Back to jobs
New

Vice President, Trial Engine

New York, NY; Boston, MA

About Formation Bio

Formation Bio is a tech and AI driven pharma company differentiated by radically more efficient drug development. 

Advancements in AI and drug discovery are creating more candidate drugs than the industry can progress because of the high cost and time of clinical trials. Recognizing that this development bottleneck may ultimately limit the number of new medicines that can reach patients, Formation Bio, founded in 2016 as TrialSpark Inc., has built technology platforms, processes, and capabilities to accelerate all aspects of drug development and clinical trials. Formation Bio partners, acquires, or in-licenses drugs from pharma companies, research organizations, and biotechs to develop programs past clinical proof of concept and beyond, ultimately helping to bring new medicines to patients. The company is backed by investors across pharma and tech, including a16z, Sequoia, Sanofi, Thrive Capital, Sam Altman, John Doerr, Spark Capital, SV Angel Growth, and others. 

You can read more at the following links:

At Formation Bio, our values are the driving force behind our mission to revolutionize the pharma industry. Every team and individual at the company shares these same values, and every team and individual plays a key part in our mission to bring new treatments to patients faster and more efficiently.

About the Position 

As Vice President of Trial Engine, you are the accountable leader for how Formation Bio executes clinical trials across our portfolio. This role builds on an existing, differentiated trial execution and data platform, and is accountable for scaling and strengthening it as the portfolio grows. That means running and continuously improving a trial execution engine that delivers speed, cost efficiency, and quality predictably. You will optimize planning and execution across our trials and drive iteration and improvement across every part of our delivery approach.

We’re not looking for a traditional Clinical Operations leader. This is an outcomes oriented, first principled, velocity-obsessed, player + coach + builder role for someone who knows clinical trials can and must be run faster, cheaper, and better at the same time. You will lead multiple functions, serve as a trial team leader yourself, and work in close partnership with the Development, Translational, Technology, Business Operations & Strategy and Quality teams to continue to build capabilities, including AI enabled, that ensure we deliver new treatments to patients faster and more efficiently. If you want a steady-state org, inherited process, and the ability to rely solely on your experience, you’re not the right person.

Responsibilities

Own and Drive Trial Outcomes

  • Own end-to-end trial execution across the portfolio, with direct accountability for delivery against asset and portfolio value inflection goals
  • Serve as trial team leader on designated programs, setting execution pace and ensuring learnings are shared and implemented across the portfolio

Lead Multiple Trial Engine Enablement Teams

  • Lead and develop leaders across:
    • Clinical Trial Management & Operations (Trial Management, Project Management, Trial Master File)
    • Site Feasibility & Operations (Feasibility, Study Startup, Recruitment)
    • Clinical Data Management & Analytics
  • Generate operational alpha through the pace you set, the systems and technology you deploy and the people you develop and hire.
  • Build high-performing teams that scale impact without corresponding headcount

Evolve the Trial Delivery Operating Model

  • Collaborate cross functionally to refine and evolve our flexible, scalable trial execution operating model
  • Improve execution rhythms and decision frameworks that enable repeatable, fast, high quality decision making 
  • Interrogate and replace legacy processes with AI-enabled workflows and systems designed to deliver outcomes 

Partner Cross-Functionally with:

  • Asset General Managers, Clinical and Operations leaders to ensure we have tight coordination across program and trial teams 
  • Development and Business Operations teams to align strategy, execution, and tooling
  • Tech partners to operationalize automation, AI, and data-driven decision-making across trial workflows

About You 

  • Outcome-Driven: You optimize for value creation, everything is in service of that. 
  • AI-Native: You naturally embed AI and automation into team culture, workflows, and decision-making and believe this is the future of exceptional clinical trial execution.
  • Generalist with Range: You flex across disciplines, know when to go deep, when to pull in experts, and when to rely on strong teams.
  • Structured & Decisive: You run teams with sharp prioritization, clear responsibilities and disciplined execution.
  • Comfortable in Ambiguity: You thrive in dynamic environments, simplify complexity, and adapt quickly without losing momentum. 
  • Strategically Grounded with Tactical Depth: You connect and communicate high-level vision to detailed, practical action and can operate comfortably at both levels.

Signals that you are a good fit:

    • You don’t believe in the traditional paradigm that you can only have 2 of 3 (speed, cost, quality) and have the track record to prove it.
    • You set a high bar with your team, when hiring and expect a lot of yourself and others.
    • You are productively impatient and intolerant of unnecessary friction.
    • You know what exceptional looks like and what it actually takes to achieve it consistently.
    • You are self-aware, comfortable being wrong in public and committed to getting better.
    • You have a sense of humor, especially about yourself. 

Formation Bio is prioritizing hiring in key hubs, primarily the New York City and Boston metro areas. These positions will follow a hybrid work model with 1-3 days required at the office.  Applicants from the Research Triangle (NC) and San Francisco Bay Area may also be considered. Please only apply if you reside in these locations or are willing to relocate.

Compensation:

The target salary range for this role is: $333,000 - $370,000

Salary ranges are informed by a number of factors including geographic location. The range provided includes base salary only. In addition to base salary, we offer equity, comprehensive benefits, generous perks, hybrid flexibility, and more. If this range doesn't match your expectations, please still apply because we may have something else for you.

You will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at Formation Bio? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Formation Bio’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.