Thermo Fisher Scientific
Join to apply for the
Digital Product Portfolio Head
role at
Thermo Fisher Scientific
This is a home-based (or hybrid) role for candidates in the US (East Coast preferred) or the UK. Travel is estimated up to 25% for site visits, customer meetings, and team onboarding across Europe, India, and North America.
Work Schedule Standard (Mon-Fri)
Environmental Conditions Office
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue of more than $40 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, increasing productivity in their laboratories, improving patient health through diagnostics or the development and manufacture of life-changing therapies, we are here to support them. Our global team delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services, Patheon and PPD.
The PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific is a leading provider of global CRO solutions. We provide comprehensive drug development, laboratory and lifecycle services to customers across pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, academic and government entities. By harnessing innovative technology and expertise, we work to empower our customers to bring therapies to market, faster.
We have an exciting new opening for a
Digital Product Portfolio Head
(known internally as Sr Director, Digital Product) to own the strategy, prioritization, and value realization for an end-to-end digital domain, specifically clinical trial execution, supporting and building new products that spans study start to final regulatory delivery. This role is responsible for leading Product Managers and UX Designers- and partnering in a matrix with Engineering, Data Science, and Quality— and will incubate internal products and solutions, quantify ROI through measurable efficiency gains, and guide readiness for future external monetization.
Reporting to the Head of Digital Products, PPD Digital, you are accountable for domain vision, business-case development, roadmap execution, user outcomes, and regulatory compliance (21 CFR Part 11, ICH-GCP, GDPR, HIPAA).
Salary and other compensation details are described below; actual compensation will be discussed with successful candidates.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Roadmap & Vision: Craft a 3-year vision that accelerates trial timelines and differentiates PPD; translate vision into rolling 12-month roadmaps aligned to corporate OKRs and business objectives; monitor industry trends, competitor strategies, and technological advancements to keep the portfolio competitive and innovative.
Business-Case & ROI Development: Build investment dossiers (TAM, cost–benefit, payback, NPV); establish value-tracking metrics and partner with Finance to baseline and report realized gains; develop financial models to support strategic decisions and present to senior leadership.
Product Life-Cycle & Delivery Oversight: Lead discovery, prioritization, backlog refinement, and acceptance criteria; co-own sprint cadence and release readiness with Engineering Leaders; ensure robust lifecycle management from ideation through retirement.
People & Org Leadership: Line-manage Product Managers / Senior PMs and UX Leads; coach craft mastery and foster a data-driven, user-centric culture across US, UK, Eastern Europe, and India hubs; promote collaboration and continuous improvement.
Stakeholder & Customer Engagement: Liaise with study teams, investigators, sponsors, regulatory/quality partners; champion voice-of-customer and usability; maintain strong relationships to ensure alignment and support for product initiatives.
Governance & Compliance: Own validation strategy (CSV, Part 11), privacy impact assessments, and security posture with Quality, Security, and Engineering.
Qualified candidates will have a demonstrated record of developing business cases and ROI models for digital initiatives (≥$10M) and guiding them through funding gates. Experience partnering with engineering to deliver complex, regulated products is critical, as is a deep understanding of clinical-trial operations (recruitment, start-up, clinical operations, data management, RBM, safety) and associated regulations.
Product-Management Leadership Competencies
Strategic Product Visioning: Turn ambiguous goals into a crisp 3-year vision and phased roadmap balancing internal efficiency and future market revenue.
Portfolio Prioritization & Resource Allocation: Apply RICE/WSJF at portfolio scale; reallocate team capacity based on live ROI and risk data.
User-Centric Discovery & Validation: Lead problem interviews, journey mapping, rapid MVP/A-B experiments to de-risk before heavy build.
Data-Driven Decision-Making: Define North-Star & leading metrics; build self-serve dashboards so squads can course-correct.
Product Storytelling & Influence: Craft narratives linking clinical-outcome gains to business value; secure funding via clear storytelling.
Cross-Functional Leadership (no authority): Align Engineering, QA, and Compliance on priorities through shared OKRs; resolve conflicts by influence.
Coaching & Talent Development: Mentor PMs, run product leadership meetings, drive craft reviews and growth culture.
Operational Excellence / Product Ops: Implement intake triage, release readiness, KPI hygiene; partner with Engineering on cycle-time tracking.
Regulated-Market Lifecycle: Integrate Design Controls, CSV, privacy-by-design from ideation onward; balance agility with validation.
Financial & Business-Case Mastery: Build TAM, NPV, payback models; translate cost-avoidance into CFO-grade ROI narratives.
Go-to-Market & Change Management: Shape launch and adoption plans; lead internal change-management playbooks for study teams.
Innovation Scouting: Inject emerging tech (AI/ML, decentralized trials) into roadmap through structured discovery.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s in Life Sciences, Computer Science, Engineering, or related; MBA / MS preferred.
Previous experience in product or business management leadership in software/SaaS that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the job (comparable to 15 years’ experience).
5+ years’ experience leading staff.
Equivalency allowed: appropriate education, training, and/or directly related experience may be considered.
Preferred Qualifications
Leadership experience in a CRO, eClinical tech provider, or digital-health start-up.
Exposure to AI/ML in commercial software.
Pragmatic Institute PMC, Agile/Scrum, SAFe or equivalent certification.
Published thought leadership on digital clinical-trial innovation.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Proven ability to lead and influence engineers, designers, analysts, and stakeholders.
Experience building intuitive user experiences at scale.
Experience in AI/ML.
Familiarity with agile tools (e.g., Jira, Aha!, Azure DevOps).
Demonstrated experience managing detailed product execution within large, matrixed organizations.
Skilled at managing up and aligning with stakeholders; executive-level storytelling, roadmaps and trade-off discussions.
Outstanding English communication and stakeholder management abilities; ability to articulate detailed product requirements and vision.
Deep understanding of clinical trial processes, clinical data management, and leveraging AI technologies to address data complexities.
Proven ability to leverage user insights and data analytics to drive feature development and continuous improvement.
Additional Qualifications
Able to communicate and work with diverse groups; clear and reasonable information sharing.
Able to work upright and stationary for typical working hours; proficient with standard office equipment.
Able to perform successfully under pressure while prioritizing multiple projects.
International travel up to 25%.
Salary Transparency & Benefits This is a salaried role that may be eligible for a variable annual bonus. Compensation will be discussed during screening and confirmed in writing at offer. The estimated salary range for this position based in North Carolina is
$183,900.00–$275,000.00 .
Choice of national medical, dental, and vision plans.
Employee assistance and family support programs, commuter benefits, and tuition reimbursement.
Paid time off, holidays, parental leave, and disability insurance.
Retirement programs including a 401(k).
Employee stock purchase plan (ESPP).
For more information on our benefits, please visit: https://jobs.thermofisher.com/global/en/total-rewards
Notes
At Thermo Fisher Scientific, we are committed to fostering a healthy and harmonious workplace. Equivalency experience is considered where applicable.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Digital Product Portfolio Head
role at
Thermo Fisher Scientific
This is a home-based (or hybrid) role for candidates in the US (East Coast preferred) or the UK. Travel is estimated up to 25% for site visits, customer meetings, and team onboarding across Europe, India, and North America.
Work Schedule Standard (Mon-Fri)
Environmental Conditions Office
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue of more than $40 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, increasing productivity in their laboratories, improving patient health through diagnostics or the development and manufacture of life-changing therapies, we are here to support them. Our global team delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services, Patheon and PPD.
The PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific is a leading provider of global CRO solutions. We provide comprehensive drug development, laboratory and lifecycle services to customers across pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, academic and government entities. By harnessing innovative technology and expertise, we work to empower our customers to bring therapies to market, faster.
We have an exciting new opening for a
Digital Product Portfolio Head
(known internally as Sr Director, Digital Product) to own the strategy, prioritization, and value realization for an end-to-end digital domain, specifically clinical trial execution, supporting and building new products that spans study start to final regulatory delivery. This role is responsible for leading Product Managers and UX Designers- and partnering in a matrix with Engineering, Data Science, and Quality— and will incubate internal products and solutions, quantify ROI through measurable efficiency gains, and guide readiness for future external monetization.
Reporting to the Head of Digital Products, PPD Digital, you are accountable for domain vision, business-case development, roadmap execution, user outcomes, and regulatory compliance (21 CFR Part 11, ICH-GCP, GDPR, HIPAA).
Salary and other compensation details are described below; actual compensation will be discussed with successful candidates.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Roadmap & Vision: Craft a 3-year vision that accelerates trial timelines and differentiates PPD; translate vision into rolling 12-month roadmaps aligned to corporate OKRs and business objectives; monitor industry trends, competitor strategies, and technological advancements to keep the portfolio competitive and innovative.
Business-Case & ROI Development: Build investment dossiers (TAM, cost–benefit, payback, NPV); establish value-tracking metrics and partner with Finance to baseline and report realized gains; develop financial models to support strategic decisions and present to senior leadership.
Product Life-Cycle & Delivery Oversight: Lead discovery, prioritization, backlog refinement, and acceptance criteria; co-own sprint cadence and release readiness with Engineering Leaders; ensure robust lifecycle management from ideation through retirement.
People & Org Leadership: Line-manage Product Managers / Senior PMs and UX Leads; coach craft mastery and foster a data-driven, user-centric culture across US, UK, Eastern Europe, and India hubs; promote collaboration and continuous improvement.
Stakeholder & Customer Engagement: Liaise with study teams, investigators, sponsors, regulatory/quality partners; champion voice-of-customer and usability; maintain strong relationships to ensure alignment and support for product initiatives.
Governance & Compliance: Own validation strategy (CSV, Part 11), privacy impact assessments, and security posture with Quality, Security, and Engineering.
Qualified candidates will have a demonstrated record of developing business cases and ROI models for digital initiatives (≥$10M) and guiding them through funding gates. Experience partnering with engineering to deliver complex, regulated products is critical, as is a deep understanding of clinical-trial operations (recruitment, start-up, clinical operations, data management, RBM, safety) and associated regulations.
Product-Management Leadership Competencies
Strategic Product Visioning: Turn ambiguous goals into a crisp 3-year vision and phased roadmap balancing internal efficiency and future market revenue.
Portfolio Prioritization & Resource Allocation: Apply RICE/WSJF at portfolio scale; reallocate team capacity based on live ROI and risk data.
User-Centric Discovery & Validation: Lead problem interviews, journey mapping, rapid MVP/A-B experiments to de-risk before heavy build.
Data-Driven Decision-Making: Define North-Star & leading metrics; build self-serve dashboards so squads can course-correct.
Product Storytelling & Influence: Craft narratives linking clinical-outcome gains to business value; secure funding via clear storytelling.
Cross-Functional Leadership (no authority): Align Engineering, QA, and Compliance on priorities through shared OKRs; resolve conflicts by influence.
Coaching & Talent Development: Mentor PMs, run product leadership meetings, drive craft reviews and growth culture.
Operational Excellence / Product Ops: Implement intake triage, release readiness, KPI hygiene; partner with Engineering on cycle-time tracking.
Regulated-Market Lifecycle: Integrate Design Controls, CSV, privacy-by-design from ideation onward; balance agility with validation.
Financial & Business-Case Mastery: Build TAM, NPV, payback models; translate cost-avoidance into CFO-grade ROI narratives.
Go-to-Market & Change Management: Shape launch and adoption plans; lead internal change-management playbooks for study teams.
Innovation Scouting: Inject emerging tech (AI/ML, decentralized trials) into roadmap through structured discovery.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s in Life Sciences, Computer Science, Engineering, or related; MBA / MS preferred.
Previous experience in product or business management leadership in software/SaaS that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the job (comparable to 15 years’ experience).
5+ years’ experience leading staff.
Equivalency allowed: appropriate education, training, and/or directly related experience may be considered.
Preferred Qualifications
Leadership experience in a CRO, eClinical tech provider, or digital-health start-up.
Exposure to AI/ML in commercial software.
Pragmatic Institute PMC, Agile/Scrum, SAFe or equivalent certification.
Published thought leadership on digital clinical-trial innovation.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Proven ability to lead and influence engineers, designers, analysts, and stakeholders.
Experience building intuitive user experiences at scale.
Experience in AI/ML.
Familiarity with agile tools (e.g., Jira, Aha!, Azure DevOps).
Demonstrated experience managing detailed product execution within large, matrixed organizations.
Skilled at managing up and aligning with stakeholders; executive-level storytelling, roadmaps and trade-off discussions.
Outstanding English communication and stakeholder management abilities; ability to articulate detailed product requirements and vision.
Deep understanding of clinical trial processes, clinical data management, and leveraging AI technologies to address data complexities.
Proven ability to leverage user insights and data analytics to drive feature development and continuous improvement.
Additional Qualifications
Able to communicate and work with diverse groups; clear and reasonable information sharing.
Able to work upright and stationary for typical working hours; proficient with standard office equipment.
Able to perform successfully under pressure while prioritizing multiple projects.
International travel up to 25%.
Salary Transparency & Benefits This is a salaried role that may be eligible for a variable annual bonus. Compensation will be discussed during screening and confirmed in writing at offer. The estimated salary range for this position based in North Carolina is
$183,900.00–$275,000.00 .
Choice of national medical, dental, and vision plans.
Employee assistance and family support programs, commuter benefits, and tuition reimbursement.
Paid time off, holidays, parental leave, and disability insurance.
Retirement programs including a 401(k).
Employee stock purchase plan (ESPP).
For more information on our benefits, please visit: https://jobs.thermofisher.com/global/en/total-rewards
Notes
At Thermo Fisher Scientific, we are committed to fostering a healthy and harmonious workplace. Equivalency experience is considered where applicable.
#J-18808-Ljbffr