VP of Clinical Operations

Boston, MA (East Coast)

Full-time

Founding hire

The role

Clinical trials still run on five disconnected systems, a spreadsheet, and hope. Sponsors lose visibility the moment data enters the site. By the time a risk surfaces, it's already a problem. We built R1 to change that — an agentic AI platform that unifies EDC, IRT, eCOA, CTMS, and study timelines into real-time operational intelligence.

We're hiring the first VP of Clinical Operations at Espresso. This is not a management role waiting for a team beneath it. It's a player-coach position — hands-on customer deployments, sponsor-facing credibility, and building the ClinOps function from scratch.

What you'll do in year one

  • Own the clinical success of our active pilots with pharma sponsors — ensure they succeed, extract the learnings, translate them into product improvements.
  • Be our clinical voice in every sales conversation. You'll sit across from VP-level sponsors and make R1 credible.
  • Define what good looks like for AI-assisted risk-based monitoring, shaping our RBQM methodology and how R1 operationalizes it.
  • Make your first hire — and lay the groundwork for the team we need in year two.

What we're looking for

  • 10+ years in clinical trial operations with real sponsor-side accountability
  • Direct experience managing CRAs, Study Managers, or ClinOps teams
  • Working knowledge of EDC, IRT, eCOA, and CTMS — operational, not theoretical
  • Genuine fluency in risk-based monitoring — you've run it, not just read about it
  • Startup or growth-stage experience: you know what it means to build without a playbook
  • East Coast based (Boston strongly preferred)

What we offer

  • Meaningful equity at an early stage — you'll own a real piece of what you build
  • A direct line to the CEO — no middle layers, no bureaucracy
  • The chance to shape both a company and a category
  • A product that already works, and customers who already see the value

Apply for this role

Your application goes directly to our team. We review every submission and respond to every qualified candidate within 5 business days.

1Personal information
2Screening questions
Do you have 5+ years of clinical trial operations experience on the sponsor side (pharma or biotech), with direct accountability for study outcomes?
Are you based on the East Coast of the United States, or are you open to relocating?
Briefly describe a clinical operations function, process, or team you built from scratch — not one you inherited.
3Your background
4Why Espresso?
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.