Senior Clinical Research Physician

FTLEE Fortrea Clinical Research Unit Ltd; Leeds; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

FTLEE Fortrea Clinical Research Unit Ltd in Leeds seeks an experienced Senior Clinical Research Physician to lead Phase I studies as Principal Investigator or Project Physician.

You'll work with our MHRA-accredited 100-bed unit, collaborating with nurses, pharmacy and wider clinical teams across early-phase studies, including healthy-volunteer populations, and contribute to safety oversight, data integrity and trial reporting.

Qualifications

• Established experience as a Principal Investigator in Phase I clinical trials, gained within an early-phase unit.
• Full GMC registration and current licence to practise medicine in the UK.

Responsibilities

• Take responsibility for assigned studies from start-up through closeout and the Clinical Study Report, working as Principal Investigator or Project Physician.
• Lead studies from the outset: join sponsor start-up meetings, review protocols and Investigator Brochures, assess feasibility, and support ethics and MHRA submissions.
• Collaborate with the wider Fortrea team including Med Sci, Project Management, Regulatory, Clinical Operations, Clinical Research Nurses and Pharmacy.
• Assess participant eligibility: screen participants and provide medical oversight throughout their involvement in the study.
• Lead clinical delivery: ensure studies are conducted according to protocol, ICH-GCP, internal SOPs across all clinical activities.
• Work closely with nursing and pharmacy to support the five Rs of dosing and the correct delivery of the investigational product.
• Safeguard participants: review adverse events, assess severity and causality, prepare serious adverse-event reports when required, and contribute to safety decisions.
• Partner with sponsors and CRAs: provide study updates, support decision-making, and work together to identify and resolve issues during study conduct.
• Maintain study quality: keep source documentation accurate, resolve data queries, and address issues as studies progress.
• Drive studies through closeout: work with the CRA and study team to ensure outstanding issues and data queries are resolved.
• Take accountability for the final report: contribute to the Clinical Study Report and confirm that the study was conducted according to protocol and accurately reported.
• Mentor less experienced colleagues: share your expertise with the Physician Associate and less experienced physicians.
• Represents the organization at scientific conferences, advisory boards and industry consortia

Skills

Clinical trial leadership

Phase I experience

Education

GMC registration and UK licence to practise

Diploma in Human Pharmacology or Pharmaceutical Medicine

Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in Clinical Pharmacology or Pharmaceutical Medicine

Job description

When you’ve already led Phase I trials, what makes the next opportunity worth the move? Perhaps it’s the variety. At Fortrea in Leeds, you’ll work across a broad mix of early-phase (including first in human) studies, therapeutic areas and clinical collaborations, including our work with the local NHS Trust. That collaboration brings opportunities to work across an even wider range of studies and clinical procedures. Location: Drapers Yard, Leeds Working pattern: Predominantly standard hours, with on-call on-call cover of evenings and standard weekend activities, depending on study requirements Compensation: attractive salary + car allowance + 15% bonus.

FORTREA IN LEEDS: WHERE MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS BEGIN

Our Clinical Research Unit in Leeds is a 65,000 ft², 100-bed, MHRA Phase I GCP-accredited facility, purpose-designed for early-phase clinical research. It combines inpatient and outpatient facilities, specialist procedure areas, advanced laboratory capabilities and an on-site MHRA-approved cGMP pharmacy for sterile and non-sterile manufacturing, all less than a 7-minute walk from Leeds Train Station. What makes working here compelling is how these capabilities come together. You will work alongside nurses, pharmacy, laboratory and wider clinical research teams, with specialist capabilities and established relationships with the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trusts. And your work won´t stop at the doors of our Research Unit. You´ll be part of Fortrea´s wider Phase I network, spanning four internal Clinical Research Units across the UK and US and 300+ partner sites.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• As Senior Clinical Research Physician, you’ll take responsibility for assigned studies from start-up through closeout and the Clinical Study Report, working as Principal Investigator or Project Physician.
• Lead studies from the outset: Join sponsor start-up meetings, review protocols and Investigator Brochures, assess feasibility, and support ethics and MHRA submissions
• Work in collaboration with the wider Fortrea team including members from Med Sci, Project Management, Regulatory, Clinical Operations, Clinical Research Nurses and Pharmacy
• Assess participant eligibility: Screen participants and provide medical oversight throughout their involvement in the study.
• Lead clinical delivery: Ensure studies are conducted according to protocol, ICH-GCP, internal SOPs across all clinical activities.
• Work closely with nursing and pharmacy to support the five Rs of dosing and the correct delivery of the investigational product.
• Safeguard participants: Review adverse events, assess severity and causality, prepare serious adverse-event reports when required, and contribute to safety decisions.
• Partner with sponsors and CRAs: Provide study updates, support decision-making, and work together to identify and resolve issues during study conduct.
• Maintain study quality: Keep source documentation accurate, resolve data queries, and address issues as studies progress.
• Drive studies through closeout: Work with the CRA and study team to ensure outstanding issues and data queries are resolved.
• Take accountability for the final report: Contribute to the Clinical Study Report and confirm that the study was conducted according to protocol and accurately reported.
• Mentor less experienced colleagues: Share your expertise with the Physician Associate and less experienced physicians.
• Represents the organization at scientific conferences, advisory boards and industry consortia

WHAT YOU BRING

Essential

• Established experience as a Principal Investigator in Phase I clinical trials, gained within an early-phase unit, with hands‑on PI experience in healthy-volunteer studies.
• Full GMC registration and current licence to practise medicine in the UK.

Desirable

• Diploma in Human Pharmacology or Pharmaceutical Medicine.
• Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), or equivalent, in Clinical Pharmacology or Pharmaceutical Medicine.

LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT COMES NEXT

The right career move is about more than a job title. If the variety of work, clinical environment and responsibilities you’ve read about here match what you’re looking for, we’d welcome the opportunity to talk.

Learn more about our EEO & Accommodations request here.

At Fortrea, we're all about turning the “impossible” into "I'm possible." Together, we break barriers to deliver exceptional service to our patients, fueled by a shared commitment to teamwork and excellence. Regardless of your role, we're all family, working together to achieve extraordinary results. At Fortrea, your career isn't just a job – it's a journey of making the exceptional possible, every day.