Clinical Operations, All Levels

Capable; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 135,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity options

Wellness budget

Healthcare coverage

HSA/FSA/401K

Daily team dinners

Visa sponsorship

Job summary

Capable in San Francisco is seeking a mission-driven program director to lead clinical trial operations from site activation through data delivery and closeout. You will negotiate timelines and budgets with vendors, build partnerships with investigators and coordinators, and anticipate bottlenecks to keep studies moving.

You’ll collaborate with founders, scientists, regulatory advisors, and external partners to design credible, fast studies.

Qualifications

• Led multiple clinical trials from site activation through data delivery and closeout
• Organized and execution-oriented, following up on site activation, vendor communication, contracts, patient visits, sample shipments
• Excellent with people, able to build trust with investigators, coordinators, vendors, and internal teams
• Skilled at evaluating vendor timelines, budgets, and scopes and negotiating practical changes

Responsibilities

• Negotiate vendor timelines, scopes, and budgets with strong judgment
• Build relationships with investigators, site staff, coordinators, vendors, and external experts
• Anticipate operational bottlenecks before delays (contracting, enrollment, site communication, data lag)
• Design studies with founders, scientists, clinicians, regulatory advisors, and external partners
• Identify, evaluate, and manage sites, labs, manufacturers, IRBs, and other vendors

Skills

Vendor management

Clinical trials

Contract negotiation

Stakeholder management

Job description

About The Role

We are a vibrant and intensely mission-driven team in San Francisco, comprising members from MIT, Harvard Medical School, Roche, ETH, and Dana-Farber.

What You’ll Do

• Negotiate vendor timelines, scopes, and budgets with strong judgment. When a vendor quotes a long timeline, you can pressure-test the assumptions, identify faster alternatives, and improve execution without compromising quality or rigor.
• Build strong relationships with investigators, site staff, coordinators, vendors, and external experts so Capable becomes a preferred partner.
• Anticipate operational bottlenecks before they become delays, including slow contracting, weak enrollment, unclear responsibilities, poor site communication, data lag, sample handling risks, vendor handoff issues, or protocol ambiguity.
• Work closely with founders, scientists, clinicians, regulatory advisors, and external partners to design studies that produce credible, decision-grade human data.
• Identify, evaluate, and manage clinical trial sites, labs, manufacturers, pharmacies, IRBs, and other vendors needed to run fast, rigorous studies.

Who You Are

• You have successfully led multiple clinical trials from site activation through execution, data delivery, and closeout. Ideally, you have also helped bring a therapy through clinical development to approval or market.
• You are organized and execution-oriented, helping keep studies moving by following up on site activation, vendor communication, contracts, patient visits, sample shipments, and expert input when needed.
• You are excellent with people, able to build trust with investigators, coordinators, vendors, and internal teams while still holding a high bar.
• You are skilled at evaluating vendor timelines, budgets, and scopes, can tell when assumptions need to be challenged, negotiate practical changes, and find faster or better alternatives.

Pay & Benefits

• $135,000-$300,000 salary, plus equity options with an implied current value of approximately $50,000-$200,000 before exercise cost, taxes, dilution, and liquidity risk.
• Compensation will depend on the skills, experience, and scope of impact you bring. If your background, experience, or compensation needs fall outside this range, we are still open to a conversation based on the scope and impact you could bring.
• $500+ monthly wellness budget for training, supplements, coaching, recovery, or other tools that help you perform at your best.
• Healthcare: We offer a broad range of medical, dental, and vision coverage options, with Capable covering 100% of the base policy.
• You will also have access to HSA, FSA, and 401K plans.
• Healthy dinners with the team are provided daily.
• We support visa sponsorship where appropriate, including O-1, H-1B, J-1, TN, and other employment-based pathways. Our team is already international, with members from Canada, Pakistan, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, China, India, and the United States.

Application Process

• Initial application
• First phone screen
• Second phone screen
• In-person work trial in San Francisco: designed to give both sides a realistic sense of working together. Get to know the founding team!