Clinical Research Engagement Lead (CREL)

Roche; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 800 000 - 1 200 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global healthcare company is seeking a Clinical Research Engagement Lead to enhance patient outcomes through effective engagement with clinical trial sites. The ideal candidate will have a degree in life sciences and substantial experience in clinical trial operations, thriving in a collaborative and culturally aware environment. This role emphasizes strategic relationship management and problem-solving skills, requiring frequent travel to maintain strong site partnerships.

Qualifications

• Significant industry experience with a deep understanding of clinical trial operations.
• Proven success managing site relationships and executing clinical trials.
• Fluency in English and local languages for communication.

Responsibilities

• Tailor engagement strategies for clinical trial sites.
• Build strong working relationships with site personnel.
• Champion cross-functional coordination for streamlined experiences.
• Act as a local escalation point for trial challenges.
• Navigate regulatory landscapes ensuring ethical standards.

Skills

Relationship building

Strategic thinking

Problem-solving

Negotiation

Influencing

Education

Degree in life sciences

Job description

The Position

Are you passionate about clinical trials and working closely with research sites to enhance patient outcomes? At Roche, we're on a mission to transform lives through science, and as our Clinical Research Engagement Lead (CREL), you'll play a pivotal role in ensuring the success of our clinical trials. By fostering strong, trust-based relationships with clinical trial sites, you'll help streamline their experience as they participate in Roche studies, from early discovery through late-stage development. You’ll be central to aligning with operational stakeholders, co-developing engagement strategies, and driving forward Roche’s innovative portfolio. Together, we’ll bring speed, efficiency, and collaboration to every step of the clinical research journey.

Key Challenges

• Site Strategy Development: Tailoring country-specific and disease-area engagement strategies to match complex site needs and ensuring Roche is a preferred partner to trial sites globally.

• Relationship Management: Building strong working relationships with diverse site personnel, including investigators, pharmacists, and clinical administrators, to proactively anticipate and address site performance needs.

• Cross-Functional Coordination: Championing a ONE Roche approach by collaborating with local teams, global stakeholders, and Contract Research Organizations (CROs) to create a seamless site experience.

• Problem Resolution: Acting as a local escalation point for clinical trial challenges, implementing solutions quickly, and ensuring high-quality trial execution.

• Efficiency Without Compromise: Navigating complex regulatory landscapes while delivering results on time and to the highest ethical and quality standards.

Who You Are as Our Ideal Candidate

We're looking for someone extraordinary—a natural relationship builder, solution-oriented thinker, and strategic leader. As our ideal CREL, you will bring the following qualities to this important role:

• Background and Expertise:

  • A degree in life sciences is essential (MD, PhD, or postgraduate qualifications are valued).

  • Significant industry experience with a deep understanding of clinical trial operations and end-to-end product development.

  • Proven success managing site relationships, executing clinical trials, and navigating complex trial environments.

• Influencing and Problem-Solving Skills:

  • Adaptable and proactive, you combine strategic thinking with hands‑on problem-solving, offering creative solutions for site needs.

  • You have exceptional interpersonal, negotiation, and influencing skills, making trust-building second nature.

• Global Perspective with Local Insight:

  • Your fluency in English and the local language(s) ensures effortless communication in diverse settings.

  • You effortlessly combine global clinical trial perspectives with an understanding of local cultural nuances.

• Collaborative and Inspiring Leader:

  • Able to work across departments, you foster a collaborative team culture, rallying stakeholders to achieve ambitious goals.

  • You bring flexibility, clarity, and positivity—especially in times of ambiguity.

• Passion for Travel and Engagement:

  • Comfortable with frequent travel, you confidently establish and maintain strong, in-person relationships with key partners at clinical trial sites.

• Ability to independently collaborate, drive and focus on speed, site excellence, Quality and efficiency of both process and execution is key!

• Is an expert in navigating complex regulatory environments and working within frameworks like ICH-GCP, EU CTR and local Regulatory provisions like IVDR and Ethics requirements.

If you’re ready to lead with purpose and make a measurable impact on clinical research—revolutionizing the way trials are conducted—this is the role for you. Join Roche, and together, let’s create a healthier future.

Note that relocation benefits are not available for this role.

Who we are

A healthier future drives us to innovate. Together, more than 100’000 employees across the globe are dedicated to advance science, ensuring everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Our efforts result in more than 26 million people treated with our medicines and over 30 billion tests conducted using our Diagnostics products. We empower each other to explore new possibilities, foster creativity, and keep our ambitions high, so we can deliver life-changing healthcare solutions that make a global impact.

Let’s build a healthier future, together.

Roche is an Equal Opportunity Employer.