Senior Clinical Research Associate

Merck; United States; Remote; USD 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dedicated Clinical Research Associate to oversee site management and compliance in clinical trials. This role involves building strong relationships with clinical sites, ensuring adherence to ICH/GCP standards, and actively participating in site selection and validation. The ideal candidate will thrive in a collaborative environment, working closely with internal teams and external partners to drive the success of clinical research initiatives. If you are passionate about advancing healthcare through clinical trials and enjoy mentoring others, this is an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact in the field.

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of clinical research protocols and compliance.
• Experience in site management and monitoring activities.

Responsibilities

• Manage site relationships and ensure compliance throughout the trial.
• Conduct site visits and monitor data integrity and subject safety.

Skills

Clinical Research

Site Management

ICH/GCP Compliance

Regulatory Documentation

Monitoring Activities

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Life Sciences

Clinical Research Certification

Tools

CTMS

eTMF

Job description

Job Description

The role is accountable for performance and compliance for assigned protocols and sites in a country.
Under the oversight of the CRA manager or CRD, the person ensures compliance of study conduct with ICH/GCP and country regulations, company policies and procedures, quality standards and adverse event reporting requirements internally and externally.
Acts as primary site contact and site manager throughout all phases of a clinical research study, taking overall responsibility of allocated sites.
Actively develops and expands the territory for clinical research, finding and developing new sites. Participates in internal meetings and workstreams as SME for monitoring processes and systems.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

1. Develops strong site relationships and ensures continuity of site relationships through all phases of the trial.
2. Performs clinical study site management/monitoring activities in compliance with ICH-GCP, Sponsor SOPs, Local Laws & Regulations, Protocol, Site Monitoring Plan and associated documents.
3. Gains an in-depth understanding of the study protocol and related procedures.
4. Coordinates & manages various tasks in collaboration with other sponsor roles to achieve Site Ready.
5. Participates & provides inputs on site selection and validation activities.
6. Performs remote and on-site monitoring & oversight activities using various tools to ensure:
1. Data generated at site are complete, accurate and unbiased.
2. Subjects’ right, safety and well-being are protected.
7. Conducts site visits including but not limited to validation visits, initiation visits, monitoring visits, close-out visits and records clear, comprehensive and accurate visit & non-visit contact reports appropriately in a timely manner.
8. Collects, reviews, and monitors required regulatory documentation for study start-up, study maintenance and study close-out.
9. Communicates with Investigators and site staff on issues related to protocol conduct, recruitment, retention, protocol deviations, regulatory documentation, site audits/inspections and overall site performance.
10. Identifies, assesses and resolves site performance, quality or compliance problems and escalates per defined CRA Escalation Pathway as appropriate in collaboration with CRA Manager, CRM, TA Head and CRD as needed.
11. Works in partnership internally with GCTO country operations, finance, regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance, legal and regional operations, HQ functional areas and externally with vendors and IRB/IECs and Regulatory Authorities in support of assigned sites.
12. Manages and maintains information and documentation in CTMS, eTMF and various other systems as appropriate and per timelines.
13. Contributes strongly to CRA team knowledge by acting as process Subject Matter Expert (SME), sharing best practices, making recommendations for continuous improvement and providing training as appropriate/required.
14. Supports and/or leads audit/inspection activities as needed.
15. Following the country strategy defined by CRD and CRA manager, contributes to the identification of new potential sites and works closely with them to develop strong clinical research capabilities.
16. Mentors / buddies junior CRAs on process/study requirements and performs co-monitoring visits where appropriate.
17. Could perform Quality control visits if delegated by other roles and trained appropriately.

Employee Status: Regular

Flexible Work Arrangements: Remote

Job Posting End Date: 04/30/2025

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