Therapeutic Area Head, General Medicine

Syneos Health, Inc.; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 177,000 - GBP 330,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading biopharmaceutical solutions organization is seeking a Therapeutic Area Head – General Medicine in Greater London. This senior role demands strategic leadership and operational excellence across key therapeutic areas such as Infectious Disease and Vaccines. The ideal candidate will bring over 15 years of experience in clinical research, ensuring delivery success, managing a global portfolio, and influencing C-suite stakeholders. The role includes comprehensive responsibilities in executive management and talent development.

Benefits

Health benefits including Medical, Dental and Vision

Company match 401k

Flexible paid time off

Qualifications

• 15+ years in clinical research or operations within CRO or pharmaceuticals.
• Proven experience overseeing clinical development programs.
• Expert understanding of drug development and regulatory landscapes.

Responsibilities

• Drive delivery excellence across General Medicine segments.
• Maintain scientific fluency in infectious diseases and vaccines.
• Lead and mentor a global leadership team.

Skills

Leadership in clinical development

Project management

Business acumen

Scientific fluency

Regulatory knowledge

Education

Advanced degree in Life Sciences, Medicine, Pharmacy

Job description

Updated: January 21, 2026
Location: GBR-London-Hybrid
Job ID:25105080

Syneos Health® is a leading fully integrated biopharmaceutical solutions organization built to accelerate customer success. We translate unique clinical, medical affairs and commercial insights into outcomes to address modern market realities.

Every day we perform better because of how we work together, as one team, each the best at what we do. We bring a wide range of talented experts together across a wide range of business‑critical services that support our business. Every role within Corporate is vital to furthering our vision of Shortening the Distance from Lab to Life®.

Discover what our 29,000 employees, across 110 countries already know.

WORK HERE MATTERS EVERYWHERE

Why Syneos Health

• We are passionate about developing our people, through career development and progression; supportive and engaged line management; technical and therapeutic area training; peer recognition and total rewards program.
• We are committed to our Total Self culture – where you can authentically be yourself. Our Total Self culture is what unites us globally, and we are dedicated to taking care of our people.
• We are continuously building the company we all want to work for and our customers want to work with. Why? Because when we bring together diversity of thoughts, backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives – we’re able to create a place where everyone feels like they belong.

Job Responsibilities

Job Summary

The Therapeutic Area Head – General Medicine provides strategic, scientific, and operational leadership across a diverse global portfolio that includes Infectious Disease, Vaccines, Respiratory, Cell & Gene Therapy (CGT), and select Medical Device & Diagnostics (MD&D) programs. Following the strategic carve‑out of Cardiometabolic and Intensive Care, this role ensures deep focus on the therapeutic areas where Syneos Health has the strongest right to win and the largest opportunity to scale.

This executive leader is responsible for advancing clinical delivery excellence, shaping therapeutic strategy, modernizing capabilities, and driving high‑value growth in line with the organization’s 2026 and long‑range plan goals. As a senior member of the Global Project Management Leadership Team, the Therapeutic Area Head, General Medicine serves as a scientific authority, operational strategist, and key partner to clients, industry stakeholders, and internal teams—advancing Syneos Health’s position as the partner of choice in General Medicine research.

Key Responsibilities

Drives Syneos Health’s success across high-growth General Medicine segments by ensuring delivery excellence, strengthening client partnerships, and enabling modernization of capabilities across vaccines, ID, respiratory, CGT, and MD&D. Enhances Syneos Health’s competitive position by aligning therapeutic strategy, operational execution, and commercial priorities.

Strategic Leadership

• Develop execute the strategic vision for General Medicine delivery, ensuring alignment with corporate priorities, therapeutic growth strategies, and evolving market needs.
• Lead the transformation of General Medicine go‑to‑market strategy, including modernization of TCOE‑based collateral, global presence, and orchestrated conference activities.
• Anticipate emerging scientific, regulatory, and competitive trends within ID, vaccines, respiratory, CGT, and MD&D to position Syneos Health as the preferred partner in these segments.
• Partner with senior executives across the enterprise to ensure cohesive, scalable operational models that support rapid growth and portfolio diversification.

Scientific Authority & External Influence

• Maintain deep scientific fluency across infectious disease, immunology, respiratory medicine, vaccines, advanced therapies, and MD&D.
• Serve as a recognized scientific and strategic advisor to senior‑level clients, regulatory bodies, and external partners.
• Represent the organization in global scientific forums and industry associations to strengthen Syneos Health’s visibility, credibility, and thought‑leadership position.
• Shape client strategies by integrating scientific evidence, commercial insights, and global development considerations.
• Provide executive oversight for all General Medicine projects across phases I–IV, ensuring operational excellence, forecasting accuracy, proactive risk mitigation, and client satisfaction.
• Guide portfolio prioritization and resource alignment to support growth trajectories in vaccines (EU/APAC), global ID programs, respiratory innovation, CGT capability expansion, and MD&D partnerships.
• Establish governance structures to monitor delivery performance, elevate issues, and drive continuous improvement across global teams.
• Collaborate with operational and scientific leaders to modernize delivery capabilities, including analytics, AI‑enabled risk management, and evidence‑based decision frameworks.

Executive Client Management & Business Development

• Serve as senior executive liaison for key strategic General Medicine clients.
• Expand growth opportunities by partnering with BD, Medical, and operational leaders to enhance cross‑portfolio visibility and strengthen client value propositions.
• Support high‑stakes engagements—including bid defenses, RFIs, and partnership negotiations, assuring alignment with Syneos Health’s strategic objectives and performance commitments.
• Build and sustain long‑term partnerships that reinforce Syneos Health’s differentiated scientific and operational capabilities.

Financial & Operational Leadership

• Maintain full accountability for the financial performance of the General Medicine portfolio, including forecasting, profitability, and resource optimization.
• Strengthen portfolio economics by driving operational efficiency, predictability, and data‑driven decision making.
• Partner with Finance and Operations to ensure scalable business models that support global growth ambitions through 2028 and beyond.

Organizational Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead and mentor a global leadership team (VP and below), fostering a culture of empowerment, collaboration, accountability, and high performance.
• Build talent and succession pipelines for scientific, operational, and executive leadership roles within General Medicine.
• Promote an inclusive culture that values diverse expertise and drives innovation across therapeutic and geographic lines.

Quality, Compliance & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure compliance with ICH/GCP, regulatory standards, and internal quality systems across the General Medicine portfolio.
• Collaborate with Quality leadership to support inspection readiness and ensure consistent quality across global operations.
• Lead transformation initiatives aimed at modernizing General Medicine capabilities—such as revamping CGT consortia, strengthening MD&D central capabilities, and optimizing TCOE infrastructure.
• Drive continuous improvement and process optimization that enhance delivery scalability, client satisfaction, and operational resilience.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree (MS, PharmD, MD, PhD, or equivalent) in Life Sciences, Medicine, Pharmacy, or a related scientific discipline required.
• Minimum of 15+ years of experience in clinical research, project management, or clinical operations within CRO, pharmaceutical, or biotechnology settings.
• Proven leadership experience overseeing complex clinical development programs in infectious disease, vaccines, respiratory, or advanced therapies; MD&D experience preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to lead large, global portfolios and multi‑layered leadership teams.
• Strong business acumen with experience in forecasting, financial management, and therapeutic growth strategy.
• Expert understanding of drug development, GCP/ICH guidelines, global regulatory expectations, and evolving scientific landscapes.
• Exceptional executive presence with the ability to influence C‑suite stakeholders, clients, and internal leaders.
• Track record of driving innovation, transformation, and delivery modernization.
• Ability to travel as required (approximately 30–35%).

At Syneos Health, we believe in providing an environment and culture in which Our People can thrive, develop and advance. We reward and recognize our people by providing valuable benefits and a quality‑of‑life balance. The benefits for this position may include a company car or car allowance, Health benefits to include Medical, Dental and Vision, Company match 401k, eligibility to participate in Employee Stock Purchase Plan, Eligibility to earn commissions/bonus based on company and individual performance, and flexible paid time off (PTO) and sick time. Because certain states and municipalities have regulated paid sick time requirements, eligibility for paid sick time may vary depending on where you work. Syneos complies with all applicable federal, state, and municipal paid sick time requirements.

Salary Range:

$245,600.00 - $454,300.00

Get to Know Syneos Health

Over the past 5 years, we have worked with 94% of all Novel FDA Approved Drugs, 95% of EMA Authorized Products and over 200 Studies across ,000 Sites and 675,000+ Trial patients.

No matter what your role is, you’ll take the initiative and challenge the status quo with us in a highly competitive and ever‑changing environment. Learn more about Syneos Health.

http://www.syneoshealth.com

Additional Information

Tasks, duties, and responsibilities as listed in this job description are not exhaustive. The Company, at its sole discretion and with no prior notice, may assign other tasks, duties, and job responsibilities. Equivalent experience, skills, and/or education will also be considered so qualifications of incumbents may differ from those listed in the Job Description. The Company, at its sole discretion, will determine what constitutes as equivalent to the qualifications described above. Further, nothing contained herein should be construed to create an employment contract. Occasionally, required skills/experiences for jobs are expressed in brief terms. Any language contained herein is intended to fully comply with all obligations imposed by the legislation of each country in which it operates, including the implementation of the EU Equality Directive, in relation to the recruitment and employment of its employees. The Company is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, including the provision of reasonable accommodations, when appropriate, to assist employees or applicants to perform the essential functions of the job.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Syneos Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, marital status, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status and will not be discriminated against. If you are an individual with a disability who requires reasonable accommodation to complete any part of our application process, including the use of this website, please contact us at: Email: [e-mail] One of our staff members will work with you to provide alternate means to submit your application.

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