What does a senior clinical research coordinator do?
A senior clinical research coordinator's main job is to conduct and administer clinical trials. From these clinical trials, they collect important data. They need to possess great verbal and written communication skills. They should be able to explain complex clinical research to almost any audience. They oversee the smooth functioning of the clinical trials and manage research budgets.
Senior clinical research coordinator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior clinical research coordinator resumes:
- 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.
- Collect data require for study registration and randomize patients for clinical trials.
- Complete and maintain trial regulatory documentation including correspondence with sponsor, IRB and subjects.
- Conduct clinical study visits by following strict protocol regulations, IRB mandates, and clinical monitoring requirements.
- Collaborate with principal investigators and internal and external customers for effective execution of clinical trials in an oncology clinic setting.
- Recruit investigators perform pre-study visits, negotiate budgets, initiate and monitor studies and verify data for accuracy and completeness.
- Review patient history, diagnostics, EKG's and physical examination & perform neurological examinations.
- Develop efficient, well-document, readily comprehensible and modifiable SAS code using SAS/Base and SAS/Macro facility.
Senior clinical research coordinator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of Senior Clinical Research Coordinators are proficient in Patients, IRB, and Informed Consent. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Interpersonal skills, and Leadership skills.
We break down the percentage of Senior Clinical Research Coordinators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 11%
Managed three NIH funded studies including development and design of educational interventions for patients and caregivers.
- IRB, 8%
Managed electronic database and responsible for protocol updating to IRB.
- Informed Consent, 7%
Coordinated a study of bipolar children including preparing recruitment materials, screening potential study subjects, and obtaining informed consent.
- Data Collection, 6%
Coordinated study visits including scheduling, administering medical screening, and data collection materials preparation for the study subjects and clinicians.
- Coordinators, 5%
Provide mentoring support to other Bereavement Coordinators within Kindred at Home.
- Patient Care, 5%
Coordinate with pharmaceutical companies, vendors, and patient care facilities to ensure maximum protocol compliance.
"patients," "irb," and "informed consent" are among the most common skills that senior clinical research coordinators use at work. You can find even more senior clinical research coordinator responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a senior clinical research coordinator 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." Senior clinical research coordinators often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "organized data review by fda and study sponsors, facilitating communication between groups. "
Interpersonal skills. Another essential skill to perform senior clinical research coordinator duties is interpersonal skills. Senior clinical research coordinators responsibilities require that "natural sciences managers lead research teams and therefore need to work well with others in order to reach common goals." Senior clinical research coordinators also use interpersonal skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "demonstrated excellent interpersonal skills as liaison between site personnel and clients. "
Leadership skills. This is an important skill for senior clinical research coordinators to perform their duties. For an example of how senior clinical research coordinator responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "natural sciences managers must be able to organize, direct, and motivate others." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a senior clinical research coordinator: "provide leadership growth opportunities with focus on human subject projections and regulatory compliance in clinical research. ".
Problem-solving skills. senior clinical research coordinator responsibilities often require "problem-solving skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "natural sciences managers use scientific observation and analysis to find answers to complex technical questions." This resume example shows what senior clinical research coordinators do with problem-solving skills on a typical day: "maintain appropriate source documents, complete and assist with accurate data entry and query resolution. "
Time-management skills. Another crucial skill for a senior clinical research coordinator to carry out their responsibilities is "time-management skills." A big part of what senior clinical research coordinators relies on this skill, since "natural sciences managers must be able to perform multiple administrative, supervisory, and technical tasks while ensuring that projects remain on schedule." How this skill relates to senior clinical research coordinator duties can be seen in an example from a senior clinical research coordinator resume snippet: "ensured all the irb submissions is done on time from study start up to close out. "
The three companies that hire the most senior clinical research coordinators are:
- Massachusetts General Hospital9 senior clinical research coordinators jobs
- Mount Sinai Health System6 senior clinical research coordinators jobs
- Stanford University5 senior clinical research coordinators jobs
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Senior clinical research coordinator 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.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a senior clinical research coordinator are more likely to require skills like "patients," "coordinators," "patient care," and "research data." On the other hand, a job as a study director requires skills like "toxicology," "study design," "project management," and "data interpretation." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Study directors earn the highest salaries when working in the health care industry, with an average yearly salary of $87,246. On the other hand, senior clinical research coordinators are paid more in the non profits industry with an average salary of $77,833.On average, study directors reach similar levels of education than senior clinical research coordinators. Study directors are 2.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 5.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Senior clinical research coordinator vs. Coordinator and research assistant
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. It is their duty to design research strategies and procedures, gather and analyze samples through various scientific methods, coordinate with other experts, and develop treatment and healthcare plans to optimize patient services and outcomes. Moreover, a research nurse typically works with a team of researchers, which requires an active communication line while adhering to the organization's policies and regulations.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real senior clinical research coordinator resumes. While senior clinical research coordinator responsibilities can utilize skills like "coordinators," "oncology," "crc," and "federal regulations," coordinator and research assistants use skills like "powerpoint," "emr," "surgical procedures," and "clinical trials."
Coordinator and research assistants may earn a lower salary than senior clinical research coordinators, but coordinator and research assistants earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $46,971. On the other hand, senior clinical research coordinators receive higher pay in the non profits industry, where they earn an average salary of $77,833.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Coordinator and research assistants tend to reach similar levels of education than senior clinical research coordinators. In fact, they're 1.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 5.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior clinical research coordinator vs. Research nurse
A clinical project manager specializes in developing and organizing clinical trials. Their responsibilities revolve around planning and coordinating with all necessary personnel and experts, scheduling meetings, and preparing necessary documentation, ensuring compliance with all laws and regulations. Moreover, a clinical project manager must devise strategies and train all staff, develop protocols and guidelines, coordinate with vendors and suppliers, evaluate staff and verify documentation, and assist in all activities to ensure that every process aligns with the project's agenda. Should there be any issues or concerns, a clinical project manager must conduct corrective measures right away.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, senior clinical research coordinators are more likely to have skills like "coordinators," "patient care," "crc," and "federal regulations." But a research nurse is more likely to have skills like "clinical care," "human subjects," "data management," and "direct patient care."
Research nurses earn the highest salary when working in the pharmaceutical industry, where they receive an average salary of $61,182. Comparatively, senior clinical research coordinators have the highest earning potential in the non profits industry, with an average salary of $77,833.When it comes to education, research nurses tend to earn lower degree levels compared to senior clinical research coordinators. In fact, they're 6.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 4.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Senior clinical research coordinator vs. Clinical project manager
Types of senior clinical research coordinator
Updated January 8, 2025











