Project Manager – Cancer Research Operations

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Michigan.

📋 Description

• Collaborate with the leadership of the Brown University Health Office of Cancer Research, investigators, disease-site programs, and health-system leaders to convert strategic goals into actionable initiatives and measurable operational plans.

• Oversee a portfolio of intricate initiatives aimed at enhancing clinical trial activation, operational quality, compliance, financial performance, and investigator support.

• Develop project and portfolio governance frameworks, including charters, decision-making rights, prioritization criteria, workplans, milestones, resource requirements, escalation pathways, and executive reporting.

• Set and track key performance indicators for study start-up, contract and budget development, coverage analysis and billing readiness, as well as financial reconciliation.

• Drive process-improvement initiatives that minimize unnecessary handoffs, redundant work, cycle time, and operational variation while maintaining regulatory, billing, privacy, safety, and financial controls.

• Coordinate cross-functional collaborations involving investigators, research nursing, clinical research coordinators, regulatory staff, finance, contracting, pharmacy, laboratory services, supply chain, information technology, data analytics, and other stakeholders.

• Aid in the governance and optimization of research systems and integrations, including clinical trial management, departmental resource planning, and reporting platforms.

• Work together on protocol budgets, sponsor negotiations, cost allocation, research billing compliance, account setup, revenue-cycle workflows, effort planning, and portfolio financial reporting.

• Ensure compliance with federal regulations, Good Clinical Practice, institutional policies, IRB requirements, and sponsor obligations.

• Create change-management, communication, training, and adoption plans; develop dashboards, workflow documentation, standard operating procedures, and decision materials.

• Utilize data to pinpoint performance gaps, operational risks, capacity constraints, and opportunities to enhance access to cancer clinical trials and equitable participation.

• Facilitate multidisciplinary working groups, address barriers, manage interdependencies, and escalate risks that require leadership intervention.

• Assess operational and financial impacts; assist in creating business cases, staffing models, return-on-investment analyses, and implementation recommendations.

• Provide project leadership, mentoring, and functional guidance to project managers, coordinators, analysts, and subject-matter experts.

• Maintain relationships across Brown University Health, affiliated research entities, sponsors, cooperative groups, vendors, and external partners.

• Perform additional duties as assigned.

⛳️ Requirements

• A bachelor's degree in healthcare administration, business, public health, clinical research, nursing, life sciences, or a related field is required.

• Seven to ten years of progressively responsible experience in healthcare, academic medicine, clinical research administration, oncology research operations, project/program management, or consulting, including leadership of cross-functional or multidisciplinary initiatives.

• Proven experience in translating strategy into operational models, implementation plans, governance structures, and measurable outcomes.

• Working knowledge of the clinical trial lifecycle, encompassing feasibility, activation, regulatory review, contracting and budgeting, billing compliance, participant enrollment, study conduct, closeout, and financial reconciliation.

• Familiarity with relevant clinical research regulations, Good Clinical Practice, IRB processes, sponsor requirements, and institutional compliance controls.

• Demonstrated success in leading change throughout complex organizations while engaging senior leaders, investigators, clinicians, administrators, and technical teams.

• Strong analytical skills with experience in developing performance measures, dashboards, business cases, staffing models, budgets, and financial or operational forecasts.

• Proven ability to mentor project staff and foster collaborative, accountable teams.

• Experience with clinical research and enterprise systems, such as clinical trial management systems, electronic health records, electronic regulatory platforms, and enterprise resource planning systems is preferred.

• Experience in oncology, at an NCI-designated cancer center, within an academic health system, or in a similarly complex research environment is preferred.

• Project management certification is preferred.

• Clinical research certification, such as ACRP or SOCRA, is preferred.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive salary and performance-based incentives.

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.

• Generous paid time off and holiday policies.

• Opportunities for professional development and continuing education.

• Supportive work environment with a focus on work-life balance.