Manager, Digital Health Research Operations

Arizona State University•Phoenix, AZ

2d•$78,000 - $85,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Manager, Digital Health Research Operations leads the development and day-to-day delivery of STPH faculty-initiated research infrastructure, a centralized faculty-facing resource that helps investigators move research studies and research programs from concept or award to operational readiness. The Manager serves as a high-touch operational partner for faculty, coordinating research compliance, project execution, laboratory and study startup, research technology and data workflows, staffing, purchasing and access to university resources. The role does not replace institutional offices responsible for regulatory approval, sponsored projects, HR, purchasing, contracting or technology; it integrates those services into a clear launch plan, manages dependencies and handoffs, and follows issues through resolution. The position requires independent judgment, technical research operations knowledge, strong project management skills and the ability to work across scientific, administrative and technology functions. The Manager works closely with the Associate Dean of Research, faculty, research staff, ASU Health operations and university research-support offices.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree and five (5) years of experience appropriate to the area of assignment/field including two (2) years managerial experience; OR, Any equivalent combination of experience and/or training from which comparable knowledge, skills and abilities have been achieved.
Master’s degree in public health, health informatics, clinical research management, biomedical or behavioral sciences, or a closely related field strongly preferred (in addition to a Bachelor's degree).
Five to seven years of progressively responsible experience in clinical or human subjects research operations, with a distinct, demonstrable emphasis on digital health research, decentralized clinical trials (DCTs), or mobile health (mHealth) study execution.
Advanced proficiency in designing and implementing research data architectures.
Demonstrated ability to integrate non-traditional data streams—such as remote patient monitoring, continuous wearable sensor data, and ecological momentary assessments (EMA)—into secure, regulatory-compliant electronic data capture (EDC) systems (e.g., advanced REDCap structuring, FDA Part 11 compliant EDCs).
Deep expertise in navigating complex regulatory landscapes specific to digital technology in human-subjects research. This includes navigating IRB protocols for digital interventions, evaluating digital privacy (HIPAA/GDPR compliance), and translating data security requirements for mobile applications and cloud storage.
Proven track record of independently managing complex, multi-modal research launches.
Demonstrated ability to serve as the operational bridge between scientific investigators, data engineers and software architects, and compliance offices to move projects from concept to execution without heavy oversight.
Strong background in developing standard operating procedures (SOPs), process maps, and training materials specifically tailored for digital health research environments and interdisciplinary teams.
Demonstrated experience supporting faculty investigators and independently coordinating complex, cross-functional research activities involving regulatory requirements, staffing, space, equipment, technology, data workflows, and institutional processes.
Working knowledge of IRB and other research compliance areas, such as IBC, IACUC, biosafety, COI/RCR, research security, export controls, HIPAA/privacy, or research data security.
Experience with research platforms such as REDCap, digital health technologies, interdisciplinary research, and development of SOPs, process maps, training materials, or other operational resources.
Strong project leadership, judgment, and ability to provide high-touch, consultative support within a complex, decentralized research environment.

Nice To Haves

Professional certification in clinical research (e.g., SOCRA CCRP, ACRP CCRC) or advanced project management (e.g., PMP, Agile/Scrum) is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

Develop and manage the faculty-initiated research operations as STPH’s primary operational entry point for faculty establishing or expanding research activities.
Conduct research startup/readiness assessments and develop individualized launch plans covering space, staffing, equipment, technology, data, compliance, training, procurement and other dependencies.
Serve as a consistent point of contact from planning through startup, coordinating university partners, tracking action items and resolving operational barriers rather than relying on referral-only support.
Coordinate onboarding and operational establishment of new faculty laboratories, research programs and study environments, including space readiness, equipment and supply needs, system access, staffing, shared facilities and specialized research resources.
Identify regulatory, ethical, safety and institutional requirements applicable to proposed research and incorporate them into project launch plans.
Coordinate readiness activities involving IRB, IBC, IACUC, COI/RCR, research security, export controls, laboratory safety, privacy, data security and required training, as applicable.
Assist faculty and research teams with preparation and organization of regulatory submission materials, protocol documentation and responses, while routing institutional determinations and approvals to the appropriate compliance authority.
Track pending approvals, training and other readiness requirements; translate institutional requirements into practical checklists, workflows and next steps for investigators and research staff.
Translate research protocols, funded scopes and investigator plans into executable work plans with milestones, deliverables, responsibilities, dependencies, risks and resource requirements.
Lead operational coordination for developing research projects, serving as the central project manager through the initial launch phase. For designated projects, transition from initial deployment to providing ongoing, steady-state coordination for clinical and digital research operations. Connect larger or more complex projects to centralized university project management resources as needed.
Coordinate startup meetings, project schedules, action and decision tracking, risk/issue management and cross-functional follow-through for interdisciplinary, community-based, clinical, translational or digital-health research.
Coordinate operational inputs for progress updates, sponsor deliverables and internal leadership reporting in collaboration with investigators and research administration staff.
Serve as an operational liaison between investigators and research technology, data management, digital tools, and other technical support functions.
Translate complex study requirements into practical data and technology workflows, explicitly mapping non-traditional data streams (e.g., ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data, continuous wearable sensor streams, and digital phenotypes).
Support implementation of REDCap or comparable research platforms and coordinate digital health technologies such as wearables, sensors, mobile applications, remote-monitoring tools and participant-facing systems.
Assess operational needs such as device provisioning, inventory, participant support, data transmission, integrations and lifecycle management; engage specialized resources for research computing, AI, analytics, geospatial technology or other advanced capabilities.
Work with investigators and institutional experts to ensure technology and data workflows address privacy, information security, accessibility, governance and research compliance requirements.
Develop standardized research intake tools, readiness assessments, checklists, SOPs, templates and a centralized resource repository for faculty and research staff.
Identify recurring operational barriers and service gaps, document lessons learned and use faculty feedback and basic service metrics to improve research workflows and resources.
Provide functional leadership, training and technical guidance to research coordinators, project staff or student researchers assigned to research activities; directly supervise assigned staff as the function grows.
Build effective working relationships across sponsored projects, research compliance, project management, research technology, data management, information security, EHS, core facilities, business operations, HR, facilities, procurement and other research-support functions.
Serve as an operational translator between investigators and administrative or technical teams and elevate recurring structural barriers or resource needs to the Associate Dean of Research with actionable recommendations.
Other duties as assigned.