Center for Translational Neurogenetics Program Manager

University of Missouri - Columbia; Columbia Township (MO); On-site; USD 71,000 - 108,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Missouri - Columbia’s Center for Translational Neurogenetics seeks a Program Manager to coordinate complex translational studies, from genetic discovery through early clinical translation, working with CTN Director, investigators, clinical and research teams, patient families, advocacy organizations, industry and foundation partners, and institutional units.

You will lead operational planning, regulatory tasks, study coordination, and interventional trials while building workflows,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent and at least 5 years of relevant experience.
• Certified Clinical Research Professional or similar certification.
• Experience coordinating early-phase interventional clinical trials.
• Experience with gene therapy studies, individualized trial designs, or rare-disease research.
• Experience working with ALS patients, neurogenetics populations, or individuals with complex neurological conditions.
• Experience interacting with research sponsors, advocacy organizations, foundation partners, and community healthcare providers.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day operations of multidisciplinary interventional trials, natural history studies, and other clinical research activities.
• Develop protocol-specific coordination plans and manage study timelines, sponsor requirements, deliverables, participant visits, and cross-functional responsibilities.
• Coordinate clinical, research, and administrative activities among investigators, research coordinators, healthcare providers, study participants, and external partners.
• Provide work leadership and operational guidance to research staff and collaborators.
• Identify and resolve operational issues and elevate safety, regulatory, contractual, or strategic concerns to investigators or program leaders.

Skills

Clinical research coordination

ALS research experience

Gene therapy studies

Rare-disease research

Cross-functional collaboration

Study governance

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a relevant field

Job description

Hiring Department

NextGen Precision Health

Job Description

The Center for Translational Neurogenetics (CTN) Program Managerprovides advanced program management and research coordination forthe University of Missouri Center for Translational Neurogenetics,a hub dedicated to advancing the diagnosis and treatment of rareneurodevelopmental and neurogenetic disorders. Working closely withthe CTN Director, principal investigators, clinical and researchteams, patient families, advocacy organizations, industry andfoundation partners, and institutional units, the position supportsa coordinated translational pipeline from genetic discovery andnatural history studies through therapeutic development and earlyclinical translation.

The Program Manager has primary responsibility for coordinating theoperational, regulatory, and administrative activities required tomove CTN programs forward, including complex interventional andnatural history studies; early-phase, individualized, and genetherapy trials; regulatory and grant administration; sponsor andpartner requirements; participant and family engagement; anddevelopment of program workflows and infrastructure.

The position serves as a central operational lead acrossmultidisciplinary CTN projects by coordinating teams, trackingmilestones and deliverables, resolving operational barriers, andaligning scientific, clinical, regulatory, contractual, andpartnership activities. The role also supports the continued growthof CTN as a scalable rare-disease translational platform and helpsposition Missouri as a destination for innovative early-phase andindividualized therapeutic development.

This position does not formally supervise University employees butprovides work leadership, operational coordination, andsubject-matter guidance to research staff and multidisciplinarycollaborators supporting CTN programs and studies.

Essential Functions

Clinical Research Program Management and Study Coordination,30%

• Manage the day-to-day operations of multidisciplinaryinterventional trials, natural history studies, and other clinicalresearch activities supporting translational neurogenetics programsincluding programs focused on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS).
• Develop protocol-specific coordination plans and manage studytimelines, sponsor requirements, deliverables, participant visits,and cross-functional responsibilities.
• Coordinate clinical, research, and administrative activitiesamong investigators, research coordinators, healthcare providers,study participants, institutional departments, and externalpartners.
• Provide work leadership and operational guidance to researchstaff and collaborators supporting assigned studies.
• Identify and resolve operational issues and elevate safety,regulatory, contractual, or strategic concerns to the appropriateinvestigator or program leader..

Regulatory and Research Compliance, 20%

• Coordinate IRB submissions, amendments, continuing reviews, studydocumentation, protocol adherence, and other institutional orsponsor requirements.
• Maintain accurate and complete regulatory files and researchrecords in accordance with applicable protocols, institutionalstandards, and sponsor requirements.
• Coordinate reporting and follow-up related to protocoldeviations, safety concerns, adverse events, and other compliancematters.
• Support study registration, data reporting, and maintenanceactivities involving ClinicalTrials.gov, REDCap, and other researchmanagement systems.
• Help ensure the clinical, regulatory, and scientific integrity ofassigned studies.

Participant Recruitment, Enrollment, and Engagement, 15%

• Develop and implement strategies to increase participantrecruitment and enrollment in interventional and non-interventionalALS and neurogenetics research studies.
• Coordinate participant screening, enrollment, scheduling, studyvisits, procedures, and retention activities.
• Establish tracking methods to monitor recruitment, enrollment,retention, and research productivity.
• Partner with clinical teams and patient-navigation resources to improve communication and the participant experience.
• Identify and address barriers affecting participation,particularly for individuals and families in rural Missouri.

Program Development and External Partnerships, 15%

• Collaborate with investigators, healthcare providers, advocacyorganizations, community partners, industry sponsors, foundations,and funding agencies to advance program and researchobjectives.
• Support development of local and regional partnerships thatimprove ALS and neurogenetics education, awareness, earlydiagnosis, and access to research opportunities.
• Coordinate communications and deliverables involving sponsors,industry partners, foundation partners, and other externalstakeholders.
• Support initiatives that strengthen the University’s clinicalresearch capacity and ability to attract and retain externalresearch funding.
• Represent assigned programs in meetings and communications withinternal and external partners, as appropriate.

Operational, Grant, and Fiscal Coordination, 10%

• Coordinate operational requirements associated with federally,foundation-, and industry-funded studies.
• Track sponsor deliverables, study expenditures, programresources, and grant-related deadlines.
• Support contract and budget development by gathering operationalinformation, identifying study requirements, and coordinating withappropriate University offices.
• Monitor program and study activity to support reporting,planning, and resource allocation.
• Maintain program documentation, standard operating procedures,workflows, and administrative resources.

Program Evaluation and Continuous Improvement, 10%

• Evaluate program performance by tracking enrollment, studyactivity, participant experience, research productivity, and otherrelevant metrics.
• Identify operational challenges and recommend improvements toresearch processes, participant engagement, and programdelivery.
• Develop and maintain procedures and resources that promoteconsistency, compliance, and operational efficiency.
• Prepare reports, presentations, updates, and other materials forinvestigators, program leadership, sponsors, andstakeholders.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

Shift

Monday - Friday, 8:00 - 5:00 p.m. occasional nights andweekends

Minimum Qualifications

A Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education andrelevant experience, and at least 5 years of experience from whichcomparable knowledge and skills can be acquired is necessary.

Preferred Qualifications

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Clinical Research Professional, Certified ClinicalResearch Coordinator, or comparable research certification.
• Experience coordinating early-phase interventional clinicaltrials.
• Experience with gene therapy studies, individualized trialdesigns, or rare-disease research.
• Experience working with ALS patients, neurogenetics populations,or individuals with complex neurological conditions.
• Experience performing or supporting minor clinical procedures,biospecimen collection, processing, or laboratorycoordination.
• Experience working within a multidisciplinary academic clinicalresearch environment.
• Experience interacting with research sponsors, advocacyorganizations, foundation partners, and community healthcareproviders.
• Experience developing participant recruitment, education, oroutreach initiatives for rural or historically underservedpopulations.

Supervision and Work Leadership

This position does not have formal supervisory responsibility forUniversity employees. However, the position provides workleadership and coordinates activities performed by researchcoordinators, clinical personnel, investigators, students,trainees, and other collaborators supporting assigned programs andstudies. The position may assign or coordinate project responsibilities,monitor timelines and deliverables, provide training or proceduralguidance, and facilitate accountability across multidisciplinaryproject teams.

Anticipated Hiring Range

Salary Range: $70,512.00 - $108,000.00 per year

Grade: GGS 012

University Title: Research Consultant SR

Internal applicants can determine their University title by accessing the Talent Profile tile in myHR.

Application Materials

Application, Cover Letter, Resume

Sponsorship Information

Employment visa sponsorship is not available for thisposition.

Benefit Eligibility

This position is eligible for University benefits. As part of yourtotal compensation, the University offers a comprehensive benefitspackage, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement,paid time off, short- and long-term disability, paid parentalleave, paid caregiver leave, and educational fee discounts for allfour UM System campuses. For additional information on Universitybenefits, please visit the Faculty & Staff Benefits website at https://www.umsystem.edu/departments-staff/human-resources/benefits-retirement

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of Missouri is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

To request ADA accommodations, please call the Director ofAccessibility and ADA at 573-884-7278.

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