How to hire a clinical study manager

How to hire a clinical study manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step clinical study manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a clinical study manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new clinical study manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a clinical study manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The clinical study manager hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

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   A clinical study manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, clinical study managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of clinical study managers.

   Type of Clinical Study Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Clinical Study Manager	Natural sciences managers supervise the work of scientists, including chemists, physicists, and biologists. They direct activities related to research and development, and coordinate activities such as testing, quality control, and production.	$23-58
   Research Nurse	A research nurse specializes in conducting studies and scientific research for healthcare and medical development. They may work for medical facilities, private clinics, learning institutions, and government agencies... Show more	$18-35
   Research Project Coordinator	Research Project Coordinators take on a lead role in maintaining and creating processes that support the execution of a research project. Their duties include researching governance requirements, preparing for contract bidding, manage budgeting of a project to meet a specified timeline, and present findings of a project to all stakeholders involved... Show more	$17-31

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • GCP
   • Informed Consent
   • Oversight
   • Clinical Operations
   • ICH
   • Data Management
   • Patients
   • Data Collection
   • FDA
   • Study Management
   • CRO
   • Clinical Trial Management
   • Study Start-Up
   • TMF

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead CRA training for Latin American, Asian and European to review GCP and protocol training.
   • Manage projects relate to commercialization and post market analysis for abdominal aortic aneurysm repair grafts as guided by FDA regulations.
   • Participate in CRF (EDC) design and CCG preparation.
   • Assist patients who suffer from depression, bipolar mood disorders, mental retardation, schizophrenia, post-traumatic disorder.
   • Contact patients regarding study information.
   • Develop study documents and facilitate IRB approvals.

   More clinical study manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the clinical study manager job description is a good way to get more applicants. A clinical study manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a clinical study manager in Indiana may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level clinical study manager. Additionally, a clinical study manager with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average clinical study manager salary

   $78,195yearly

   $37.59 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level clinical study manager salary

   $49,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 31, 2026

   Average clinical study manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$114,521	$55
   2	Washington	$105,075	$51
   3	District of Columbia	$94,088	$45
   4	Massachusetts	$91,031	$44
   5	Nevada	$89,190	$43
   6	New York	$87,599	$42
   7	Minnesota	$86,731	$42
   8	Maryland	$85,773	$41
   9	Illinois	$84,390	$41
   10	Virginia	$79,220	$38
   11	New Jersey	$78,753	$38
   12	Rhode Island	$78,628	$38
   13	Georgia	$76,815	$37
   14	Pennsylvania	$74,755	$36
   15	Connecticut	$74,112	$36
   16	North Carolina	$74,041	$36
   17	North Dakota	$71,120	$34
   18	Ohio	$69,188	$33
   19	Arizona	$69,082	$33
   20	Utah	$67,333	$32

   Average clinical study manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Neuralink IT Solutions	$120,316	$57.84	1
   2	Regeneron	$119,441	$57.42	31
   3	Merck	$110,749	$53.24	62
   4	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$103,033	$49.54	12
   5	Smith & Nephew	$93,187	$44.80	5
   6	Highmark	$90,652	$43.58	173
   7	Quest Diagnostics	$89,733	$43.14	27
   8	MicroPort	$87,235	$41.94
   9	P&G	$86,430	$41.55
   10	Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings	$85,988	$41.34	143
   11	Alnylam Pharmaceuticals	$85,964	$41.33
   12	Namsa	$85,792	$41.25	20
   13	GENEWIZ	$82,527	$39.68
   14	National Medical Association	$81,645	$39.25
   15	New York Blood Center	$81,253	$39.06
   16	Randstad North America, Inc.	$81,047	$38.96
   17	Inspire Medical Systems	$79,978	$38.45
   18	Integrated Resources	$79,407	$38.18	132
   19	Astellas Pharma	$79,253	$38.10	4
   20	Alcon	$79,244	$38.10

4. Writing a clinical study manager job description

   A clinical study manager job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a clinical study manager job description:

   Clinical study manager job description example

   We are looking for a Clinical Study Manager to provide assistance in the design, planning, and potential monitoring of clinical trials to ensure that studies are carried out according to the protocol, SOPs, applicable regulations, and principles of Good Clinical Practice.
   Responsibilities:
   Participates on clinical project teams and may represent clinical operations on multi-function projects teams internally/externally Assists in the preparation or review (if CRO engaged) of designated applicable documents required for the conduct of the study (Project Plan, Risk Management, Monitoring Plan, TMF), etc. Skilled at presenting information in a clear, concise manner to all levels within the department and contributing on a consistent basis to team initiatives in a thorough and timely manner.
   
   Requirements:
   Practical experience in clinical trial methods and processes; strong knowledge of clinical trial design. Knowledge of local and global regulatory pharmaceutical requirements and experience in providing timely and quality support of regulatory submissions. MUST have global experience, CNS Psychiatry a must; pediatric experience helpful. Needs experience managing CRO and site performance independently. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, see, talk or hear in a standard office environment and independently from remote locations. Employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Ability to travel by car or airplane independently up to 25% of the time and work after hours if required by travel schedule or business issues.
   Pay range is $90 - $140 /hr depending on experience
   
   Benefits : Click here to learn more about benefits available to Eastridge s temporary employees. From time to time Eastridge s clients may offer additional benefits to Eastridge employees while on assignment. Information about those benefits will be communicated when applicable.
   
   Eastridge Workforce Solutions is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Please note that Eastridge is unable to provide visa sponsorship to applicants.
   
   We value diverse experiences, including prior contact with the criminal legal system, and applicants with criminal histories are encouraged to apply. Certain clients require Eastridge to perform background checks and Eastridge will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with any applicable federal, state, or local law regarding criminal backgrounds, including but not limited to the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Philadelphia Fair Criminal Record Screening Standards Ordinance (a copy of the notice of rights under the Philadelphia Ordinance is available by clicking on this link).

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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find clinical study managers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your clinical study manager job on Zippia to find and recruit clinical study manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit clinical study managers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new clinical study manager

   Once you've found the clinical study manager candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new clinical study manager. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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