CRA Manager

Merck Philippines; Makati; Hybrid; PHP 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck Philippines is seeking a Clinical Research Manager to oversee a team of 6–14 CRAs, ensuring study and site performance with strict adherence to local regulations, SOPs, and ICH GCP.

You will develop talent through training and mentoring, manage performance, and collaborate with country leadership to align capabilities and resource planning.

This role requires strong people leadership, capacity forecasting, and cross-functional coordination to maintain high-quality trials across the country.

Qualifications

• Experience leading CRA teams in clinical trials.
• Strong knowledge of GCP, regulatory compliance and SOPs.

Responsibilities

• Work allocation, staff development and performance appraisal.
• Provides input for capacity planning, including reporting of current manpower and forecasting of CRA capacity and needs, to provide efficient use of resources.
• Work with CRAs, PLMS and other functions to ensure consistency of processes and protocol implementation across the country, to reduce variability and provide predictability.
• Interacts with sites as needed to resolve site or CRA operational issues to meet commitments in a timely manner in coordination with the study CRM.
• Attend local Investigator Meetings if requested to.
• Interface with GCTO partners on clinical trial execution.
• Escalates site performance issues to CRM and Clinical Research Director CRD.

Skills

People Leadership

Clinical Research Management

GCP (Good Clinical Practice)

Regulatory Compliance

Cross-Cultural Awareness

Decision Making

Job description

Job Description

This role will be key to ensure strong monitoring in our clinical trials. Under the oversight of the Clinical Research Director, the person is responsible to manage a team of 6-14 CRAs and to ensure excellent study and site performance with strict adherence to local regulations, company SOPs and ICH GCP.

As line manager the role is critical to continuously develop key talents by providing training, support and mentoring to the CRAs and properly manage situation of low or non-performance.

The role will work at country level with other local stakeholder e.g. Clinical Research Manager to ensure alignment and development of the country capabilities. The role will collaborate with country Partner Line Managers to ensure alignment across all monitoring functions. The person contributes to Headquarters capacity/resource planning activities to ensure efficient allocation of resources and work.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Work allocation, staff development and performance appraisal.
• Provides input for capacity planning, including reporting of current manpower and forecasting of CRA capacity and needs, to provide efficient use of resources.
• Work with CRAs, PLMS and other functions to ensure consistency of processes and protocol implementation across the country, to reduce variability and provide predictability.
• Interacts with sites as needed to resolve site or CRA operational issues to meet commitments in a timely manner in coordination with the study CRM.
• Attend local Investigator Meetings if requested to.
• Interface with GCTO partners on clinical trial execution.
• Escalates site performance issues to CRM and Clinical Research Director CRD.

People and Resource Management

• Manage CRA – career development, performance reviews, etc., including addressing low performance situations, and taking appropriate actions.
• Support and resolve escalation of issues from CRAs.
• Liaise with local HR and finance functions as required.
• Contribute to HQ capacity/resource planning activities to ensure efficient allocation of resources and work. Manage local conflicts between resource and work.
• Provides training, support and mentoring to the CRA to ensure continuous development.
• Ensures CRA compliance to corporate policies, procedures and quality standards

Required Skills:

Adaptability, Adaptability, Clinical Research, Clinical Research Management, Clinical Trial Documentation, Clinical Trial Management, Clinical Trial Planning, Clinical Trials Monitoring, Clinical Trials Operations, Continuous Development, Cross-Cultural Awareness, Decision Making, Ethical Standards, Global Coordination, Good Clinical Practice (GCP), Liaison Work, Oncology Trials, Partner Relationship Management (PRM), People Leadership, Performance Improvements, Policy Compliance, Procedure Adherence, Process Alignment, Process Standardization, Regulatory Compliance {+ 7 more}

Employee Status:

Regular

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Job Posting End Date:

10/9/2026

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFOREthe listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Requisition ID:

R416589