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 respon