Research Study Manager

About the role

The Research Study Manager oversees day-to-day clinical research operations for oncology studies at the Newark CINJ location and affiliated sites. This role provides leadership to clinical research coordinators, supports disease-specific research groups, and ensures that oncology trials run efficiently, compliantly, and with a strong focus on patient recruitment, retention, and data quality. The Research Study Manager partners closely with physicians and site staff to select appropriate trials, assess feasibility, and drive successful study enrollment across multiple locations.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the day-to-day clinical research operations at the Newark CINJ location, ensuring smooth execution of oncology clinical trials.
• Supervise clinical research coordinators and manage workflow, including assigning tasks and responsibilities within disease-specific research groups.
• Provide leadership and direction to the assigned disease-specific group, ensuring that study activities align with protocol requirements and organizational goals.
• Communicate and promote services that support the growth of clinical research, particularly in the areas of patient recruitment, retention, study coordination, and data management.
• Conduct quality assurance audits of clinical research activities to ensure accuracy, completeness, and adherence to study protocols and institutional standards.
• Ensure regulatory compliance for all assigned studies, including adherence to applicable regulations, guidelines, and institutional policies.
• Partner with physicians to educate them on available studies, assist in trial selection, and explain feasibility considerations.
• Collaborate with site teams across multiple locations to oversee oncology research activities and foster a culture of accountability and collaboration.
• Help physicians and site staff understand study protocols and requirements, providing guidance to support proper implementation.
• Work with sites to improve screening and enrollment processes, including assessing current screening practices and identifying opportunities to increase trial participation.
• Support coordination of research and data management activities to maintain high-quality data and timely study deliverables.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of strong working relationships with clinical, regulatory, and research staff across the organization.

Essential Skills

• Proven experience supervising clinical research coordinators and managing workflow in a clinical research setting.
• Prior oncology experience, with 3–5 years of experience in oncology research.
• Hands-on experience as a Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC), with direct involvement in clinical trial coordination.
• At least 1 year of supervisory experience in clinical research or a related field.
• Demonstrated ability to oversee clinical research operations, including coordination, data management, and regulatory processes.
• Experience conducting quality assurance audits in a clinical research environment.
• Strong understanding of regulatory compliance requirements for clinical research.
• Ability to partner effectively with physicians to select appropriate studies and assess feasibility.
• Capability to understand and interpret clinical trial protocols and communicate requirements to site staff.
• Bachelor’s degree in a science discipline.
• Experience in oncology clinical operations and oversight of oncology research programs.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience in roles such as Clinical Research Supervisor, Clinical Research Manager, or Research Program Manager.
• Experience working with multiple sites and stakeholders, including physicians, coordinators, and regulatory staff.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to engage and influence clinical teams and support staff.
• Ability to develop and implement strategies that improve recruitment, retention, and overall study performance.
• Comfort working in a matrixed environment with diverse research roles, including CRCs, regulatory affairs professionals, nurse managers, and clinical research managers.
• Experience supporting or leading oncology research programs within an NCI-designated cancer institute or similar setting.

Work Environment

This role supports oncology research within a large cancer-focused organization that employs more than 200 professionals across roles such as clinical research coordinators, regulatory affairs specialists, clinical research managers, nurse managers, and research leadership. The work schedule typically includes three days per week on-site at clinical locations and two days working from home, providing a hybrid environment that balances in-person collaboration with remote responsibilities. The Research Study Manager works closely with physicians, site staff, and research teams to oversee oncology studies, interpret protocols, and support trial enrollment. The environment emphasizes collaboration, professional development, and adherence to high standards of clinical research quality and regulatory compliance, within the context of an NCI-designated cancer institute.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of New Brunswick, NJ.

Pay And Benefits

The pay range for this position is $52.00 - $58.00/hr.

Requirements

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service. The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law. If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector

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