Research Site Operations and Optimization Lead

Cardiovascular Associates of America

18h • Remote

About The Position

Cardiovascular disease is the single largest contributor to premature death and disability in the world. At CVAUSA, we are dedicated to delivering the highest quality cardiovascular care and advancing scientific discovery through clinical research, including randomized trials and observational and health outcomes research. As we continue to build our clinical programs and national network of cardiovascular clinical trials, we seek strong team members who are passionate about improving cardiovascular care quality through quality management and the development of novel therapies that reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease. About Cardiovascular Research Solutions Cardiovascular Associates of America (CVAUSA) is the nation’s largest network of community-based cardiology practices. Through Cardiovascular Research Solutions, LLC, CVAUSA supports and accelerates cardiovascular clinical research across its national footprint—partnering with practices, sponsors, and CROs to bring innovative therapies to patients while advancing evidence-based cardiovascular care. As our research network continues to grow, we are investing in experienced operational leaders who can help practices—both less experienced and highly experienced in research—build, scale, and optimize high-performing clinical research programs. Position Summary The Research Site Operations and Optimization Lead is a senior, field-facing research operations leader responsible for supporting CVAUSA practices across the full lifecycle of cardiovascular clinical research operations. This role focuses on site startup, operational excellence, enrollment optimization, staffing and workflow design, and continuous process improvement across a large, multisite research network. This individual will work closely with practice leadership, research staff, sponsors, CROs, and CVAUSA’s central research team to ensure that sites are operationally prepared, efficiently run, and positioned for long-term success in late-stage cardiovascular clinical trials. The ideal candidate brings deep experience managing multisite clinical research operations, preferably within cardiology, and thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. This is a hands-on leadership role requiring strong project management skills, teaching ability, operational rigor, and a passion for clinical research.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree.
• 7+ years of experience in clinical research operations, with demonstrated experience managing multisite, late-stage clinical trials.
• Strong familiarity with industry-sponsored Phase II–IV trials.
• Strong working knowledge of site startup, staffing models, study execution, and regulatory standards.
• Experience supporting or overseeing research operations across multiple clinical sites.
• Proven project management skills with the ability to manage complex initiatives in parallel.
• Experience mentoring or leading research staff across multiple locations.
• Willingness and ability to travel 25–50% nationally.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in business administration or another relevant graduate degree.
• Formal training in Lean Six Sigma, Kaizen, and/or other process improvement approaches.
• Experience in cardiovascular clinical research strongly preferred.
• Prior experience working with community-based, private practice, or private-equity-funded research networks.

Responsibilities

• Site Startup & Program Development
• Lead and support research site startup activities for both less experienced and mature research practices.
• Assess site readiness and infrastructure, identifying gaps in staffing, workflows, systems, and compliance.
• Support practices in developing scalable research operations, including SOPs, staffing models, and training plans.
• Guide sites through activation for late-phase clinical trials, including coordination with sponsors and CROs.
• Research Operations Optimization
• Evaluate and optimize end-to-end research workflows, from feasibility and startup through enrollment, execution, and closeout.
• Identify barriers to enrollment and operational efficiency and implement data-driven solutions.
• Support practices in improving subject identification, recruitment strategies, and retention.
• Promote best practices across the network and standardize processes where appropriate.
• Multisite Study & Project Management
• Project manage large, late-stage cardiovascular clinical studies across multiple CVAUSA practices.
• Serve as an operational liaison between sites, sponsors, CROs, and CVAUSA’s central research team.
• Track operational milestones, enrollment performance, and site-level KPIs.
• Support rapid issue identification and resolution to keep studies on track.
• Staffing, Training & Mentorship
• Advise practices on research staffing models, hiring needs, and role optimization.
• Support onboarding and training of research coordinators and site research leaders.
• Serve as a teacher and mentor, elevating operational knowledge and research maturity across the network.
• Foster a culture of quality, compliance, and continuous improvement.
• Network-Wide Leadership & Collaboration
• Partner closely with CVAUSA’s central research leadership, business development, and operations teams.
• Contribute to the creation of network-level operational standards.
• Support sponsor and CRO interactions as a subject-matter expert in site operations.

Benefits

• This role offers a unique opportunity to shape and scale one of the nation’s largest cardiovascular research networks. You’ll work directly with practices on the front lines of patient care while partnering with a central team committed to operational excellence, innovation, and growth.
• At CVAUSA, your work will directly impact how research is conducted, how efficiently trials are executed, and how quickly new cardiovascular therapies reach patients. This isn’t just clinical research operations—this is building an innovative, best-in-class cardiovascular research network that enables faster and more effective translation of life-saving treatments from benchtop to bedside.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees