Lead Clinical Project Manager

UCB Inc.; Raleigh (NC); Hybrid; USD 148,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

UCB Inc. is seeking a Lead Clinical Project Manager in Raleigh, NC to lead patient-centric studies across phases and geographies. The role requires coordinating internal teams and CROs to meet milestones within budget while ensuring high data quality and safety.

Hybrid work arrangement includes 40% in-office presence. The ideal candidate has extensive clinical development experience, strong leadership, and ability to manage complex multinational studies across indications and modalities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in a relevant field.
• 10 years' relevant experience in clinical development including team leadership.
• Experience or capability to manage global Phase 3 studies from start-up to report.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver all assigned UCB sponsored clinical trials with effective stakeholder management.
• Provide operational updates, manage issues, and communicate openly with team members and partners.
• Oversee CRO/Phase 1 Unit performance, TMF status, and KPI-driven monitoring to protect safety and data quality.
• Develop site engagement strategies to support recruitment and engage KOLs and patient groups.
• Act as the primary internal clinical operations contact for assigned studies.
• Plan study timelines, budgets, and monitoring plans with CROs to ensure on-time completion.
• Support audits and inspections, ensuring regulatory compliance and quality standards.

Skills

Leadership in clinical trials

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Job description

JOB DESCRIPTION

Make your mark for patients

We are looking for a Lead Clinical Project Manager to join our Global Clinical Sciences and Operations team, based in our Raleigh, NC office. This is a hybrid role (at least 40% of the time in office).

About the role

The Lead Project Manager will be accountable for the delivery of patient-centric studies from protocol design through to study report and archiving. These can be all types of study from First in Human to Phase IV, across all geographies and in all UCB therapeutic areas including Gene Therapy. Lead CPMs will be accountable for complex studies across geographies in therapeutic areas/assets that are considered as priority for UCB and/or multiple studies running in parallel. They will also be accountable for the effective interface and influential stakeholder management between UCB, Phase 1 Units, Clinical Research Organizations (CROs) and other vendors to ensure assigned studies are delivered according to contract specifications, with high quality, meeting all major milestones and to budget.

Who you'll work with

The Lead CPM closely cooperates with the Program Delivery Lead (PDL). In certain scenarios, the Lead CPM may act as the PDL if, for example, there is only one study on a program or for a NIS primary data capture study. In this scenario, the Lead CPM will be additionally accountable for the study concept planning ensuring alignment to the Clinical and Operational Development Plans.

What you’ll do

• Accountable for the leadership and delivery of all assigned UCB sponsored clinical trials through effective internal and external team stakeholder management in a matrix organisation.
• Responsible for operational updates, issue/mitgations, ensuring open, transparent communication with team members, line management and Clinical Strategic Partnering, escalating within and outside the team as needed.
• Demonstrate robust oversight of sponsor-delegated activities by regularly reviewing CRO/Phase 1 Unit performance, including TMF status, through use of KPIs, metrics and deliverables (such as SQV, Impact), with a focus on trial subject safety, data quality, and critical activities that might delay the project or impact budget.
• Responsible for Site Engagement strategies to support study recruitment at sites. Become familiar with the competitive landscapes; engage with Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), investigational sites, patient advocacy groups and other relevant organizations.
• For assigned studies, be the key internal clinical operations contact, working closely with the respective PDL and other team members.
• In certain scenarios, the Lead CPM may act as the PDL if, for example, there is only one study on a program or for a NIS primary data capture study.
• During start-up, articulate study scope, goals, and expectations of UCB to the CRO/Phase 1 Unit and ensure all relevant information that may impact the set-up of the trial is highlighted and accounted for in the study planning.
• Responsible for detailed planning of study timelines to enable timely access and prompt decision making for all data for Safety Monitoring/Data Monitoring Committees, planned Interim Analyses, final data reporting for Results Interpretation Meetings and final Clinical Study Report (CSR).
• Responsible to manage, track and ensure accuracy of study budgets in UCB systems, including the forecast and accrual information.
• Work with CRO partners to define a study specific monitoring strategy. Review Monitoring Plans, and CRA generated reports (as appropriate).
• Support any audit/inspection activities, including audit/inspection readiness, ensuring findings are appropriately addressed in a timely manner and overall compliance with regulations (eg, ICH GCP) and applicable quality standards at all times.
• Identify issues/gaps in processes and interfaces with other groups and departments and develop recommendations for resolution. Contribute to process improvement initiatives, and share best practice experiences with line manager, peers and Partner CROs.
• Mentor CPM/Senior CPMs in operational aspects of study conduct, as needed

Interested? For this role we’re looking for the following

Minimum requirements

• Bachelor's Degree
• 10 years' relevant experience in clinical development including team leadership.
• Experience or capability to manage in-house and/or outsourced regional or global Phase 3 studies (First in Human to multicentre clinical studies) from study start-up to study report completion

Preferred requirements

• A Lead CPM must have substantial experience in study management in different indications and proven ability to manage complex multinational studies or multiple simultaneous studies from start to end.
• A Lead CPM must have proven record of high impact on study delivery in high visible, high complex challenging global studies.
• A Lead CPM is known as an expert in managing studies. They can provide guidance, troubleshoot and answer questions related to their area of expertise. They also demonstrate initiative, adaptability to special problem situations, and challenges.

This position reasonably anticipated base salary range is $148,000-195,000K. The actual salary offered will take into account related knowledge, skills, experience and location among other factors and may fall outside the expected range.

About us

UCB is a global biopharmaceutical company, focusing on neurology and immunology. We are over 9.000 people in all four corners of the globe, inspired by patients and driven by science.

Why work with us?

At UCB, we don't just complete tasks, we create value. We aren't afraid to push forward, collaborate, and innovate to make our mark for patients. We have a caring, supportive culture where everyone feels included, respected, and has equal opportunities to do their best work. We 'go beyond' to create value for our patients, and always with a human focus, whether that's on our patients, our employees, or our planet. Working for us, you will discover a place where you can grow, and have the freedom to carve your own career path to achieve your full potential.

At UCB, we've embraced a hybrid-first approach to work, bringing teams together in local hubs to foster collaborative curiosity. Unless explicitly stated in the description or precluded by the nature of the position, roles are hybrid with 40% of your time spent in the office.

UCB is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions will be made without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. UCB invites you to voluntarily self-identify during the application process. Provision of self-identification information is entirely voluntary and a decision to provide or not provide such information will not have any effect on your application for employment, your employment with UCB, or otherwise subject you to any adverse treatment. Any information you provide will be considered confidential and will be kept separate from your application and/or personnel file and will only be used in accordance with applicable laws, orders, and regulations.

Should you require any adjustments to our process to assist you in demonstrating your strengths and capabilities contact us on [e-mail] for application to US based roles. Please note should your enquiry not relate to adjustments; we will not be able to support you through this channel.