Title: Executive Director, Clinical Research
Location: Midtown
Org Unit: Office of Clinical Research
Work Days:
Weekly Hours: 35.00
Exemption Status: Exempt
Salary Range: $281,400.00 - $335,800.00
*As required under NYC Human Rights Law Int [redacted] - Salary range for this role when Hired for NYC Offices
Position SummaryReporting to the Associate Dean for Clinical Research, the Executive Director for Clinical Research is a senior administrative and strategic leader responsible for advancing a high performing, integrated clinical research office across a major New York City academic medical center and its affiliated hospitals. This role operates at the intersection of the academic institution, medical school, and health system, driving growth in clinical trials in all areas (e.g. government, foundation, pharma, investigator-initiated), strengthening industry relationships, and improving operational efficiency in one of the most competitive and complex research markets in the country. The Executive Director will play a critical role in enhancing the institution's position as a top-tier clinical research destination, with a particular focus on trial activation speed, participant enrollment, diversity in research participation, and sponsor experience
Job Responsibilities- Partner with the Research Dean's Office, medical school, and WCM/NYP health system leaders to develop and execute a unified clinical research strategy.
- Align clinical research priorities with institutional strengths and position the organization competitively among leading New York City academic medical centers.
- Expand clinical trials and strategic partnerships with government agencies, foundations, biopharma companies, device manufacturers, and CROs.
- Serve as a senior institutional liaison to sponsors and enhance sponsor experience through efficient feasibility, activation, and trial execution processes.
- Increase research participation and access to clinical trials across hospitals, ambulatory practices, and community-based sites throughout the NYC metropolitan area.
- Oversee and optimize the full clinical trial lifecycle, including feasibility, startup, contracting, budgeting, participant recruitment, study conduct, and closeout.
- Implement and advance centralized research services, standardized workflows, and shared-service models to improve operational efficiency and consistency.
- Manage relationships with external vendors and service providers to improve performance, scalability, and research support capabilities.
- Partner with health system leadership to integrate research into clinical care pathways and leverage EHR tools to support patient identification and recruitment.
- Develop collaborations with affiliated institutions and strategic partners to expand research opportunities, capabilities, and participant access.
- Ensure compliance with FDA, OHRP, New York State, and institutional requirements while promoting ethical research practices and participant safety.
- Strengthen audit readiness and inspection outcomes through collaboration with Human Research Protections, Compliance, Legal, Finance, and Internal Audit teams.
- Enhance investigator engagement through training, onboarding, mentorship, and operational support that reduces administrative burden and improves study success.
- Advance adoption of research technologies, including CTMS, EHR-integrated recruitment tools, eConsent platforms, and data-driven approaches to trial management.
- Oversee financial performance of the clinical research enterprise, including cost recovery, revenue optimization, infrastructure investments, and key performance metrics.
Education- Bachelor's Degree
- Master's Degree in related field preferred
Experience- 10+ years of experience in clinical research within:
- Academic medical centers (strongly preferred)
- Proven leadership in clinical trials operations, administration, or translational research
- Deep understanding of regulatory frameworks and institutional compliance processes
- Strong expertise in clinical research budgeting, financial reconciliation and financial auditing
- Experience working in both academic and hospital environments
- Strong relationships with biopharma, device manufacturers and CROs
- Familiarity with Epic and enterprise research systems
- Background in areas such as oncology trials, population health, or precision medicine
- Experience with OnCore and InfoEd HS preferred
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities- Ability to foster positive relationships with Principal Investigators, study clinical and administrative teams, and clinical, scientific and administrative leadership.
- Strong understanding of the pre/post award processes of private and public research funding.
- In depth knowledge about all aspects of clinical research administration and operations, particularly best practices for study activation and conduct.
- Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple complex assignments simultaneously.
- Ability to lead and direct large, diverse work groups engaged in widely divergent areas.
- Ability to work with complex data and generate meaningful reports.
Licenses and CertificationsWorking Conditions/Physical Demands
