Executive Director, Clinical Research
Position Summary
Reporting 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 & Experience
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree in related field preferred
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
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.
Education & Experience
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree in related field preferred
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
Experience with OnCore and InfoEd HS preferred
Licenses and Certifications
Working Conditions/Physical Demands