Clinical research director vs clinical research associate

The differences between clinical research directors and clinical research associates 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 research associate. Additionally, a clinical research director has an average salary of $100,744, which is higher than the $62,966 average annual salary of a clinical research associate.

The top three skills for a clinical research director include patients, clinical trials and oversight. The most important skills for a clinical research associate are patients, informed consent, and CRA.

Clinical research director vs clinical research associate overview

	Clinical Research Director	Clinical Research Associate
Yearly salary	$100,744	$62,966
Hourly rate	$48.43	$30.27
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	98,335	94,336
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
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 research associate do?

A clinical research associate is responsible for assisting medical professionals in clinical trials and conducting research studies on medications and medical procedures. Clinical research associates monitor the research materials, ensuring its safety and reliability through trial procedures, writing comprehensive reports of results, and disseminating information across the concerned parties. They also provide recommendations on improving clinical processes, reiterating protocol requirements, and maintaining strict confidentiality of the trial subjects. A clinical research associate must have extensive knowledge of the medical industry, including its disciplines and principles, to perform duties accurately under minimal supervision.

Clinical research director vs clinical research associate salary

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

	Clinical Research Director	Clinical Research Associate
Average salary	$100,744	$62,966
Salary range	Between $66,000 And $153,000	Between $43,000 And $91,000
Highest paying City	Foster City, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Amgen	Meta
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Pharmaceutical

Differences between clinical research director and clinical research associate education

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

	Clinical Research Director	Clinical Research Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Nursing	Biology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Clinical research director vs clinical research associate demographics

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

	Clinical Research Director	Clinical Research Associate
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 41.3% Female, 58.7%	Male, 28.3% Female, 71.7%
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, 2.5% Unknown, 7.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.7% Asian, 13.0% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between clinical research director and clinical research associate 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 research associate example responsibilities.

Manage, schedule and train up to 15 CRAs.
Recruit patients, attain patient inform consent form, educate subjects on compliance, and ensure patient safety per ICH guidelines.
Manage site TMF to ensure communication requirements adherence
Manage CRO and regional monitor to complete close out activities, including device accountability management.
Manage regional academic and community base oncology practices as the primary contact for all communications and support.
Manage the monitoring CRO and the data clean-up efforts for a 510k submission and interim/annual study reports by effectively collaborating cross-functionally.

Clinical research director vs clinical research associate skills

Common clinical research director skills

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

Common clinical research associate skills

Patients, 9%
Informed Consent, 7%
CRA, 6%
Clinical Trials, 6%
Clinical Trial Management, 5%
Oncology, 4%

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Clinical Research Director
Clinical Research Director vs Clinical Research Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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