Clinical research director vs clinical coordinator

The differences between clinical research directors and clinical coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a clinical research director and a clinical coordinator. Additionally, a clinical research director has an average salary of $100,744, which is higher than the $57,665 average annual salary of a clinical coordinator.

The top three skills for a clinical research director include patients, clinical trials and oversight. The most important skills for a clinical coordinator are patients, customer service, and CPR.

Clinical research director vs clinical coordinator overview

	Clinical Research Director	Clinical Coordinator
Yearly salary	$100,744	$57,665
Hourly rate	$48.43	$27.72
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	98,335	74,962
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

What does a clinical research director do?

Clinical research directors are responsible for providing leadership in a clinical research setting. These directors oversee the development and evaluation of drugs and the program designs to prevent and treat contagious diseases as a part of their main responsibility. They gather information on progress reports and create new strategies to present them to higher management. This job requires them to have strong communication and leadership skills to thrive in their role and confidence in themselves to perform their duties without worry.

What does a clinical coordinator do?

A clinical coordinator is responsible for monitoring a healthcare facility's daily operations, ensuring the best quality services for the patients. Clinical coordinators perform administrative and clerical tasks as needed, such as organizing patient files, communicating with other departments and healthcare organizations for validating patients' information and insurance documents, prepare medical reports, assist medical professionals in medical procedures, and observe sanitary and hygienic standards. A clinical coordinator must have excellent time-management skills to perform duties under minimal supervision.

Clinical research director vs clinical coordinator salary

Clinical research directors and clinical coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clinical Research Director	Clinical Coordinator
Average salary	$100,744	$57,665
Salary range	Between $66,000 And $153,000	Between $43,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	Foster City, CA	Dover, DE
Highest paying state	California	Delaware
Best paying company	Amgen	Children's Hospital Colorado
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Health Care

Differences between clinical research director and clinical coordinator education

There are a few differences between a clinical research director and a clinical coordinator in terms of educational background:

	Clinical Research Director	Clinical Coordinator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Clinical research director vs clinical coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between clinical research directors' and clinical coordinators' demographics:

	Clinical Research Director	Clinical Coordinator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 41.3% Female, 58.7%	Male, 19.2% Female, 80.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.6% Unknown, 7.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 9.2% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 2.6% Unknown, 7.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 8.3% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between clinical research director and clinical coordinator duties and responsibilities

Clinical research director example 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.
Select potential patients for participation in clinical trials.
Provide oversight for the oncology clinical research program.

Clinical coordinator example responsibilities.

Manage chronic illnesses such as hypertension, coronary disease and diabetes.
Create and manage case report forms and transmit data through EDC to sponsor.
Manage patient telemetries systems to include EKG's, vitals, INR management and sleep monitoring systems.
Manage the CRA team and serve as main point of contact for study logistics and relate questions including subject eligibility questions.
Manage common side effects of chemotherapy and experimental therapies.
Manage the clinical reimbursement coordinators traveling schedule to ensure that facilities have adequate MDS coverage.

Clinical research director vs clinical coordinator skills

Common clinical research director skills

Patients, 21%
Clinical Trials, 12%
Oversight, 7%
FDA, 6%
GCP, 6%
Clinical Development, 6%

Common clinical coordinator skills

Patients, 29%
Customer Service, 6%
CPR, 5%
Rehabilitation, 3%
Vital Signs, 3%
Social Work, 3%

Clinical Research Director vs. similar jobs

Clinical Research Director related careers

Clinical Research Director related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Executive Management Industry
Clinical Research Director
Clinical Research Director vs Clinical Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs