Project Manager - Cancer Research Operations

Brown University Health; Lansing (MI); Remote; USD 91,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Brown University Health is seeking a Project Manager to lead cross-functional initiatives strengthening the clinical research portfolio and its supporting infrastructure. You will design governance, plans, KPIs, and change-management strategies for study start-up, budgeting, billing compliance, and access to cancer trials.

The role collaborates with investigators, clinical staff, regulatory and finance teams, and external partners to ensure timely, compliant, and financially responsible delivery

Qualifications

• Seven to ten years of progressively responsible experience in healthcare, academic medicine, clinical research administration, oncology research operations, project/program management, or consulting.
• Experience translating strategy into operating models, governance structures, and measurable outcomes.
• Knowledge of the clinical trial lifecycle including feasibility, activation, budgeting, billing compliance, enrollment, and closeout.
• Experience with GCP, IRB processes, sponsor requirements, and institutional compliance controls.
• Demonstrated success leading change across complex organizations and engaging senior leaders and cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Translate strategic priorities into actionable initiatives and measurable operating plans.
• Lead a portfolio of complex initiatives to improve clinical trial activation, quality, compliance, and financial performance.
• Design governance, charters, prioritization criteria, milestones, resource plans, and executive reporting.
• Establish and monitor KPIs for start-up, budgeting, billing readiness, and financial reconciliation.
• Drive process improvements to reduce handoffs, cycle time, and variation while preserving regulatory controls.
• Coordinate cross-functional work among investigators, researchers, finance, contracting, IT, and other partners.
• Support governance and optimization of research systems and reporting platforms.
• Collaborate on protocol budgets, sponsor negotiations, and cost allocation.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Change management

Stakeholder management

Performance measurement

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree (preferred)

PM certification (preferred)

Clinical research certification (preferred)

Tools

Clinical trial management system

EHR/EMR systems

ERP systems

Job description

SUMMARY

Reporting to Brown University Health Office of Cancer Research leadership, the Project Manager leads complex, cross-functional initiatives that strengthen the clinical research portfolio and its supporting infrastructure. The role designs governance, implementation plans, performance measures, communication strategies, and change-management approaches for initiatives involving study start-up, regulatory operations, clinical trial finance, research billing compliance, participant access and accrual, workforce models, and research technology. The Project Manager coordinates project resources and stakeholders to achieve timely, compliant, and financially responsible delivery while supporting a consistent investigator and participant experience.

Brown University Health employees are expected to successfully role model the organization's values of Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence as these values guide our everyday actions with patients, customers and one another.

CORE SUCCESS FACTORS

• Instill Trust and Value Differences
• Patient and Community Focus and Collaborate

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Partners with Brown University Health Office of Cancer Research leadership, investigators, disease-site programs, and health-system leaders to translate strategic priorities into actionable initiatives and measurable operating plans.
• Leads a portfolio of complex initiatives intended to improve clinical trial activation, operational quality, compliance, financial performance, and service to investigators.
• Designs project and portfolio governance, including charters, decision rights, prioritization criteria, workplans, milestones, resource requirements, escalation pathways, and executive reporting.
• Establishes and monitors key performance indicators for study start-up, contract and budget development, coverage analysis and billing readiness, and financial reconciliation.
• Leads process-improvement efforts that reduce unnecessary handoffs, duplicate work, cycle time, and operational variation while preserving essential regulatory, billing, privacy, safety, and financial controls.
• Coordinates cross-functional work involving investigators, research nursing, clinical research coordinators, regulatory staff, finance, contracting, pharmacy, laboratory services, supply chain, information technology, data analytics, and other clinical and administrative partners.
• Supports governance and optimization of research systems and integrations, including clinical trial management, departmental resource planning, and reporting platforms.
• Collaborates with finance and research administration partners on protocol budgets, sponsor negotiations, cost allocation, research billing compliance, account setup, revenue‑cycle workflows, effort planning, and portfolio financial reporting.
• Partners with regulatory and compliance stakeholders to support adherence to applicable federal regulations, Good Clinical Practice, institutional policies, IRB requirements, and sponsor obligations.
• Develops change‑management, communication, training, and adoption plans; prepares dashboards, workflow documentation, standard operating procedures, and decision materials for diverse audiences.
• Uses data to identify performance gaps, operational risks, capacity constraints, and opportunities to improve access to cancer clinical trials, including equitable participation across the communities served by Brown University Health.
• Facilitates multidisciplinary working groups, resolves barriers, manages interdependencies, and escalates risks requiring leadership action.
• Evaluates the operational and financial impact of proposed initiatives; supports business cases, staffing models, return‑on‑investment analyses, and implementation recommendations.
• Provides project leadership, coaching, and functional guidance to project managers, coordinators, analysts, and subject‑matter experts assigned to initiatives.
• Maintains productive relationships across Brown University Health, affiliated research entities, sponsors, cooperative groups, vendors, and external partners as appropriate.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, business, public health, clinical research, nursing, life sciences, or a related field required.
• Master’s degree in healthcare administration, business administration, public health, clinical research, or a related field preferred.
• Project management certification preferred.
• Clinical research certification, such as ACRP or SOCRA, preferred.

EXPERIENCE

• Seven to ten years of progressively responsible experience in healthcare, academic medicine, clinical research administration, oncology research operations, project/program management, or consulting, including leadership of cross‑functional or multidisciplinary initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience translating strategy into operating models, implementation plans, governance structures, and measurable outcomes.
• Working knowledge of the clinical trial lifecycle, including feasibility, activation, regulatory review, contracting and budgeting, billing compliance, participant enrollment, study conduct, closeout, and financial reconciliation.
• Experience with applicable clinical research regulations, Good Clinical Practice, IRB processes, sponsor requirements, and institutional compliance controls.
• Demonstrated success leading change across complex organizations and engaging senior leaders, investigators, clinicians, administrators, and technical teams.
• Strong analytical skills and experience developing performance measures, dashboards, business cases, staffing models, budgets, and financial or operational forecasts.
• Experience with clinical research and enterprise systems, such as a clinical trial management system, electronic health record, electronic regulatory platform, and enterprise resource planning system, preferred.
• Experience in oncology, an NCI‑designated cancer center, an academic health system, or a similarly complex research environment preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor project staff and build collaborative, accountable teams.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

None. Provides functional leadership to multidisciplinary team members and subject‑matter experts assigned to projects, programs, or portfolio initiatives.

PAY RANGE

$90,729.60-$149,697.60

EEO STATEMENT

Brown University Health is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and maintaining a work environment free from all forms of unlawful discrimination and harassment.

LOCATION

Remote-Michigan - N/A Lansing, Michigan 48933

WORK TYPE

M-F variable days

WORK SHIFT

Day

DAILY HOURS

8 hours

DRIVING REQUIRED

No