Associate Director, Fieldwork Operations

About the role

Inizio Ignite is the global advisory partner for health and life sciences, encompassing connected expertise across Research Partnership, Putnam, Vynamic, and STEM. Guided by purpose, passion, and precision, we collaborate with clients to ignite impact, accelerate performance, and deliver lasting change for patients. By uniting strategy, insights, and innovation with a unique depth and breadth of expertise, we drive transformation and shape the future of health. Research Partnership (part of Inizio Ignite) is one of the world's largest pharma market research and consulting agencies with over 250 researchers, consultants, project managers and support staff. Our teams are located across the globe, in Europe (London, Lyon), North America (New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco) and Asia (Singapore, Delhi). The RP Operations team works alongside our Custom and Syndicated research teams to deliver a broad range of qualitative and quantitative (ad hoc and tracking) studies for global pharmaceutical, MedTech and biotech clients to enable them to address product development, marketing, brand, advertising and communications objectives. Our studies are typically multi-market, encompassing respondents in Europe, North America and Emerging Markets. Each of our research projects will have a dedicated member of the RP Operations team embedded within the core project team for the full project lifecycle, providing project management expertise and guidance throughout. Typically, members of our Operations team will support multiple projects concurrently. As an Insights Field Operations Associate Director, this will involve working directly with both the Research Directors, as well as with other departments (Finance, IT, Creative) to provide Project Management subject matter expertise. As a Field Operations Associate Director you will have responsibility for managing a team of Project Managers/Executives. This will involve mentoring, performance management as well as overseeing recruitment activities (interviewing candidates) for roles within your team. You will also be responsible for delivering subject-specific training both within your line management team and the wider Operations team. Your primary role: The Field Operations Associate Director is a senior leadership role within US Field Operations at Insights. The role is responsible for overseeing the quality, consistency, and delivery of project management output from a team of RP Project Managers, while also acting as a hands-on Project Manager on active studies. This position plays a central role in supporting the alignment of project management roles and responsibilities across RP and STEM within Insights. Working closely with the Head of US Field Operations, the Associate Director will develop a deep understanding of both RP and STEM operating models and contribute to the evolution of project management capabilities under the Insights organization. The role combines direct project delivery, people leadership, client engagement, and cross-business collaboration, and requires strong judgement, operational credibility, and the ability to lead through complexity.

Responsibilities

• Project Delivery & Oversight
• Oversee the end-to-end delivery and quality of US RP project management output, ensuring projects are delivered to a high standard and in line with client expectations.
• Act as Project Manager on assigned studies, maintaining full responsibility for operational execution from project set-up through to delivery.
• Hold full project-level decision-making authority, including management of scope, timelines, and delivery risks.
• Escalate resourcing constraints or significant capacity challenges to the Head of US Field Operations as required.
• Serve as a senior escalation point for complex delivery issues and client concerns.
• Hands-on Project Management Responsibilities
• Oversee the smooth running of fieldwork management, coordinating with internal teams and external suppliers.
• Ensure the successful handover of project deliverables to research teams, including:
• Coordination of Data Processing (DP) work and deliverables for quantitative projects, in line with provided specifications and templates.
• Coordination of qualitative deliverables, including transcripts and/or recordings (notes, video, and audio files), as required.
• Own, coordinate, and maintain project timelines, working closely with internal research teams, clients, and suppliers.
• Take ownership of coordinating project team meetings, including scheduling and facilitation.
• Hold responsibility for Pharmacovigilance and Adverse Event reporting, ensuring compliance with internal and regulatory standards.
• Coordinate client and supplier Statements of Work (SOWs).
• Manage client and supplier invoicing, including PO number tracking, invoice coordination, and liaison with the Finance team.
• Team Leadership & Line Management
• Line manage a team of RP Project Managers and Seni

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