Clinical Research Manager, Research Incubation Unit

Department

BSD OCR - Clinical Research Incubation

About the Department

The Office of Clinical Research (OCR) is the nucleus of the clinical research enterprise, providing services, training, tools and compliance oversight to support the conduct of clinical research across the entire Biological Sciences Division and University of Chicago Medicine human subject research portfolio.

The mission of the Office of Clinical Research is to catalyze clinical research by providing expertise, resources, infrastructure, and systems that facilitate clinical research operations and enable collaboration across the enterprise while promoting compliance and human subject protection on behalf of our diverse community of patients and volunteers. Together, we elevate the human experience with knowledge and health care.

Job Summary

The job manages a team of professional staff responsible for performing clinical research including the collection, documentation, analysis of clinical trial data, and reporting of clinical research data. Manages the strategic, administrative, operational, and financial decisions that impact clinical research conducted across the University.

The Clinical Research Manager is part of the Research Incubation Unit of the Office of Clinical Research. The Clinical Research Incubation Unit was established to enable growth of clinical research portfolios across the Biological Sciences Division as well as provide timely research staffing services to departments or units in need of short-term clinical research management services.

The Clinical Research Manager manages a team of professional staff responsible for clinical research conduct , research participant management, data management, and regulatory. Key responsibilities of the Manager include recruiting, onboarding, and training of new clinical research staff; day-to-day management and supervision of clinical research staff; supporting study initiation and completion of key milestones throughout the life cycle of the trials; tracking and reporting on key metrics; communicating with investigators and department leaders; communicating with industry sponsors and internal stakeholders; and fulfilling service level agreement performance standards. This position will have primary accountability to the Director of Clinical Research Operations within the Office of Clinical Research.

Responsibilities

• Oversee Departmental Clinical Research Portfolio across the lifecycle for each protocol from feasibility, startup, recruitment, day-to-day conduct, follow up through study close out.
• Coordinate departmental clinical research staff and faculty meetings.
• Oversee the conduct of clinical research, regulatory compliance, and IRB filings for all projects in the departmental portfolio.
• Establish documentation standards for departmental scientific review and feasibility for all proposed clinical research projects.
• Establish departmental standard work and standard operating procedures.
• Monthly Reports of site performance and percent effort reports.
• Training and onboarding of all research staff in GCP, 21 CFR 11, 21 CFR 312, 21 CF 812 and divisional policies for the conduct of clinical research.
• Management and supervision for all Research Incubator clinical research staff.
• Establish professional relationships with Contract Research Organizations, Pharmaceutical Sponsors, Funders and Grantors.
• Collaboration with departmental, Research Incubator, and divisional stakeholders for clinical research.
• Works with leadership, advisory compliance committee members and research unit leaders to establish a culture of research compliance.
• Advises the development of a formalized training program for both new and existing staff within the unit and any affiliates and/or partners.
• Manages PI and other senior research faculty and personnel, participates as a skilled individual contributor and/or lead researcher as expert in specialized area. Ensures research projects progress according to plan by overseeing the coordination of the daily clinical trial activities.
• Manages and directs the protocol review process for all clinical trials which includes the receipt and coordination of protocols for review, committee meetings, and clinical research conferences.
• Plans and manages the protocol review process for all clinical trials which includes the receipt and coordination of protocols for review, committee meetings, and clinical research conferences.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

• --

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Master's Degree strongly preferred.

Experience:

• Experience with both industry sponsored FDA regulated clinical trial and investigator initiated clinical trial site management.
• Regulatory support for FDA and IRB filings.
• Protocol development support experience.

Licenses and Certifications:

• ACRP/SOCRA research certification.

Preferred Competencies

• Mentors or trains others to communicate effectively with CRO and/or sponsor, and in managing and conducting site visits. Understands the relationship between sites, sponsors and CROs in order to solve problems.
• Creates and maintains departmental infrastructure for scientific review, feasibility assessment and projected effort/protocol.
• Determines and manages complex study and equipment resources for more than one study, and processes related to their management. Forecasts study needs, including staffing. Effectively solves complex problems related to managing resources.
• Ensure that multiple studies are conducted in compliance with institutional requirements and other policies. Mentor others in this area.
• Develops, follows, and implements detailed complex operational plans for research protocol(s) (those that require coordination of multiple units or services).
• Partnering with faculty set site performance metrics and targets: enrollment, retention, data quality, start-up timeline, Unanticipated Problem rate etc. and works with team to understand root cause of metric in non-conformance and take appropriate actions. Measures impact of preventive and corrective actions.
• For complicated scenarios, recognizes when all types of agreements (MTAs, CTAs, CDAs, DUAs, DTAs, etc.) are necessary and which procedures to follow, including special terms that may need to be included.
• Prepares and maintains FDA regulatory submissions on more than one PI-initiated study overseen by the FDA. Handles complex situations and/or potential hold issues directly with the FDA, in collaboration with the PI.
• Demonstrates advanced application and knowledge of monitoring and audits. Trains or leads others in most tasks related to monitoring and audits.
• Sets meeting objectives, goals and detailed agendas for multidisciplinary meetings. Mentors or trains others in meeting preparation and follow up. Facilitate healthy communication during meetings.
• Conduct and document informed consent for multiple interventional and/or complex studies. Exhibit additional knowledge or skills in consent procedures.
• Advanced understanding of sponsor/regulatory reporting.
• Independently develops, or guides the development, of multiple complex data entry or collection protocols and tools. Systems are developed to ensure quality of data. Trains others in collecting and entering data.

Working Conditions

• Office Environment (ADA compliant).
• Clinical care units where research is conducted, and department lab space for specimen processing.

Application Documents

• Resume (required)
• Cover Letter (preferred)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Research

Role Impact

People Manager

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

Drug Test Required

Yes

Health Screen Required

Yes

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

FLSA Status

Exempt

Pay Range

$90,000.00 - $130,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University's good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

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