Director of Transformation and Operations

Herspiegel is a global life sciences consultancy that guides pharmaceutical and biotech companies through their most decisive moments—powering commercial success and expanding patient access. From early asset strategy to launch readiness and market optimization, we help clients navigate complexity and seize opportunity. Our integrated approach brings together scientific insight, evidence strategy, deep market intuition, and executional precision to ensure brands are built to lead.

Current Context Summary: The organisation is undergoing significant transformation, integrating multiple legacy companies into one unified structure. It’s a fast‑paced, complex environment with strong opportunity to shape the future direction of the business. This role plays a central part in that journey, combining hands‑on operational leadership with transformation oversight. While driving integration across systems, structures, and cultures, the primary responsibility remains ownership of core Operations. Working across all service lines, the role helps define how the organisation delivers value, collaborates effectively, and scales sustainably. It requires someone comfortable with change, able to challenge the status quo, and motivated to build what comes next.

About the role: You will be accountable for designing, governing, and scaling the organisation’s operational platform to enable predictable, compliant, and data‑driven delivery. The role ensures that the organisation has the right capacity, systems, processes, and engagement infrastructure to support growth, while delivery teams retain ownership of client outcomes. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, you will translate strategic priorities into scalable operational models, robust governance frameworks, and actionable operational insight. The role advances Operations from reactive support to proactive enablement, strengthening resource planning, operational discipline, and enterprise‑wide data integrity. You will also lead and manage the teams responsible for Global Operations and Engagement & Logistics, providing them with support, strategic direction, operational coherence, and performance accountability across both functions.

Key Responsibilities

• Operational Platform & Operating Model: Own the governance and execution of the global operations model, ensuring consistent implementation and scalability across geographies and service lines, while continuously strengthening capacity planning, engagement enablement, and governance in line with enterprise growth and performance objectives. Establish standardised operational frameworks, routines, and performance metrics across service lines. Align operational priorities with enterprise strategy, growth plans, and service‑line needs. Embed a service‑partnering model in which Operations enables delivery teams while preserving clear accountability for client outcomes.
• Capacity Planning & Workforce Enablement: Own enterprise‑wide capacity planning and workforce forecasting, including the direct oversight of the resource management team across multiple countries. Oversee governance, adoption, and continuous improvement of the CMAP time reporting and resource management system. Ensure accurate and timely project‑level data to support forecasting, analytics, and decision‑making. Establish structured weekly resourcing routines with business units and service lines. Deliver monthly and quarterly resource forecasts to inform company leadership, Service Line Leaders and People & Talent team of hiring decisions, workforce strategy, and delivery risk management. Implement capability‑based resourcing through skills mapping and workforce analytics.
• Systems, Data & Operational Insight: Own the integrity and alignment of operational data across CMAP, Salesforce, and financial systems. Partner with Business Development Operations, Finance, and Technology to strengthen system integration and reduce manual workarounds. Define and maintain core operational dashboards and reporting for executive leadership. Embed data governance, quality assurance routines, and accountability models across Operations. Translate operational data into actionable insights on capacity, risk, utilisation, and organisational performance.
• Engagement Infrastructure & Governance (Enablement Role): Direct the operational execution of customer engagement logistics, including advisory boards, workshops, congresses, and primary research, ensuring high‑quality, compliant, and scalable delivery. Own the design and governance of engagement frameworks, templates, SOPs, and operational playbooks that standardise how engagements are planned and delivered. Execute end‑to‑end logistics for advisory boards and workshops—including planning, vendor coordination, scheduling, contracting, technology, and on‑site/virtual delivery—while delivery teams retain ownership of content, facilitation, and client relationships. Establish and manage preferred vendor ecosystems and market research infrastructure to support consistent, efficient engagement delivery. Provide structured RFP support and vendor selection processes to enable delivery teams’ market research and engagement strategies. Oversee KOL contracting workflows and payment processes in partnership with Finance and Legal, ensuring compliance and operational efficiency. Maintain visibility and governance across engagement pipelines, timelines, costs, and risks, providing operational insight to delivery teams and leadership. Standardise policies, processes, and SOPs across operations. Strengthen governance across resource management, engagement workflows, and vendor management. Embed compliance‑by‑default processes across data management, contracting, and engagement execution. Identify operational risks and implement mitigation strategies across systems, resourcing, and vendor ecosystems.
• Leadership & Capability Building: Provide strategic leadership to Senior Managers across Global Operations and Engagement & Logistics. Enable autonomous, high‑performing operations teams with clear ownership and accountability. Define role expectations, capability frameworks, and progression pathways across operations. Strengthen geographic coverage and organisational capability through targeted hiring and skills development. Foster a culture of operational excellence, continuous improvement, and data‑driven decision‑making.

Required Experience:

• 10 + years progressive operational leadership experience with at least five years in a senior or executive level role.
• Proven success leading operations in a global professional services, consulting, or advisory environment.
• Experience scaling operations during periods of growth, integration, or transformation.
• Strong executive presence and ability to partner with C‑suite and board level stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience managing operations across multiple geographies, ideally, North America, UK, Europe and India.
• Experience leading multicultural teams.
• Experience implementing and optimizing enterprise systems (CMAP, Netsuite, Salesforce, HRIS and other CRM’s).
• Strong background in: Resource planning and utilisation; Capacity management; Workflow optimization; Margin and profitability; Budgeting and forecasting; Revenue operations and cost optimisation.
• Life sciences/Healthcare industry experience.
• Strong change management / transformation background (e.g., acquisitions, integrations, scaling businesses).

Logistics:

• Permanent, full‑time role.
• Must be eligible to work in the UK.
• Hybrid work model, with office in London (Farringdon).