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What does a Clinical Trial Manager do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
What does a Clinical Trial Manager do

A clinical trial manager is primarily responsible for organizing and supervising clinical trials, ensuring to meet all goals while maintaining smooth operations. They are also responsible for collaborating with managers to set targets, hiring staff and participants for studies, and arranging the event. This planning includes its location and schedule. A clinical trial manager must also maintain documentation of all processes, liaise with scientists and key personnel, acquire necessary legal paperwork and certifications, and gather data accurately. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to implement the company's policies and regulations at all times.

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Clinical trial manager responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real clinical trial manager resumes:

  • Manage SAEs and assure they are properly record and report.
  • Manage CRO vendors and ensure timely execution of study milestones.
  • Manage assign independent consultants and employee CRAs regarding project-relate issues.
  • Lead study data management activities for oncology trials in preparation for study close-out.
  • Ensure study adherence to all regulatory matters and sponsor requirements according to FDA regulations, GCP and ICH guidelines.
  • Create document templates require by FDA and ICH regulations for site distribution.
  • Collaborate with trial sites to ensure all trial activities are perform within FDA and GCP guidelines.
  • Perform regular reviews of data according to data review/monitoring guidelines (CTMS, EDC, IVRS, ISIS).
  • Ensure that assign studies are conducted following the protocol, ICH, GCP, and all applicable global regulatory requirements.
  • Review operational aspects of clinical protocols and provides clinical oversight for trial implementation activities.
  • Maintain team focus on NDA submission time lines.
  • Lead the creation and execution of clinical documentation TMF training.
  • Provide internal QC via review of methods sections of reports.
  • Prepare and conduct all SIVs, including protocol and EDC trainings.
  • Ensure data quality and adherence to government regulations and ICH guidelines.

Clinical trial manager skills and personality traits

We calculated that 8% of Clinical Trial Managers are proficient in Patients, Clinical Trial Management, and Clinical Operations. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Interpersonal skills, and Leadership skills.

We break down the percentage of Clinical Trial Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Patients, 8%

    Conducted medication reconciliation, established goals of therapy and communicated effectively with several patients suffering from chronic pain and substance abuse.

  • Clinical Trial Management, 7%

    Provided instruction to internal and external (vendor) team members regarding the fundamentals of clinical trial management and regulatory requirements.

  • Clinical Operations, 6%

    Asked to transfer to Clinical Monitoring Manager position to assist in development of Clinical Operations

  • Clinical Research, 6%

    Fostered positive and productive professional relationships between our 22 sites, numerous principal and sub-investigators, and clinical research coordinators.

  • Oversight, 6%

    Managed compliance oversight for regulatory issues per protocol requirements, applicable regulatory requirements.

  • Project Management, 5%

    Managed clinical study set-up and follow- up study activities through ongoing progress to appropriate clinical management and project management forums.

Common skills that a clinical trial manager uses to do their job include "patients," "clinical trial management," and "clinical operations." You can find details on the most important clinical trial manager responsibilities below.

Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a clinical trial manager to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "natural sciences managers must be able to communicate clearly with a variety of audiences, such as scientists, policymakers, and the public." Clinical trial managers often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "lead and direct the study team and manage study communication between medical science and clinical operations. "

Interpersonal skills. Another essential skill to perform clinical trial manager duties is interpersonal skills. Clinical trial managers responsibilities require that "natural sciences managers lead research teams and therefore need to work well with others in order to reach common goals." Clinical trial managers also use interpersonal skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "required excellent problem solving abilities, along with excellent interpersonal, negotiating, international and organizational skills. "

Leadership skills. clinical trial managers are also known for leadership skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to clinical trial manager responsibilities, because "natural sciences managers must be able to organize, direct, and motivate others." A clinical trial manager resume example shows how leadership skills is used in the workplace: "provided leadership oversight on federal regulation requirements, ethical accountability, and trial logistics. "

Problem-solving skills. For certain clinical trial manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "problem-solving skills." The day-to-day duties of a clinical trial manager rely on this skill, as "natural sciences managers use scientific observation and analysis to find answers to complex technical questions." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what clinical trial managers do: "orchestrate crf collection, query resolution and regulatory accountability for trial sites. "

Time-management skills. A commonly-found skill in clinical trial manager job descriptions, "time-management skills" is essential to what clinical trial managers do. Clinical trial manager responsibilities rely on this skill because "natural sciences managers must be able to perform multiple administrative, supervisory, and technical tasks while ensuring that projects remain on schedule." You can also see how clinical trial manager duties rely on time-management skills in this resume example: "project management - managing several projects concurrently while balancing competing priorities and deadlines. "

Most common clinical trial manager skills

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Compare different clinical trial managers

Clinical trial manager vs. Study director

Technically, a study director carries out scientific responsibilities for protocol design or study plan and approval. Study directors supervise the gathering, analysis, interpretation, documentation, and reporting of data results. They handle the matriculation of students with regard to data management system development. Working with the computer systems team is part of their duties so they will be able to establish a data management system in tracking the study participants. They also support the toxicology team or group on different project teams.

The annual salary of study directors is $11,578 lower than the average salary of clinical trial managers.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both clinical trial manager and study director positions are skilled in project management, cro, and informed consent.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between clinical trial managers and study director. For instance, clinical trial manager responsibilities require skills such as "patients," "clinical trial management," "clinical operations," and "clinical research." Whereas a study director is skilled in "toxicology," "study design," "data analysis," and "data interpretation." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Study directors tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $87,246. In contrast, clinical trial managers make the biggest average salary, $97,986, in the pharmaceutical industry.The education levels that study directors earn slightly differ from clinical trial managers. In particular, study directors are 0.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a clinical trial manager. Additionally, they're 3.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Clinical trial manager vs. 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. The Research Project Coordinator will also support administrative tasks, including producing corporate reports, organizing committee meetings, and developing a research database to track active milestones achieved.

On average, research project coordinators earn a $44,961 lower salary than clinical trial managers a year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both clinical trial managers and research project coordinators have skills such as "patients," "clinical trial management," and "project management. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, clinical trial manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "clinical operations," "clinical research," "oversight," and "ich." Meanwhile, a research project coordinator has duties that require skills in areas such as "public health," "data analysis," "research study," and "powerpoint." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Research project coordinators earn a lower average salary than clinical trial managers. But research project coordinators earn the highest pay in the professional industry, with an average salary of $50,025. Additionally, clinical trial managers earn the highest salaries in the pharmaceutical with average pay of $97,986 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Research project coordinators tend to reach similar levels of education than clinical trial managers. In fact, they're 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Clinical trial manager vs. Senior program coordinator

A senior program coordinator is primarily in charge of spearheading and managing programs, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Their responsibilities revolve around participating in setting goals and objectives, securing funding and sponsors, overseeing the workforce, and even establishing guidelines. They may also facilitate communication within the company and liaise with external parties. Furthermore, as a senior program coordinator, it is essential to lead and encourage the teams to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.

An average senior program coordinator eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of clinical trial managers. The difference in salaries amounts to senior program coordinators earning a $19,176 lower average salary than clinical trial managers.By looking over several clinical trial managers and senior program coordinators resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "project management," "informed consent," and "data entry." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, clinical trial managers are more likely to have skills like "patients," "clinical trial management," "clinical operations," and "clinical research." But a senior program coordinator is more likely to have skills like "alumni," "excellent organizational," "powerpoint," and "sr."

When it comes to education, senior program coordinators tend to earn similar degree levels compared to clinical trial managers. In fact, they're 3.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 5.9% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Clinical trial manager vs. Coordinator and research assistant

Coordinator and research assistants typically earn lower pay than clinical trial managers. On average, coordinator and research assistants earn a $51,840 lower salary per year.According to resumes from clinical trial managers and coordinator and research assistants, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "patients," "gcp," and "informed consent. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "clinical trial management," "clinical operations," "clinical research," and "oversight" are skills that commonly show up on clinical trial manager resumes. On the other hand, coordinator and research assistants use skills like powerpoint, research projects, emr, and surgical procedures on their resumes.coordinator and research assistants enjoy the best pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $46,971. For comparison, clinical trial managers earn the highest salary in the pharmaceutical industry.coordinator and research assistants reach lower levels of education compared to clinical trial managers, in general. The difference is that they're 5.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 3.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of clinical trial manager

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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