Director of Quality - Life Sciences

As a trusted global transformation partner, Welocalize accelerates the global business journey by enabling brands and companies to reach, engage, and grow international audiences. Welocalize delivers multilingual content transformation services in translation, localization, and adaptation for over 250 languages with a growing network of over 400,000 in-country linguistic resources. Driving innovation in language services, Welocalize delivers high-quality training data transformation solutions for NLP-enabled machine learning by blending technology and human intelligence to collect, annotate, and evaluate all content types. Our team works across locations in North America, Europe, and Asia serving our global clients in the markets that matter to them. www.welocalize.com

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Job Overview

The Director of Quality – Life Sciences is responsible for leading, developing, and optimizing quality processes, tools, and strategies specifically for the Life Sciences service line at Welocalize. This role ensures delivery excellence to global pharmaceutical, medical device, biotech, and healthcare clients while maintaining compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements. The Director will manage and mentor a group of Quality Leads and Managers, driving consistency, innovation, and proactive solutions across all Life Sciences accounts. They will work closely with clients, internal stakeholders, and cross-functional teams to anticipate challenges, define strategy, and continuously improve quality outcomes. This leader will ensure that the Life Sciences group is recognized for best-in-class quality, client partnership, and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

· Define and implement the Life Sciences Quality Strategy aligned with business goals, client needs, and regulatory requirements.
· Develop and refine criteria, standards, and processes specific to Life Sciences accounts to ensure compliance, efficiency, and scalability.
· Partner with Sales and Account Management to anticipate client needs, provide solutions, and position quality as a differentiator in the marketplace.
· Lead the optimization of quality workflows, tools, and reporting across all Life Sciences accounts.
· Monitor industry trends, competitor approaches, and regulatory changes to ensure the team stays ahead of client expectations.

Client-Facing and Operational Excellence

· Act as a senior client-facing quality leader, representing Welocalize in customer meetings, escalations, and strategic reviews.
· Oversee and manage the quality of deliverables for all Life Sciences accounts, ensuring consistency, compliance, and measurable client satisfaction.
· Drive the implementation of quality improvement initiatives, proactively suggesting enhancements, new approaches, and innovations.
· Ensure the Life Sciences Quality team is aligned on global processes, ISO certifications, and best practices.
· Support RFP responses and pre-sales engagements, showcasing Welocalize’s Life Sciences quality expertise.

Team Leadership & Development

· Lead and mentor a team of Quality Leads and Managers, providing coaching, career development, and performance management.
· Foster a culture of proactivity, innovation, and accountability within the team.
· Ensure effective resource allocation, workload balance, and scalability of the Life Sciences Quality function.
· Promote cross-team collaboration, knowledge sharing, and standardization across all squads.

Process & Tools Optimization

· Develop, implement, and audit Life Sciences-specific tools, processes, and methodologies to optimize efficiency and compliance.
· Oversee adoption and governance of translation quality tools, technology platforms, and ISO processes.
· Lead continuous improvement initiatives, including data-driven analysis, efficiency reporting, and Lean Six Sigma or Agile methodology practices.
· Establish a clear framework for escalation management, corrective action, and risk mitigation.

Job Requirements:
• 10–15 years of experience in the Life Sciences industry, with a focus on localization, translation, and regulatory content management.
• Deep understanding of Life Sciences market dynamics, regulatory environments, competitors, resources, and global geographical considerations.
• Proven experience managing large, complex Life Sciences accounts and programs.
• Strong knowledge of ISO standards, compliance requirements, and quality certifications.
• Demonstrated expertise in client-facing leadership, including escalations, negotiations, and strategy-setting.
• Experience defining and executing quality strategies, optimization processes, and innovation
• initiatives.
• Strong leadership background: ability to inspire, manage, and grow global teams across
• multiple regions.
• Data-driven decision-making skills and comfort with quality KPIs, financial metrics, and OKRs.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence senior-level stakeholders, internally and externally.
• Strong knowledge of translation technology, tools, and industry best practices.
• Master’s degree or equivalent experience required.

Key Competencies:
• Strategic thinker with proven ability to design and execute long-term quality plans.
• Proactive and innovative, able to anticipate client needs and develop forward-looking solutions.
• Empathetic and inspirational leader with strong mentoring and coaching skills.
• Strong problem-solving, negotiation, and change management expertise.
• Cross-cultural awareness and ability to lead diverse, global teams.
• Client-centric mindset with strong relationship-building skills