Director, Strategy & Operations - Growth

About the Role

As the Director, Strategy & Operations - Growth, you will report to the VP, Growth and serve as the leader of Iterative Health's biological specimen collections business. This is a senior, highly autonomous role for an operator who is equally comfortable setting strategy and rolling up their sleeves to execute. You will own the go-to-market strategy, lead the full build-out of the business, and hold accountability for performance. You will also lead and develop the team that runs the day-to-day of collections operations. The ideal candidate brings a strong strategic and analytical foundation from management consulting or a high-growth startup environment, paired with the operational horsepower and ownership mindset to build something from the ground up.

Responsibilities

Go-to-Market Strategy

• Own the go-to-market strategy for Iterative Health's biological specimen collections business — defining the service offering, target customer segments, competitive positioning, and path to scale
• Define what we sell and how we sell it: Work with Business Development to scope the collections service model, establish pricing frameworks, and develop the materials and narrative needed to bring the offering to market
•  Identify and size the resourcing, infrastructure, and capability requirements needed to support the strategy and inform investment decisions

Business Build-Out

•  Lead the end-to-end build-out of the biological specimen collections business — standing up operational capabilities, and establishing the processes and infrastructure needed to execute at scale
• Own vendor contracting and relationships, including selection, negotiation, onboarding, and ongoing performance management for all collections-related vendors
• Partner with the Business Development team to develop and progress a pipeline of collections studies, supporting sponsor engagement and proposal development
• Work cross-functionally with site operations leaders to identify and onboard the right site network to support collections studies

Business Performance Ownership

• Own execution quality and sponsor satisfaction on active collections studies, serving as the senior point of escalation and ensuring trials are delivered to the highest standard
• Define and track KPIs across the business; use performance data to identify gaps, course-correct quickly, and communicate progress to senior leadership

Team Leadership

• Lead, develop, and hold accountable a team that includes pre-screeners, central Clinical Research Coordinators, and a Clinical Operations Manager — setting clear performance targets and maintaining a high-performance culture
• Train team members on workflows, protocols, and quality standards, and ensure the team has the tools, processes, and support needed to execute at pace
• Set the operational tempo for the team — running structured operations, maintaining visibility into study and team performance, and driving accountability at every level

Required Qualifications

• BS/BA or higher degree; advanced degree (MBA, MPH, or equivalent) strongly preferred
• 7+ years of experience in a strategic and operational role, with meaningful exposure to building or scaling a business — prior experience in management consulting, a high-growth startup, or a general management capacity is strongly preferred
• Experience leading cross-functional build-outs — standing up new capabilities, managing vendors, and driving commercial pipelines
• Proven people leadership experience with the ability to recruit, develop, and hold accountable a high-performing team
• Exceptional organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple high-stakes workstreams simultaneously
• Strong executive presence and communication skills — able to represent the business credibly with sponsors, vendors, and senior internal stakeholders
• Comfortable operating with significant autonomy and building structure in ambiguous, fast-moving environments

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in life sciences, clinical research, or healthcare services — particularly in biological specimen collections studies