Director, Cancer Research and Clinical Trials

Hamilton Health Sciences•Hamilton, ON

21h

About The Position

The Director of Cancer Research and Clinical Trials provides senior strategic and executive leadership for the cancer clinical research enterprise at Hamilton Health Sciences and the Juravinski Cancer Centre. Reporting to the Vice President of Oncology, and the Executive Director, Research Strategy & Operations, the Director is accountable for the overall vision, growth, quality, and sustainability of the evolving Cancer Research and Clinical Trials portfolio. The Director, in partnership with the Medical Director for Cancer Clinical Research in a dyad model, sets the enterprise-level strategy for cancer research and clinical trials, ensuring alignment with oncology clinical priorities, institutional research strategy, academic partnerships, and provincial and national cancer research objectives. The role provides leadership and direction to the Clinical Trials Department through its management team, ensuring that operational infrastructure, workforce models, and funding strategies enable the successful delivery of a large, complex portfolio of academic and industry sponsored studies across all disease sites and relevant clinical programs, including Cancer Genetics, diagnostics, systemic therapy, radiation therapy, surgical oncology, supportive care, and regional partner programs. As a senior leader within an academic health sciences centre, the Director integrates clinical research into care delivery, builds and sustains strong internal partnerships with Medical Directors, investigators, and research operations, and advances external partnerships with industry sponsors, cooperative groups, and academic collaborators. The Director ensures that cancer clinical trials enhance patient access to innovation, meet the highest standards of safety and quality, and positions HHS as a leading and trusted site for high-impact cancer research, clinical trials, and research-enabled care nationally and internationally. The Director will build the infrastructure, partnerships, culture, and operational discipline required to make research participation a routine and equitable part of cancer care, so that every patient has the opportunity to participate in research where appropriate.

Requirements

Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in cancer clinical research, clinical trials, research operations, or a closely related academic health sciences discipline.
Minimum 5 years of senior leadership experience overseeing teams, programs, or portfolios in a complex, regulated research environment.
Demonstrated expertise in leading or overseeing operations across the full clinical trials lifecycle, including feasibility, activation, conduct, monitoring, close out, and reporting.
Strong working knowledge of clinical research regulations and standards, including Health Canada, REB requirements, Good Clinical Practice (GCP), and sponsor compliance.
Proven ability to provide strategic and operational leadership in a matrixed, highly regulated and unionized healthcare environment.
Demonstrated experience working collaboratively with medical leaders, principal investigators, and research operations teams.
Strong relationship building, communication, and influence skills, with the ability to engage senior leaders and multidisciplinary internal and external stakeholders.
Demonstrated commitment to patient‑centered, equity‑informed research, quality, and safety.
Experience contributing to research governance structures and institutional decision making forums.
Demonstrated ability to lead enterprise-level change across a matrixed academic health sciences centre.
Experience integrating research activity into clinical care pathways, disease-site programs, and multidisciplinary clinical operations.
Working knowledge of research finance, contracts, cost recovery, sponsor negotiations, collective agreements, and sustainability planning.
Demonstrated understanding of precision oncology, Cancer Genetics, molecular diagnostics, or related research-enabled models of care.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred in health sciences, sciences, business, health administration or a related discipline relevant to oncology research.

Responsibilities

Provide senior strategic and executive leadership for the cancer clinical research enterprise.
Accountable for the overall vision, growth, quality, and sustainability of the Cancer Research and Clinical Trials portfolio.
Set the enterprise-level strategy for cancer research and clinical trials in partnership with the Medical Director for Cancer Clinical Research.
Ensure alignment with oncology clinical priorities, institutional research strategy, academic partnerships, and provincial and national cancer research objectives.
Provide leadership and direction to the Clinical Trials Department through its management team.
Ensure operational infrastructure, workforce models, and funding strategies enable successful delivery of a large, complex portfolio of studies.
Integrate clinical research into care delivery.
Build and sustain strong internal partnerships with Medical Directors, investigators, and research operations.
Advance external partnerships with industry sponsors, cooperative groups, and academic collaborators.
Ensure cancer clinical trials enhance patient access to innovation, meet the highest standards of safety and quality.
Position HHS as a leading and trusted site for high-impact cancer research, clinical trials, and research-enabled care.
Build the infrastructure, partnerships, culture, and operational discipline required to make research participation a routine and equitable part of cancer care.