Senior Director of Advanced Therapies /

About the Role

Germfree is seeking a Senior Director of Advanced Therapies to serve as the on-the-ground program integrator and direct extension of the CEO in Saudi Arabia. This full-time role, based in Riyadh, supports the development and activation of a major advanced therapies manufacturing and innovation center at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC). The objective is to deliver a clinically relevant, operationally ready, and sustainable advanced therapies enterprise.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the CEO's representative and lead program integration, maintaining a single integrated view of strategic objectives, milestones, interfaces, commitments, risks, and decisions.
• Lead cross-functional issue resolution and provide concise weekly CEO reporting.
• Support the development of a 24–36-month map for therapeutic assets, investigators, development stages, regulatory paths, patient populations, manufacturing needs, and trial timing.
• Facilitate assessment of IND-enabling, CMC, clinical trial activation, technology transfer, and regulatory-readiness dependencies, engaging subject-matter experts as needed.
• Coordinate readiness plans for GMP operations, including organization, staffing, quality systems, equipment qualification, process validation, environmental monitoring, tech transfer, and manufacturing launch.
• Collaborate closely with KFSHRC leadership, translating complex technical and operational questions into actionable decisions and strengthening institutional leadership capabilities.
• Surface and escalate performance, schedule, readiness, and handoff problems with subcontractors and interfaces, driving closure with designated owners.
• Coordinate benchmarking and knowledge-exchange programs with academic medical centers and ecosystem organizations.
• Maintain integrated risk, decision, and action registers, prepare steering committee materials, and ensure commitments have owners, deadlines, and follow-through.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will be an entrepreneurial advanced therapies leader with over 10 years of experience. This role requires an understanding of the continuum from preclinical and IND-enabling development through clinical translation, GMP manufacturing, and clinical trials. The successful candidate will be able to translate this understanding into coordinated action across hospital leadership, scientists, engineering teams, quality and regulatory specialists, partners, and subcontractors.

Required Skills and Attributes

• Scientifically credible and commercially aware.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and able to work at both executive and detailed operational levels.
• Skilled at building trust and driving decisions.
• High energy, curious, and resourceful.
• Empowered to coordinate, challenge, track, and escalate program-wide issues.

Work Environment and Location

This is an expatriate role based in Riyadh, requiring regular on-site engagement at KFSHRC and international travel. The position offers significant potential for broader Germfree enterprise leadership.

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation and expatriate support will be determined by HR. Anticipated elements may include relocation, housing, medical coverage, and home leave, subject to company policy and applicable law. Salary for this position will not be disclosed.