Associate Director, SPARC IBD (National HQ)

Join a dynamic and passionate Research team focused on accelerating the path to cures in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and to improve the lives of adults and children with these conditions.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Associate Director, SPARC IBD is a growing role at the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation (Foundation) that will be responsible for expanding and strengthening SPARC IBD (Study of a Prospective Adult Research Cohort with Inflammatory Bowel Disease) and reports into the Associate Vice President, Clinical Quality and Research Innovation. SPARC IBD is a prospective longitudinal cohort study with standardized collection of clinical data, biosamples, and PROs enabling a unique resource aimed to drive discovery of clinical and molecular markers that will address the needs of precision medicine in IBD. 

Key leadership efforts include:

• Serve as the cohort’s central lead and successfully oversee, organize, and manage all aspects of the research network and ancillary studies, ensuring operational organization and efficiency throughout all activities.
• Develop and implement cohort strategies that aim to: (1) grow the size of SPARC IBD (currently 17 sites); (2) increase and diversify patient enrollment; (3) improve research data quality and completeness; and (4) promote and enhance the research productivity of SPARC IBD. These activities will require careful planning and assessment of potential risks that might arise threatening the strategic plans.
• In collaboration with leadership and established research workgroups, identify research best practices and drive the adoption of these practices within the participating SPARC sites.

These activities are done in close collaboration with the Associate Vice President, Clinical Quality and Research Innovation, the Chief Scientific Officer of the Foundation, Principal Investigators of SPARC IBD, and key academic investigators engaged in the cohort. Additionally, the SPARC IBD cohort will leverage IBD Plexus, the Foundation’s data management platform housing clinical data and biosamples from patient and research cohorts. These activities will require close collaboration with the Vice President of IBD Plexus, members of the IBD Plexus team, the Foundation’s IT and Business Development teams.

LOCATION:

The Foundation is a national organization with headquarters in New York City and chapters across the country. The ideal candidate can be within commuting distance of the Foundation’s headquarters in NYC or remote 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Serve as the primary support contact for participating site teams including site PIs and research coordinators.
• Interact regularly with the SPARC IBD leadership team to manage operational activities, monitor adherence to the cohort’s growth and diversification initiatives, determine resource needs, and track progress targets such as patient recruitment goals, data accuracy and completeness, and longitudinal follow-up. Ensure efficiency and promote productivity in overseeing these activities.
• This cohort will require ongoing refinements to the data capture system including e-case report forms, data extraction methods, and potentially creation of new ancillary studies. This will require quick learning of the Foundation’s research platform, IBD Plexus. These activities will require collaboration with the Principal Investigators and the Foundation research team. Strong communications, facilitation, planning and project management skills are critical.
• For sites already involved in the cohort, the day-to-day supervision of the study teams will be handled by SPARC’s research coordinator. The AD will supervise this research coordinator and provide guidance and assist with issues that arise. Additionally, SPARC IBD will continue to expand to new research sites, which will involve regulatory start-up activities, onboarding, and training. These activities will be handled by the research coordinator with supervision from the AD.
• Provide oversight of internal staff responsible for site contracting, regulatory maintenance, and site invoicing
• Create and update SPARC IBD performance status reports to disseminate information to key stakeholders; and monitor progress towards cohort-wide objectives and goals.
• Collaborate with the Foundation’s research team to plan, develop and implement SPARC IBD ancillary projects or industry-sponsored studies.
• Organize and manage cohort activities including monthly investigator calls, SPARC IBD executive and advisory meetings, and webinars and trainings for study coordinators.
• Engage in Foundation-related research efforts that focus on how to better support synergies across research cohorts such as shared infrastructure, standardization of data/sample collection, enhancements to patient engagement and furthering research collaborations.
• Work closely with the Business Development and Plexus team on activities and projects that involve partnering with industry, particularly the pharmaceutical industry.
• Respond to information requests on the SPARC IBD study from funders and Foundation staff from departments outside of Research and prepare lay summaries for periodic progress reports.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education and Work Experience

• A master’s level degree in health-related or other science related field and experience working in or with academic medical centers with demonstrated leadership skills
• 4+ years of managing or directing multicenter research studies or clinical trials that involve clinical data, patient reported outcomes and / or biosample collection
• Deep understanding of clinical research methods, data structure and data quality
• Experience developing recruitment plans, performance / progress assessments, and supporting the execution of strategic or operational initiatives is highly desirable 
• Experience managing research budgets including multi-year financial planning and expense forecasting
• Working knowledge of patient recruitment, retention, and compliance strategies. Experience with increasing diversity of patient enrollment is highly desirable
• Certificate of training for Human Subjects Research; Clinical Research certification(s) preferred
• Experience identifying and troubleshooting protocol compliance issues
• Understanding of EMR systems (EPIC, Cerner) and EDC systems (Medidata, REDCap)
• Experience working with Contract Research Organizations, central IRBs a plus

Professional Competencies and Skills

• Outstanding research manager and proactive trouble shooter
• Excellent presentation (oral and written), facilitation, communication, and mediation skills
• Excellent relationship management skills, which include: ability to collaborate and motivate, build trust in stakeholders, influence decision-making, and lead complex stakeholder interactions
• Comfortable working with a range of stakeholders, including clinical researchers and industry partners; and adept at generating and communicating insights
• Capacity to handle multiple activities simultaneously and to effectively prioritize tasks and delegate responsibilities
• Ability to think strategically and maintain an entrepreneurial spirit
• Ability to operate independently and effectively lead cross functional teams in a fast-paced, complex, and dynamic environment
• Resilient in recovering from setbacks and skilled at maneuvering around obstacles
• Adept at learning quickly, applying insights from past efforts / experiences to new situations
• Numeracy and careful attention to detail; Superb organizational and project management skills