Regulatory Compliance Specialist

At Houston Methodist, the Regulatory Compliance Specialist position is responsible for coordinating and performing study specific regulatory processes such as local IRB submissions in compliance with Good Clinical Practices (GCP) and all local, state, and federal laws, regulations, guidance, policy and procedure developed by Houston Methodist Research Institute Institutional Review Board (IRB), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), and the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH). This position communicates with regulatory affairs office for FDA submissions across multiple studies of different therapeutic areas and phases in accordance with appropriate regulations, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and study specific protocols/plans and processes. The Regulatory Compliance Specialist position maintains documentation for clinical research studies, case report forms and study and regulatory files. Under the direct supervision from the management, this position addresses problem solving issues of moderate to complex scope and assists with internal departmental monitoring and research education as identified by the Manager or Director.

FLSA STATUS

Exempt

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Bachelor's degree or higher

EXPERIENCE

• Two years of clinical research, regulatory compliance, or equivalent applicable work experience within an academic research environment or FDA regulated industry
• Experience in medical devices, diagnostics, or pharmaceuticals and/or within an academic medical center setting highly preferred

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS

Preferred

• RAC - Regulatory Affairs Certifications (RAPS) or
• CCRC - Certified Clinical Research Coordinator (ACRP) or
• CCRP - Certified Clinical Research Professional (SOCRA)

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations
• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles
• Demonstrates knowledge and application of process improvement tools and techniques (statistical process control tools and team tools)
• Demonstrates knowledge of regulatory and accrediting standards as they apply to performance improvement
• Skill in developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships with a wide variety of healthcare professionals and hospital leadership
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions and evidence performance improvement via measurable results
• Ability to enter and abstract data using personal computer, as well as the ability to utilize data to facilitate the improvement and change in processes
• Computer skills: Excel, Word, PowerPoint
• Ability to facilitate performance improvement teams, present data and promote a collaborative approach toward goal achievement
• Ability to work independently and interdependently
• Presentation skills and expertise in designing and implementing teams/educational offerings related to clinical quality

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Builds and maintains effective relationships with key study personnel.
• Acts as a liaison between the institutional review committees, regulatory agencies, and the investigators to ensure that protocols are approved, and that supplementary information is provided in a timely fashion as requested.
• Assists in training study personnel and others on regulatory and safety reporting processes, and procedures under the direct supervision of the Manager or Director (serves as a resource for regulatory information and guidance).
• Contributes towards improvement of department scores for employee engagement, i.e. peer-to-peer accountability.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Ensures compliance of general and study-specific regulatory and/or safety-related processes with SOP's, FDA, GCP, NIH and applicable regulations.
• Assists in the preparation of research protocols for IRB submission, submitting protocol amendments, preparing renewals, preparing necessary regulatory documents for submission to study sponsors. Submits adverse event reports, safety reports, and notifies IRB of study closures.
• Maintains the required regulatory files for all clinical trials to ensure regulatory compliance. Meets with study monitors. Maintains archived documents on and off site.
• May assist in the preparation of periodic reports for FDA.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Provide routine updates and reporting to the Manager or Director to ensure timely communication regarding status of regulatory and/or important safety related issues.
• Perform high quality clinical review of regulatory forms and associated documentation (during internal monitoring or review of trials).
• Prepare and manage documents required to initiate investigational drugs trials.
• Maintain a professional and credible image with IRB and other regulatory agencies, Sponsors, vendors, patients, and co-workers.

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Utilizes resources with cost effectiveness and value creation in mind. Self-motivated to independently manage time effectively and prioritize daily tasks, assisting coworkers as needed

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Seeks opportunities to identify self-development needs and takes appropriate action. Ensures own career discussions occur with appropriate management. Completes and updates the My Development Plan on an on-going basis.

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform: No
• Scrubs: No
• Business professional: Yes
• Other (department approved): No

ON-CALLNote that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. Disaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.

• On Call* No

TRAVELTravel specifications may vary by department

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area No
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Bachelor's degree or higher

EXPERIENCE

• Two years of clinical research, regulatory compliance, or equivalent applicable work experience within an academic research environment or FDA regulated industry
• Experience in medical devices, diagnostics, or pharmaceuticals and/or within an academic medical center setting highly preferred

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS

Preferred

• RAC - Regulatory Affairs Certifications (RAPS) or
• CCRC - Certified Clinical Research Coordinator (ACRP) or
• CCRP - Certified Clinical Research Professional (SOCRA)

Company Profile:

Houston Methodist Academic Institute oversees the Education Institute and Research Institute. The Academic Institute aligns our research and education initiatives in service to the clinical mission, providing solutions that answer the call for new technologies and skills our clinicians need for patient care. Houston Methodist Education Institute coordinates our primary academic affiliation with Weill Cornell Medicine and other joint programs, including the Engineering Medicine Program at Texas A&M University Intercollegiate School of Engineering Medicine. The Education Institute also oversees continuing medical education and graduate medical education, and supports trainees in residence for medical, nursing, allied health and research education programs. Houston Methodist Research Institute supports research programs and infrastructure that enable faculty across the system to bring new scientific discoveries to patients as rapidly as possible through the full cycle of a cure from conceptual bench research, to prototyping and development, to clinical trials and FDA approval. The Research Institute supports clinical research protocols and extramurally funded translational research programs.

Houston Methodist is an Equal Opportunity Employer.