised that all legitimate offers from Cytokinetics will come directly from our official email domain (Cytokinetics.com) and will only be made after completing a formal interview process.

Here are some ways to check for authenticity:

• We do not conduct job interviews through non-standard text messaging applications

• We will never request personal information such as banking details until after an official offer has been accepted and verified

• We will never request that you purchase equipment or other items when interviewing or hiring

• If you are unsure about the authenticity of an offer, or if you receive any suspicious communication, please contact us directly at talentacquisition@cytokinetics.com

Please visit our website at: www.cytokinetics.com

Cytokinetics is an Equal Opportunity Employer