Director, Strategic Clinical Research & Industry

American Heart Association•Dallas, TX

7d•Remote

About The Position

The Director, Strategic Clinical Research & Industry leads the implementation and execution of industry-sponsored research, quality improvement, and evidence-generation initiatives. Serving as the primary operational lead for assigned industry collaborations, the Director translates strategic partnerships into programs that advance cardiovascular and brain health while supporting organizational growth. The role partners with industry organizations and internal stakeholders to identify unmet evidence needs and develop fundable programs, and oversees initiatives from launch through completion. This is a full-time, benefits-eligible, grant-funded position. Current funding is expected to expire July 1, 2029, with the possibility of extension.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in public health, health sciences, healthcare administration, clinical research, nursing, life sciences, business, or a related field.
At least 8 years of progressively responsible experience in clinical research, healthcare program management, life sciences, healthcare consulting, quality improvement, or related fields.
Experience leading complex, multi-stakeholder projects or programs.
Experience working directly with pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, digital health, or healthcare industry organizations.
Experience managing project budgets, timelines, deliverables, and client relationships.
Ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence stakeholders without direct supervisory authority.
Strong verbal, written, presentation, and relationship management skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities while delivering high-quality results in a fast-paced environment.
Demonstrated experience collaborating with pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or medical device organizations on the design and execution of randomized controlled trials, pragmatic trials, and real-world evidence studies.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams, and SharePoint.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree (MPH, MHA, MBA, MS, PharmD, PhD, or related field).
Experience in cardiovascular, stroke, neuroscience, or population health research.
Experience managing observational studies, registries, pragmatic clinical trials, implementation science, quality improvement initiatives, or real-world evidence programs.
Knowledge of healthcare quality measurement, outcomes research, healthcare data, and evidence generation.
Experience supporting scientific publications, abstracts, manuscripts, and conference presentations.
Project Management Professional (PMP), SOCRA, CCRP, or equivalent certification.
Experience working with healthcare systems, academic institutions, physician leaders, and subject matter experts.
Experience with project management platforms, customer relationship management systems, database applications, analytics tools, and virtual collaboration technologies.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with industry partners and internal stakeholders to identify evidence needs and develop research and quality improvement programs.
Lead implementation and execution of industry-sponsored clinical research, quality improvement, registry-based, and evidence-generation initiatives.
Develop and manage project plans, timelines, deliverables, milestones, budgets, risk mitigation strategies, and communication plans.
Coordinate cross-functional teams across research, analytics, registry operations, quality improvement, publication services, technology, legal, and finance.
Facilitate project and client meetings, steering committees, advisory boards, and stakeholder workgroups.
Monitor project performance, budget utilization, timelines, and contractual commitments; proactively identify and resolve challenges.
Work with scientific, clinical, and operational leaders to align projects with study protocols, sponsor objectives, and organizational priorities.
Support publication and dissemination strategies, including abstracts, manuscripts, presentations, and scientific communications.
Identify opportunities to improve client satisfaction, expand strategic relationships, and support repeat and future business.
Develop operational best practices, standardized processes, and project management tools to improve efficiency and scalability.
Prepare executive summaries, project reports, dashboards, and stakeholder updates communicating progress, outcomes, and impact.
Ensure compliance with applicable research, privacy, regulatory, contractual, and organizational requirements.