Assistant Director of Research Operations, Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine is a premier academic medical center located in the heart of Richmond. Accounting for almost half of VCU’s sponsored research, the School of Medicine is internationally recognized for patient care and education. All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s generous benefits package that includes: competitive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, Virginia Retirement System (VRS), professional development & certifications, tuition waiver, parental leave, caregiving leave and community service leave. Learn more about VCU’s benefits here: https://hr.vcu.edu/careers-at-vcu/why-work-at-vcu/

**Administrative Leadership Opportunity – Clinical Research**

Virginia Commonwealth University is seeking an experienced clinical research management professional to serve as the Associate Director for Clinical Research Administration and Operations in the Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health (the Liver Institute). This key administrative leadership position is essential to support clinical faculty in a diverse and growing clinical research portfolio. This position is focused on administrative, financial, regulatory, and operational oversight of clinical research conducted in the Liver Institute. The Associate Director for Clinical Research Administration and Operations is responsible for ensuring the Liver Institute has efficient and effective administrative processes and infrastructure in place to support: efficient study activation, compliant study conduct, financial feasibility, data management, and reporting.

Position Summary:

Areas of responsibility and focus will include:

• Represent the Liver Institute and serve as key contributor to improve clinical research administration and operations. Seek input from appropriate stakeholders; advocate and make recommendations to leadership for improvements to policy, process, staffing, training, reporting, etc. Oversee subject recruitment and study enrollment goals. Determine effective strategies for promoting/recruiting research participants and retaining participants in long-term clinical trials.
• Resource Needs: Analyze infrastructure and resources in place that support research and recommend improvements t hat support strategic growth of the Liver Institute’s clinical research portfolio. Recommend staffing models for research coordination and management within the Liver Institute.
• Monitoring and Reporting: Develop, implement, and maintain reporting program for research operations management. Develop reporting and analytics to aid the Liver Institute in evaluation of research activity aimed at increasing productivity and improving data quality to enhance study management, resource allocation, and decision making.
• Research staffing, onboarding, and training: Develop and maintain a central pool of Project Managers and Clinical Coordinators to support various Liver Institu te units in need of fluctuating coordinator or regulatory support. Develop and implement standard onboarding and training processes for new clinical research team members.
• Oversee Budget Development Processes: Ensuring completion of budget development, and budget negotiation for all applicable projects and studies.
• Collaboration and External Partnership Management: Develops and maintains relationships with external stake holders such as pharma companies, sponsors, and other collaborators (i.e. consortia) to ensure access to clinical trials and projects to develop a strong research portfolio. Manage vendor deliverables and performance.
• Biorespository Monitoring: Accountable for all clinical specimen collection completed by clinical research staff and chain of custody process. Provide accurate and timely updates to the study team, functional leadership, and other key stakeholders. Works collaboratively with the Biorepository Core.

Minimum Hiring Standards:


Required background:

• Bachelor’s degree in healthcare or business-related field with at least 8 years of progressively responsible experience in clinical research management.
• Must possess a thorough understanding of both clinical trial coordination and administration in areas such as: feasibility assessment, coverage analysis, budget development/negotiation, clinical research billing, regulatory management, study conduct, and data management.
• Must possess a thorough understanding of biorepository operations
• Prior experience supervising others is required.

Required Skills:

• Ability to exercise independent judgement in decision making, program management, and interpretation of complex rules and regulations.
• Must possess excellent written and oral communication skills, time management, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Must be dedicated to leading a staff that provide high levels of customer service while managing multiple projects in a fast paced, deadline driven environment.
• Ability to work in a diverse environment required.

Preferred Hiring Standards:


Strongly prefer:

• Master’s degree or other advanced degree;
• Nationally recognized certification in clinical research management, i.e., ACRP or SOCRA certification;
• Extensive clinical research leadership experience.

Position will remain open until filled.

The School of Medicine continuously strives for our workplace and learning environment to reflect the demographic and social milieu of the communities we serve. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.

Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action university providing access to education and employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, political affiliation, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or disability.

Salary Range: $110,000 - $120,000

Department: SOM Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health
Employment Type: UF - University Employee FT
Restricted Status: No
FTE: 1
Exemption Status: Exempt

ORP Eligible: Yes
VCU Job Code: Sr Administrator RS (32914-32916)

Contact Name: Meredith Lane

Contact Email: meredith.lane@vcuhealth.org