Clinical Director Jobs in California
Clinical Director jobs in California are among the most active in the country, with strong demand across hospital systems, behavioral health networks, community health centers, and outpatient specialty groups at every level from program-level director to system-wide clinical executive. The largest concentrations of openings are in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego, where major employers such as Kaiser Permanente, Dignity Health, and UCLA Health consistently hire clinical directors. The most in-demand specialties include behavioral health, home health and hospice, and population health management. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Department:
106600 Clinical OperationsLocation:
San Diego, USA- RemoteBe a part of a global team that is inspired to make a difference in the lives of people living with rare disease.
At Travere Therapeutics, we recognize that our exceptional employees are vital to our success. We are a dedicated team focused on meeting the unique needs of rare patients. Our work is rewarding – both professionally and personally – because we are making a difference. We are passionate about what we do.
We are seeking talented individuals who will thrive in our collaborative, diverse, fast-paced environment and share in our mission – to identify, develop and deliver life-changing therapies to people living with rare disease. We stick by our values centered on patients, courage, community, and collaboration to pursue our vision of becoming a leading biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the delivery of innovation and hope to patients in the global rare disease community.
At Travere Therapeutics, we are in rare for life. We continue to courageously forge new paths as we move toward a common goal of elevating science and service for rare patients.
Position Summary:
The Associate Director, Project Management is responsible for departmental planning and timeline governance across Clinical Operations and Clinical Pharmacology. This role builds and maintains high-quality functional timelines, connects those plans to integrated program schedules, and provides clear visibility to milestones, dependencies, risks, and decisions.
Working in close partnership with Clinical Operations and Clinical Pharmacology leaders, overall program project managers, Regulatory, Research, and Program/Product Teams, the Associate Director will identify and accelerate rate-limiting activities while preserving scientific quality, patient safety, compliance, and decision quality. The successful candidate combines strong drug-development judgment with advanced Smartsheet capability, disciplined project controls, and the ability to influence outcomes in a matrixed environment.
Responsibilities:
- Own, develop, and maintain departmental timelines for Clinical Operations and Clinical Pharmacology across multiple studies and development programs, from early planning through key regulatory and clinical milestones.
- Build and administer scalable Smartsheet solutions, including integrated schedules, cross-sheet dependencies, reports, dashboards, automated workflows, baselines, and portfolio-level views that support timely, accurate decision-making.
- Translate functional strategies into executable plans with clear activities, durations, owners, milestones, assumptions, predecessor/successor logic, and critical-path visibility.
- Partner with overall program project managers to incorporate functional plans into integrated program timelines and maintain alignment with program strategy, governance decisions, and corporate priorities.
- Integrate Clinical Operations milestones such as study start-up, site activation, enrollment, data review, database lock, and clinical study reporting and Clinical Pharmacology deliverables such as bioanalysis, PK/PD analyses, modeling and simulation, dose rationale, and clinical pharmacology reports with overall Program timelines.
- Work cross-functionally with Regulatory, Research, Clinical Development, Biometrics, Medical Writing, and Program/Product Teams to map interdependencies, sequence handoffs, and build coherent end-to-end timelines.
- Identify rate-limiting steps and emerging schedule constraints; lead scenario planning, schedule compression, and recovery planning; and drive agreement on practical acceleration options, tradeoffs, and decision points.
- Facilitate timeline reviews and cross-functional planning sessions, constructively challenge assumptions and commitments, confirm accountability, and maintain clear action and decision records.
- Establish and maintain integrated risk, issue, action, and decision tracking; escalate material threats early with impact assessment, options, recommendations, and accountable owners.
- Provide concise dashboards, milestone forecasts, critical-path analyses, and status updates to functional leaders, program governance teams, and executive stakeholders.
- Support planning for regulatory interactions and submissions by ensuring that relevant clinical operations and clinical pharmacology activities, dependencies, reviews, and approvals are reflected in the integrated plan.
- Coordinate internal and external partner timelines, including CROs, laboratories, modeling vendors, and other service providers, and ensure vendor deliverables remain aligned with program milestones.
- Develop and implement consistent project-management standards, templates, naming conventions, quality checks, change-control practices, and reporting cadences for departmental timeline management.
- Contribute to functional capacity and resource planning by highlighting timing conflicts, competing priorities, cross-program dependencies, and potential execution bottlenecks.
- Champion a collaborative, accountable, and patient-focused operating culture that converts strategy into measurable execution.
- Additional duties assigned as needed.
Education/Experience Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, pharmacy, business, project management, or related discipline required. Advanced degree preferred. Equivalent combination of education and applicable job experience may be considered.
- 8+ years of relevant experience in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry required, including at least 4 years of direct project-management experience supporting R&D or clinical development activities in Biotech or Pharmaceutical industry.
- Demonstrated experience planning and managing complex, cross-functional, multi-study, or global development timelines from strategy through execution.
- Direct project-management experience supporting Clinical Operations and working knowledge of Clinical Pharmacology activities and deliverables. Experience supporting both functions is strongly preferred.
- Experience integrating functional timelines with broader program plans and supporting governance, regulatory milestones, or major clinical-development decisions.
- Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or comparable formal project-management training is preferred.
Additional Skills/Experience:
- The ideal candidate will embody Travere’s core values: Courage, Community Spirit, Patient Focus and Teamwork.
- Driven, intelligent, passionate about making a difference for patients with rare diseases.
- Advanced Smartsheet capability, including complex project plans, dependencies, cross-sheet formulas, reports, dashboards, automated alerts and approvals, standardized templates, and portfolio roll-ups. Ability to establish practical governance and data-quality controls is required.
- Strong understanding of drug-development planning and the interdependencies among Clinical Operations, Clinical Pharmacology, Regulatory, Research, Biometrics, Medical Writing, and program governance.
- Working knowledge of clinical-development processes and terminology, including study start-up and conduct, vendor deliverables, data-review milestones, PK/PD, bioanalysis, modeling and simulation, and regulatory submission planning.
- Demonstrated ability to analyze critical paths, model scenarios, pressure-test assumptions, and create credible acceleration or recovery plans without obscuring risk.
- Excellent facilitation, negotiation, and influencing skills, with the confidence to drive clarity, ownership, and timely decisions across a matrixed organization.
- Executive-ready written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to distill complex schedules, tradeoffs, and risks for audiences at all organizational levels.
- Strong attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to manage ambiguity, shifting priorities, and multiple concurrent programs in a fast-paced environment.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Project, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, and document-management systems is preferred.
- Self-directed and accountable, with a consistent record of following through on commitments while fostering productive cross-functional relationships.
- Ability to travel 10% domestic and internationally.
- All positions have an essential job function to be able to perform face to face work with colleagues and/or onsite in San Diego. No role is expected to be 100% remote.
Total Rewards Offerings:
Travere provides comprehensive total rewards offerings that demonstrate our commitment as a diverse, equitable, people-centric, and pay-for-performance organization.
Benefits: Our benefits include premium health, financial, work-life and well-being offerings for eligible employees and dependents, wellness and employee support programs, life insurance, disability, retirement plans with employer match and generous paid time off.
Compensation: Our competitive compensation package includes a combination of both cash compensation (base pay and short-term incentive) and long-term incentive compensation (company stock), designed to recognize, retain, and reward employees.
Target Base Pay Range:
$150,000.00 - $195,000.00- This information is current as of the date of this posting and may be modified in the future. Actual pay offered to a candidate will depend on a variety of factors including the candidate’s experience, education, skills, and location.
Travere will accept applications on an ongoing basis until a candidate is selected for the position.
Travere Therapeutics, Inc. is an EEO/AA/Veteran/Disability Employer.
If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete the application or interview process, please contact us by sending an email to accommodations@travere.com. Please note that this email address is to be used exclusively to request an accommodation with the online application, interview or hiring process only. Travere HR will not reply to emails sent to this address for any other reason.
See All 248+ Clinical Director Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Clinical Director JobsClinical Director Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Clinical Director Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- Revolution Medicines19

- Gilead Sciences8

- AbbVie7

- Sutter Health7

- 360 Behavioral Health6

Top Industries Hiring
- Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals33
- Healthcare & Medical Services6
- Education2
- Medical Devices2
- Distribution & Wholesale1
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in clinical director jobs across California.
- Active California clinical license relevant to the candidate's discipline (e.g. RN, LCSW, MFT)
- Master's degree or higher in a clinical, health administration, or public health field
- Minimum five years of direct clinical practice experience in a relevant specialty
- At least two years of supervisory or management experience leading clinical staff
- Demonstrated knowledge of California Department of Public Health and DHCS regulations
- Experience with Joint Commission accreditation, quality improvement, or compliance programs
Clinical Director Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a clinical director in California?
Most clinical directors in California hold an active state-issued license in their clinical discipline, such as a Registered Nurse license through the California Board of Registered Nursing, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker credential through the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, or a Marriage and Family Therapist license from the same board. Employers typically expect a master's degree or higher, several years of direct clinical practice, and prior supervisory responsibility before considering candidates for a director-level role.
Which companies hire clinical directors in California?
Employers hiring clinical directors in California right now include Revolution Medicines, Gilead Sciences, and AbbVie, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. California's large integrated health systems, regional behavioral health organizations, and federally qualified health centers generate the most consistent director-level demand across the state.
Which California cities have the most clinical director jobs?
San Diego, San Francisco, and Redwood City have the most clinical director openings in California. Los Angeles drives volume through its concentration of large hospital systems and county health programs, San Francisco reflects the dense network of academic medical centers and health-tech-adjacent care organizations in the Bay Area, and San Diego's strong military health, biotech, and community health presence creates consistent director-level demand outside the two largest metros.
Are there remote clinical director jobs in California?
Yes, but they are limited. Most clinical director roles require on-site oversight of staff, patients, or facilities, which restricts full remote work. About 54% of clinical director openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, and the positions most likely to offer flexibility are those focused on utilization management, telehealth program leadership, or population health strategy rather than direct facility or team supervision.
How can I get hired as a clinical director in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is moving into a charge nurse, clinical supervisor, or program coordinator role first, then building toward director-level responsibility. Large California employers such as Kaiser Permanente and Dignity Health run formal leadership development programs and internal promotion tracks that advance high-performing clinical staff into management. Pursuing a California clinical license in your discipline, completing a master's program, and taking on quality improvement or compliance projects while in a frontline role strengthens a director candidacy considerably.
Where can I find and apply to clinical director jobs in California?
You can find and apply to clinical director jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from employers across the state. Search the available roles, find the ones that match your discipline, experience level, and preferred location, and apply directly to the listings that fit.
See All 248+ Clinical Director Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Clinical Director Jobs