Clinical Research Budget & Finance Specialist

SiteBridge Research•Chapel Hill, NC

About The Position

SiteBridge Research Inc: Founded in 2021, SiteBridge Research is an integrated research organization, focused on building a national network of small and community medical practices to deliver world-class industry-sponsored clinical research studies on time and on budget, accelerating time to completing clinical trials, accelerating time to market and product adoption in communities that are often underrepresented and difficult to reach. The SiteBridge Network extends reach further into these communities to empower patients with some of the highest unmet needs to take part in clinical studies to improve inclusivity in clinical research and to improve overall health outcomes. Position Summary The Clinical Research Finance & Budget Specialist is a critical operational role within SiteBridge Research, responsible for the end-to-end financial management of clinical trials across the network. This individual supports the financial lifecycle of each study from budget build through closeout, including study budget entry into the CTMS and eSource systems, sponsor invoicing, accounts receivable tracking, payment reconciliation, participant stipend management, and outgoing payments to investigators and vendors. The role requires a working command of clinical research billing compliance, a strong understanding of sponsor contract structures, and the ability to operate across multiple financial and clinical systems simultaneously.

Requirements

Requires Bachelor’s degree (at minimum) in a relevant life science discipline, Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Health Administration, or a related field
Minimum 3 years of clinical research experience at a research site, site network, or CRO.
Direct, hands-on experience building study budgets, submitting sponsor invoices, and managing accounts receivable within clinical trial operations
Working knowledge of clinical trial billing compliance requirements including Medicare Coverage Analysis and standard-of-care vs. research cost classification
Experience working within a CTMS with demonstrated ability to build and maintain study financial records
Proficiency in QuickBooks or equivalent accounting software for financial data entry, reconciliation, and reporting
Strong working knowledge of Clinical Trial Agreements, budget structures, and sponsor payment terms
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel, for financial tracking, reporting, and budget modeling
High attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple active studies and competing financial deadlines simultaneously
Strong written and verbal communication skills with experience interfacing directly with sponsor and CRO finance contacts

Nice To Haves

Experience in a multi-site research network or integrated research organization environment
Familiarity with CTMS eSource platforms and the intersection of visit documentation and billing workflows
Prior experience managing participant payment platforms (e.g., Greenphire ClinCard or similar)
Exposure to pre-award budget development and sponsor budget negotiation
Experience supporting sponsor monitoring visits, internal audits, or financial audit preparation
ACRP or SOCRA certification, or equivalent clinical research credential

Responsibilities

Prepare, submit, and track sponsor invoices for all billable study activity including completed visits, screen failures, pass-through expenses, milestone achievements, and any out-of-scope items negotiated in the CTA
Maintain a detailed accounts receivable log across all active studies; monitor payment timelines and proactively follow up on outstanding sponsor balances
Reconcile sponsor payments against invoiced amounts and resolve discrepancies in coordination with the CRO or sponsor finance contacts
Manage study account closeout invoicing and negotiate final payment reconciliation with sponsors at end of study
Track and report budget-to-actuals across the portfolio on a regular basis, flagging studies at risk of budget overrun or underbilling to Operations leadership
Process and track participant stipend and reimbursement payments in accordance with approved study budgets, IRB-approved participant payment terms, and sponsor requirements
Manage PI and sub-investigator payment allocations per executed CTAs; ensure payments are issued accurately and on schedule
Review, approve, and reconcile vendor invoices for study-related services including labs, imaging, specialty vendors, and other protocol-required third parties
Maintain complete and auditable records of all outgoing payments, purchase orders, and vendor accounts in the CTMS and accounting system
Coordinate with site management and the clinical operations team to verify that services billed by vendors align with protocol requirements and have been rendered
Serve as the primary financial user of the CTMS, maintaining accuracy of all financial data including study builds, payment records, and invoicing logs
Manage financial data entry and reconciliation in QuickBooks or equivalent accounting platform, ensuring alignment between CTMS study financials and the general ledger
Liaise with any outsourced accounting or bookkeeping partners to provide timely study-level financial data, cost coding, and documentation required for monthly close
Utilize sponsor portals, participant payment systems, and any applicable financial modules as required by individual study requirements
Identify and escalate system discrepancies, duplicate charges, or data integrity issues across financial platforms
Build and maintain study budgets in the CTMS and eSource platforms upon study activation, ensuring complete alignment between the executed Clinical Trial Agreement (CTA), protocol Schedule of Events, and visit-level cost structure
Translate finalized budgets into line-item billing grids within the CTMS, capturing all visit types, screen failure rates, pass-through costs, milestone payments, and protocol amendment adjustments
Review and update budget builds in response to protocol amendments, contract modifications, or sponsor-directed changes; maintain version-controlled documentation of all budget revisions
Coordinate with the clinical operations and startup teams to ensure study financial builds are completed prior to first patient enrollment
Maintain a current and accurate rate card for site-level services in accordance with Fair Market Value standards
Ensure all study billing activity is executed in compliance with the executed CTA, applicable regulations, and SiteBridge Research internal financial SOPs
Maintain complete and organized financial documentation for each study including contracts, invoices, payment records, and reconciliation reports in a manner that supports sponsor monitoring visits and internal or external audits
Prepare and deliver regular financial performance reports to Operations leadership covering accounts receivable aging, budget-to-actual variance, outstanding stipends, and invoice status by study
Collaborate with the clinical operations team to ensure visit completion data in the CTMS accurately reflects billable activity before invoices are submitted
Support the development and maintenance of financial SOPs, billing workflows, and process documentation as the organization scales
Partner with Business Development on budget feasibility reviews and initial budget development during the pre-award phase, including evaluation of sponsor budget offers against Fair Market Value and site cost structures
Work with Site Operations and Study Coordinators to track study visit completion, screen failure documentation, and other billing triggers in real time
Serve as the internal point of contact for sponsor and CRO finance teams on all invoicing, payment, and contract financial queries
Coordinate with senior leadership on financial forecasting, revenue recognition, and pipeline financial modeling as needed