Global Head of Planning & Resource Management

Global Head, Planning & Resource Management - Remote US, UK, Ireland, Poland, Canada

ICON plc is a world-leading healthcare intelligence and clinical research organization. We’re proud to foster an inclusive environment driving innovation and excellence, and we welcome you to join us on our mission to shape the future of clinical development.

At ICON, our ability to deliver for customers depends on having the right talent, in the right place, at the right time, across one of the largest and most complex clinical research portfolios in the industry. As Global Head of Planning & Resource Management, you will define and lead the enterprise strategy that enables this outcome.

This is a highly visible executive leadership role with responsibility for workforce planning, demand forecasting, capacity management, deployment strategy, and enterprise headcount governance across a global organization of thousands of professionals spanning Project Management, Clinical Trial Management, Clinical Monitoring, Study Start-Up, Data Management, Biostatistics, Pharmacovigilance, Medical Affairs, and other critical delivery functions.

Your remit extends beyond clinical operations to encompass ICON's enterprise-wide Headcount Approval Process, serving as the executive steward of workforce investment decisions across all business units, functions, and geographies. In this capacity, you will partner directly with the Chief Executive Officer, Executive Leadership Team, Finance, and business presidents to evaluate workforce investments, balance growth ambitions with operational realities, and ensure talent decisions support the company's long-term strategic objectives.

You will lead a high-performing global organization through a team of experienced senior leaders and subject matter experts. The foundation is strong; the opportunity is to elevate the function into a world-class strategic capability. Success will require an executive who can shape enterprise thinking, drive transformational improvement, influence senior leaders across the organization, and establish workforce planning as a competitive advantage for ICON.

This is a role for a commercially minded executive who combines analytical rigor with executive presence, bringing a clear perspective on how workforce planning, governance, and resource deployment should operate on a global scale while influencing some of the most consequential decisions facing the business.

What You Will Do

• Define and lead ICON's global workforce planning and resource management strategy , ensuring talent investments, capacity decisions, and workforce deployment support the organization's growth ambitions, delivery commitments, operational performance, and long-term business objectives.

• Own the enterprise-wide demand forecasting, capacity planning, resource deployment, and workforce analytics framework , translating commercial forecasts, portfolio dynamics, and business priorities into actionable workforce strategies and executive decision-making insights.

• Lead ICON's global Headcount Approval Process , establishing governance standards, analytical rigor, and decision frameworks that guide workforce investment decisions across all functions, business units, and geographies.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Chief Executive Officer, Executive Leadership Team, Finance leadership, and business presidents , providing strategic guidance on workforce investments, organizational capacity, delivery risk, productivity, and resource optimization.

• Influence critical workforce and organizational decisions by partnering with senior stakeholders to evaluate resource requirements, challenge assumptions, balance competing priorities, and ensure alignment with enterprise objectives, delivery excellence, and financial performance goals.

• Drive the transformation of workforce planning and governance capabilities , advancing forecasting accuracy, workforce agility, operational efficiency, decision quality, and scalability through process optimization, technology enablement, automation, and advanced analytics.

• Partner closely with Finance, Human Resources, and operational leadership to evaluate the commercial and financial implications of workforce decisions, including utilization, productivity, margin performance, revenue realization, resource costs, workforce investments, and organizational efficiency.

• Lead, develop, and inspire a high-performing global organization , fostering leadership capability, succession planning, innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement while representing workforce strategy and resource management at the highest levels of the organization.

Your Profile

• Extensive executive leadership experience in workforce planning, capacity management, resource optimization, demand forecasting, and deployment strategy within large, complex, global organizations. While experience in CRO, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, consulting, or other professional services environments is advantageous, we are open to leaders from any project-based, talent-intensive business where workforce planning is critical to operational and financial success.

• Demonstrated success partnering with and influencing executive leadership teams, business presidents, and C-suite stakeholders , providing trusted counsel on workforce investments, organizational capacity, growth planning, operational risk, and strategic decision-making.

• Significant experience leading enterprise workforce governance, investment approval, resource allocation, or headcount management processes , establishing rigorous decision frameworks that improve organizational effectiveness, accountability, and business outcomes.

• A proven track record of leading high-performing global organizations through senior leaders , creating strong cultures of accountability, collaboration, innovation, succession planning, and continuous improvement within complex matrixed environments.

• Exceptional commercial and financial acumen , including a deep understanding of utilization, productivity, margin optimization, workforce investment, resource costs, revenue realization, and the operational drivers of performance within service-based organizations.

• Strong analytical, strategic, and problem-solving capabilities , with the ability to synthesize complex business dynamics, leverage workforce analytics and forecasting methodologies, and translate data into clear, actionable recommendations for executive decision-making.

• Outstanding executive presence, communication, and influencing skills , with a demonstrated ability to present complex analyses, challenge assumptions constructively, and build alignment among senior stakeholders in high-profile, high-impact business environments.

• Experience leading transformational change and building scalable workforce planning capabilities , leveraging process improvement, technology enablement, advanced analytics, and organizational leadership to improve forecasting accuracy, workforce agility, and operational efficiency.

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in Business, Finance, Operations, Economics, Human Resources, or a related field strongly preferred.

• Ability to travel up to 10%

• Live in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland; locations in other countries will be considered.

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What ICON can offer you:
Our success depends on the quality of our people. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to build a diverse culture that rewards high performance and nurtures talent.

In addition to your competitive salary, ICON offers a range of additional benefits. Our benefits are designed to be competitive within each country and are focused on well-being and work life balance opportunities for you and your family.

Our benefits examples include:

• Various annual leave entitlements
• A range of health insurance offerings to suit you and your family’s needs.
• Competitive retirement planning offerings to maximize savings and plan with confidence for the years ahead.
• Global Employee Assistance Programme, LifeWorks, offering 24-hour access to a global network of over 80,000 independent specialized professionals who are there to support you and your family’s well-being.
• Life assurance
• Flexible country-specific optional benefits, including childcare vouchers, bike purchase schemes, discounted gym memberships, subsidized travel passes, health assessments, among others.

Visit our careers site to read more about the benefits ICON offers.

At ICON, inclusion & belonging are fundamental to our culture and values. We’re dedicated to providing an inclusive and accessible environment for all candidates. ICON is committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or in order to perform the essential functions of a position, please let us know or submit a request here

Interested in the role, but unsure if you meet all of the requirements? We would encourage you to apply regardless – there’s every chance you’re exactly what we’re looking for here at ICON whether it is for this or other roles.

Are you a current ICON Employee? Please click here to apply