Vice President, Human Strategy

SUMMARY 

As the Vice President, Human Strategy you will be a hands-on leader responsible for scaling and operationalizing all core HR functions across the organization. Reporting to the CEO, you will set the human strategy that reinforces Civia's values and behaviors, and partner closely with the Executive Leadership Team and functional heads to attract, develop and retain exceptional talent while upholding the highest standards of compliance, participant focus and cultural integrity. You will balance strategic vision with operational excellence, building scalable people practices while remaining closely connected to the realities of multi-site clinical operations. In this role you will lead the Human Strategy team across the US and UK. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

Human Strategy & Leadership Partnership 

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Executive Leadership Team contributing to key strategic decisions. 

• Translate business strategy, growth plans and regulatory requirements into scalable people strategies that reinforce Civia's values and behaviors. 

• Lead, develop and coach the Human Strategy team across the US and UK. 

• Lead HR decision-making with a balance of empathy, integrity and operational rigor. 

• Act as a visible leader across sites, reinforcing culture, values and accountability. 

• Lead organizational change initiatives associated with growth, new site launches, technology implementations, and organizational transformation efforts, ensuring effective communication, stakeholder engagement, and adoption across the workforce. 

Human Strategy Programs & Total Rewards 

• Design, develop, execute, measure and improve human strategy disciplines that connect talent experiences, leadership capabilities and values-based culture across the employee lifecycle. 

• Develop and oversee a competitive, equitable and financially sustainable total rewards strategy aligned with organizational objectives and market competitiveness. 

• Lead the evaluation and adoption of emerging technologies, including AI-enabled solutions, to enhance workforce planning, talent management, employee experience and operational efficiency. 

Employee Lifecycle & HR Operations  

• Own the full employee lifecycle across the site network: workforce planning, hiring, onboarding, development, performance and exits. 

• Ensure consistent HR practices across all sites while accounting for local regulatory requirements. 

• Build repeatable, audit-ready HR processes and technology infrastructure suited to a regulated clinical environment. 

Employee Relations & Performance Management 

• Lead and oversee employee relations matters, investigations and corrective actions. 

• Coach leaders on performance management, difficult conversations and people decisions. 

• Own a continuous performance management framework aligned with clinical quality, participant experience and business outcomes. 

• Ensure fair, consistent and legally compliant application of policies. 

Compliance, Risk & Regulatory Alignment 

• Ensure compliance with employment laws across all operating geographies, including US federal, state and local requirements and UK employment law. 

• Partner with Legal, Compliance and Site Operations to align HR practices with GCP, FDA, MHRA expectations and site audits. 

• Lead HR readiness for inspections, audits and due diligence activities. 

• Maintain and evolve HR policies and training programs. 

Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning 

• Own talent acquisition strategy across the US and UK to attract high-quality talent at the pace of business needs. 

• Build strong onboarding experiences that reinforce participant-first and quality-first expectations. 

Culture, Engagement & Leadership Development 

• Champion a value-based culture across all sites and corporate teams. 

• Build an employer brand that resonates with current and potential employees, in partnership with Marketing & Communication. 

• Deploy engagement surveys, feedback mechanisms, and action planning with the Human Strategy team. 

• Lead leadership development, manager training, succession planning and emerging talent programs. 

• Embed company values into performance reviews, recognition, company events and daily operations. 

REQUIRED EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE 

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business or a related field. 

• 12+ years of progressive HR experience, including significant experience leading HR functions and teams in dynamic environments. 

• Demonstrated experience supporting multi-site, regulated environments. 

• Strong knowledge of US employment law and HR compliance. 

• Working knowledge of UK employment law or experience supporting UK teams. 

• Experience partnering with an executive leadership team. 

• Experience leading an organization through growth or transition. 

• Proven ability to operate at both strategic and tactical levels. 

• Strong track record of developing people. 

• Ability to travel to US sites and periodically to the UK, including occasional overnight and international travel. 

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE 

• Experience in clinical research, healthcare delivery, life sciences or clinical trial site networks. 

• Experience scaling HR in a startup environment. 

• HR certification (SPHR or SHRM-SCP). 

• Experience partnering with Compliance, Legal and Clinical Operations teams. 

• Master's degree or equivalent.