How To Become A Clinical Research Director: What It Is and Career Path

What is a clinical research director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Clinical research directors, also known as clinical research coordinators, typically plan and coordinate medical research projects and clinical trials. They make sure that all collaborating scientists know their roles, that funds are allocated appropriately, and that all experiments comply with regulatory standards. For clinical trials, they may be involved in patient recruitment and drug dispensation.

If you currently have a bachelor's degree in science or a related field, such as engineering, the BLS indicates you may want to consider obtaining a Master of Business Administration. In general, you'll be able to focus on a specific area of interest. These programs tend to consist of two or more years of study, and in some cases, you may be able to find an accelerated schedule.

The individuals who gravitate towards this field end up laying claim to annual earnings at $48,945. However, this figure can vary significantly depending upon your experience, skills, and academic qualification.

ScoreClinical Research DirectorUS Average

Salary

7.6

Avg. Salary $100,744

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.6

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.52%

Asian 9.24%

Black or African American 2.61%

Hispanic or Latino 15.68%

Unknown 7.65%

White 64.30%

Gender

female 58.68%

male 41.32%

Age - 43.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43.5

Stress level

5.6

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.5

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.3

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a clinical research director

Explore clinical research director education requirements

Most common clinical research director degrees

Bachelor's

54.8 %

Master's

16.7 %

Doctorate

14.6 %

Start to develop specific clinical research director skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	21.01%
Clinical Trials	12.36%
Oversight	6.82%
FDA	6.08%
GCP	6.06%

Complete relevant clinical research director training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New clinical research directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a clinical research director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real clinical research director resumes.

Research clinical research director duties and responsibilities

Coordinate and manage appropriate training for research staff (GCP, ICH, CLIA, protocol training, etc .).
Manage all regulatory documentation and correspondence require by sponsor and IRB.
Manage all planning and execution of oncology clinical trials, domestic and international, including decision impact and companion diagnostic trials.
Interpret and apply ICH/ GCP guidelines and deliver staff training via NIH, CITI, FDA and sponsor provide materials.

Get clinical research director experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a clinical research director. The most common roles before becoming a clinical research director include clinical research coordinator, staff nurse team lead and clinical research associate.

Prepare your clinical research director resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your clinical research director resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a clinical research director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable clinical research director resume templates

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