This role is accountable for performance and compliance for assigned protocols in a country in compliance with ICH/Good Clinical Practice and country regulations, company policies and procedures, quality standards and adverse event reporting requirements internally and externally. Under the oversight of the Sr. Clinical Operations Manager, Head COMs or Clinical Research Director, the person is responsible for budget/finance aspects, for execution and oversight of clinical trial country submissions and approvals and to ensure Site Ready.
Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To
- Ownership of country and site budgets. Development, negotiation and completion of Clinical Trial Research Agreements (CTRA).
- Oversees and tracks clinical research-related payments. Payment reconciliation at study closeout. Oversees Anti Bribery and Denied Party Screenings, and maintenance of financial systems. Financial forecasting in conjunction with Sr.COM /other roles.
- Executes and oversees clinical trial country submissions and approvals for assigned protocols.
- Develops local language materials including local language Informed Consents and translations. Interacts with IRB/IEC and Regulatory Authority for assigned protocols.
- Manages country deliverables, timelines and results for assigned protocols to meet country commitments. Responsible for quality and compliance in assigned protocols in country.
- Contributes to the development of local SOPs.
- Oversees Clinical Trial Coordinators as applicable.
- Coordinates and liaises with Clinical Research Manager, Clinical Trial Coordinator, Clinical Research Associate, (Finance and Legal if appropriate) to ensure country deliverables are obtained for submissions, budgets, CTRAs and local milestones.
- Collaborates closely with Headquarter to align country timelines for assigned protocols.
- Provide support and oversight to local vendors as applicable.
- Oversees and coordinates local processes, clinical and ancillary supplies management, importing and exporting requirements, supplies destruction, local electronic/hard copy filing, archiving and retention requirements, and insurance process management. Enters and updates country information in clinical and finance systems.
- Ownership of local regulatory and financial compliance. The position has a significant impact on how a country can deliver country-specific trial commitments and objectives especially during study start-up.
- Required to in/directly influence investigators, external partners and country operations and adheres to budget targets and agreed payment timelines.
- Works in partnership internally with Global Clinical Trial Operations country operations, finance, regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance, legal and regional operations, HQ functional areas and externally with vendors and sites, IRB/IECs and Regulatory Authorities in submission and approval related interactions. Through continual interaction with local clinical team/s successfully delivers clinical and financial contracts within fair market value.
- Contribute or lead initiatives and projects adding value to the business, as appropriate/required.
- Contributes strongly to COM team and other Country Operations roles knowledge by acting as process Subject Matter Expert (SME), sharing best practices, making recommendations for continuous improvement and providing training as appropriate/required.
- Contributes to COM team knowledge by acting as buddy/mentor and sharing best practices as appropriate/required
Core competencies
- Expertise of core clinical systems, tools and metrics
- Excellent verbal and written influencing and training/mentoring skills, in local language and English
- Strong coordination and organizational skills
- Skilled knowledge of budget and contract negotiations, local regulatory environment and submission and approval processes, and understanding of how this impact study start-up.
- Ability to indirectly influence investigators, vendors, external partners and country managers to address and resolve issues, with minimal support from the Sr.COM or manager.
- Ability to make decisions independently with limited oversight from Sr.COM or manager.
- Requires strong understanding of local regulatory environment
- Ability to proactively develop risk management and mitigation plans in the country and resolve issues locally.
- Ability to lead a team of Clinical Trial Coordinators as applicable
- Problem solving is essential to this position. Requires the ability to pro-actively identify issues and risks, analyse root cause, and propose solutions to problems and escalate to management as applicable. Specific examples of common problems include
- Issues in budget / CTRA negotiations,
- Quality and compliance issues,
- Regulatory and legal issues, and
- issues related to functional area deliverables that could jeopardize protocol milestones.
- Effective and efficient time management, organizational and interpersonal skills, conflict management and problem-solving skills.
- High sense of accountability and urgency in order to properly prioritize deliverables
- Strong communication, leadership, and negotiation skills as well as excellent influencing and training/mentoring skills, both written and verbal, in local language and English.
- Ability to focus on multiple deliverables and protocols simultaneously is essential. Requires that the individual has ability to work effectively also in a remote virtual environment with a wide range of people.
- Positive mindset, growth mindset, capable of working independently and being self-driven
- Able to directly influence site staff
Experience Requirements
- 5 years of experience in clinical research or combined experience in Clinical Research and Finance/Business,
Required
- Bachelor's Degree in Business Finance/ Administration/ Life Science or equivalent Health Care related experience.
Who We Are
We are known as Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA in the United States and Canada and MSD everywhere else. For more than a century, we have been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Today, our company continues to be at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions and advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and animals around the world.
What We Look For
In a world of rapid innovation, we seek brave Inventors who want to make an Impact in all aspects of our business, enabling breakthroughs that will affect generations to come. We encourage you to bring your disruptive thinking, collaborative spirit and diverse perspective to our organization. Together we will continue Inventing For Life, Impacting Lives while Inspiring Your Career Growth.
We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing diverse, talented, and committed people together. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when diverse ideas come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one anothers thinking and approach problems collectively. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.
Current Employees apply HERE
Current Contingent Workers apply HERE
Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.
Employee Status
Regular
Relocation
No relocation
VISA Sponsorship
Travel Requirements
Flexible Work Arrangements
Hybrid
Shift
Valid Driving License
Hazardous Material(s)
Requisition ID R230958
