How to hire a senior clinical research coordinator

How to hire a senior clinical research coordinator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior clinical research coordinator hiring guide:

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

What does a senior clinical research coordinator do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a senior clinical research coordinator, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A senior clinical research coordinator's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior clinical research coordinators 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 senior clinical research coordinators.

   Type of Senior Clinical Research Coordinator	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Clinical Research Coordinator	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.	$19-41
   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... Show more	$26-56
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • IRB
   • Informed Consent
   • Data Collection
   • Coordinators
   • Patient Care
   • Research Projects
   • Research Data
   • FDA
   • GCP
   • Clinical Research Studies
   • Data Entry
   • Oncology
   • CRC

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Work closely with investigators in identifying and managing adverse events and report events according to FDA requirements.
   • Mentore and train employees on proper ICH and GCP clinical study procedures.
   • Leverage exceptional working knowledge of good clinical practice (GCP) and ICH regulatory instructions during the execution of clinical trials.
   • Co-Authore informed consents and consent patients while conducting information sessions with potential study subjects.
   • Authore study specific documents according to FDA regulations.
   • Conduct internal audits of oncology therapeutic trials for quality assurance purposes.

   More senior clinical research coordinator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the senior clinical research coordinator job description is a good way to get more applicants. A senior clinical research coordinator 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 senior clinical research coordinator in Kentucky may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level senior clinical research coordinator. Additionally, a senior clinical research coordinator with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average senior clinical research coordinator salary

   $60,458yearly

   $29.07 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior clinical research coordinator salary

   $41,000 yearly salary

   Updated February 1, 2026

   Average senior clinical research coordinator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$82,526	$40
   2	Washington	$79,990	$38
   3	District of Columbia	$74,133	$36
   4	Arizona	$73,592	$35
   5	New York	$70,078	$34
   6	Florida	$68,500	$33
   7	Maryland	$67,830	$33
   8	Oregon	$67,730	$33
   9	Illinois	$65,927	$32
   10	Minnesota	$64,592	$31
   11	Virginia	$62,332	$30
   12	Massachusetts	$61,769	$30
   13	Pennsylvania	$60,550	$29
   14	Michigan	$59,817	$29
   15	North Carolina	$58,367	$28
   16	Ohio	$56,074	$27
   17	Texas	$54,470	$26
   18	Utah	$53,455	$26
   19	Colorado	$52,076	$25
   20	Missouri	$51,686	$25

   Average senior clinical research coordinator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Artemis Health	$79,986	$38.45
   2	Mayo Clinic	$79,453	$38.20	231
   3	Commonwealth	$75,436	$36.27	4
   4	Stanford University	$73,919	$35.54	146
   5	Stanford Health Care	$71,404	$34.33	81
   6	Pharmaceutical Product Development	$68,515	$32.94
   7	University of California	$66,857	$32.14	247
   8	Fred Hutch	$66,726	$32.08	46
   9	Highmark	$66,383	$31.91	205
   10	Northwell Health	$65,811	$31.64	80
   11	UC Santa Barbara	$65,298	$31.39
   12	Biorasi	$63,976	$30.76
   13	UTMB HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS	$63,781	$30.66	125
   14	Beacon Hill Spokane	$63,778	$30.66
   15	Partners Healthcare Solutions Inc	$63,778	$30.66
   16	Univ. Of Texas Cancer Ctr.	$63,770	$30.66	78
   17	Henry Ford Health System	$62,065	$29.84	2
   18	Duke University Health System	$60,863	$29.26	73
   19	Seattle Cancer Care Alliance	$60,270	$28.98
   20	Rady Children's Hospital And Health Center	$60,243	$28.96	26

4. Writing a senior clinical research coordinator job description

   A senior clinical research coordinator 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a senior clinical research coordinator job description:

   Senior clinical research coordinator job description example

   Job DescriptionDuties:
   Job SummaryUnder general supervision, analyzes and interprets highly complex clinical research data; conducts clinical testing and develops protocols. Develops work flow policies and procedures. Mentors, trains and reviews the work of less experienced clinical research staff. Oversees the clinical assessments of the study subjects. Assists with protocol submissions, database enhancements, and budget preparation. Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 1. Analyzes highly complex data gathered on clinical research studies.2. Interprets complex clinical research data. Conducts clinical testing, develops protocols and assures all protocol procedures are approved.3. Prepares reports for presentation in conferences and seminars.4. Mentors, trains and reviews the work of less experienced clinical research staff.5. Develops work flow policies and procedures, prepares manuals and documents related to operations of the function.6. Oversees the clinical assessments of the study subjects including but not limited to screening, evaluation and testing of the subjects.7. Oversees data collection, processing, storage, inventory and quality control for clinical research studies.8. Assists in budget preparation and negotiation.9. May prepare and ensure grant applications, IRB / GCO documents are submitted.10. Coordinates protocols and human subject approvals between various sites.11. Assists the Principal Investigator and regulatory staff in the preparation of new protocol submissions, protocol amendments, and renewals of ongoing clinical trials.12. Independently obtains informed consent for all types of clinical studies and educates participants regarding study requirements13. Performs other related duties.
   
   Education:
   Required: Bachelor's degree in sciences or related field.Prefered: Clinical Research Coordinator Certification granted by the Association of Clinical Research Professionals.
   
   Languages:
   English( Speak, Read, Write )
   
   Skills:
   Previous Experience3 years of clinical research experience Strong Knowledge of Industry sponsored clinical research Excellent written and oral communication skills Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy Ability to manage multiple tasks ; priorities Knowledge of variety of concepts, practices and procedures in directly related field Able to hit the ground running with limited training Equiptment: - Centrafuse
   
   Minimum Degree Required: Bachelor's Degree
   
   City: New York
   
   Schedule:
   Start Date: 11/07/2022
   End Date: 02/04/2023
   Schedule Notes: 9-5
   Hours Per Week: 40.00
   Hours Per Day: 8.00
   Days Per Week: 5.00

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find senior clinical research coordinators for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any senior clinical research coordinators they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level senior clinical research coordinators with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with senior clinical research coordinator candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 senior clinical research coordinator

   Once you've selected the best senior clinical research coordinator candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   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.

   To prepare for the new senior clinical research coordinator first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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How much does it cost to hire a senior clinical research coordinator?