Director of Real-World Evidence and Implementation Science Research

Cardiovascular Associates of America•,

3d•Remote

About The Position

Cardiovascular Associates of America (CVAUSA) is a national network of community cardiology practices dedicated to delivering high-quality cardiovascular care and advancing scientific discovery. The organization seeks a Director of Real-World Evidence and Implementation Science Research to develop and lead its observational and pragmatic research program. This role will leverage the network's extensive clinical, imaging, and administrative claims data to generate rigorous real-world evidence (RWE). The Director will be responsible for forging partnerships, developing the RWE and implementation science research portfolio, and ensuring studies are methodologically sound and aligned with CVAUSA's research, quality, and clinical care delivery objectives. This is a key leadership position for an experienced individual who can manage research from concept to dissemination, build operational and commercial infrastructure, manage external vendors, and drive the growth and financial performance of the service line.

Requirements

Master’s degree in a relevant field (health sciences, epidemiology, public health, life sciences, data science, business, or related) with demonstrated experience developing research programs.
10+ years of experience in real-world evidence, observational/epidemiologic research, health outcomes research, clinical research operations, or a closely related field.
Experience leading studies or programs end to end.
Demonstrated experience independently developing and operationalizing research studies, including protocol development and writing, study feasibility and resource assessment, IRB/regulatory submission, study start-up and activation, research conduct, and study closeout.
Strong working knowledge of real-world data sources (EHR, claims, registry, and clinical data).
Familiarity with the methodological and regulatory considerations that govern RWE.
Demonstrated program or project management skills, with a track record of delivering complex initiatives on time and on budget.
Experience managing external vendors, partners, or consultants, including contracting and budget oversight.
Strong commercial acumen and comfort supporting business development, proposals, and sponsor relationships.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate between scientific, operational, and commercial audiences.

Nice To Haves

Terminal degree PhD, PharmD, or equivalent strongly preferred.
Experience in cardiovascular medicine, cardiology, or a related therapeutic area.
Familiarity with AI/ML-enabled research platforms and their application to real-world data (cohort identification, phenotyping, natural language processing, and analytics).
Experience working with pharmaceutical, medical device, or diagnostics sponsors on RWE or observational studies.
Prior experience securing and managing multi-year contracts and grants.
Has managed a research program P&L of at least $10M.
Understanding of IRB processes, HIPAA, data governance, and Good Clinical Practice standards.
Experience in a physician practice, health system, or research network environment.

Responsibilities

Develop and refine the strategic vision, roadmap, and growth targets for the RWE and observational research service line.
Assess the market landscape to identify differentiated opportunities for CVAUSA's RWE capabilities.
Contribute to the business case, operating model, and resourcing plan for scaling the service line.
Lead the end-to-end execution of the service line strategy, managing a portfolio of RWE engagements, observational studies, and registries.
Establish scalable processes, standard operating procedures, and quality controls for responsible growth.
Lead the development and operationalization of RWE, implementation science, and investigator-initiated research studies.
Translate clinical and business questions into research concepts, study objectives, and methodologies.
Develop and write research protocols for various real-world evidence initiatives.
Lead study feasibility assessments, evaluating patient populations, data sources, practice capabilities, and resource needs.
Develop study-specific operational plans, including workflows, timelines, and data collection processes.
Lead research start-up activities from concept through study activation.
Prepare and oversee IRB and research compliance submissions.
Establish appropriate data access, privacy protections, governance, and security controls for research data.
Establish and maintain research documentation standards and infrastructure.
Oversee study conduct following activation, ensuring adherence to protocols and quality standards.
Coordinate scientific and analytic resources for study design, analysis, and interpretation.
Support the development of scientific outputs such as abstracts, manuscripts, and reports.
Structure and manage relationships with external vendors and partners, including contract negotiation and oversight.
Support business development activities, including opportunity identification and sponsor outreach.
Coordinate proposals, capabilities materials, and budgets for prospective sponsors.
Represent the service line in meetings with partners and translate scientific capabilities into commercial offerings.
Partner with leadership on pricing, contracting, and revenue tracking.
Serve as the day-to-day leader and manager for the RWE and observational research service line.
Coordinate and build a cross-functional team supporting RWE work.
Foster strong working relationships with clinicians, practices, and internal stakeholders.
Champion a culture of scientific integrity, operational excellence, and partner responsiveness.