Operations Manager, Research

Join a growing leader in community oncology where cutting-edge research meets compassionate patient care. As our Operations Manager in the Research department, you will play a critical role in overseeing research operations, ensuring regulatory compliance, driving program growth, and supporting groundbreaking clinical trials that provide patients access to tomorrow's treatments today.

Highlands Oncology began in 1996 with three physicians and a desire to change the face of oncology care in our community. Dr. Malcolm Hayward, Dr. Dan Bradford, and Dr. Thad Beck knew that patients do better at home, in the community where they live and work, and where their support system is already in place. In furthering that goal, Highlands has grown with the region from a single location 26 years ago, to 6 locations in Northwest and Northcentral Arkansas today employing more than 800 diverse team members.

As Northwest Arkansas continues to grow, so must the services and providers available in the region. Highlands Oncology is committed to remaining on the cutting edge to ensure our community has access to the very best cancer care. What we have is something quite unique right here in our own backyard with a caring multidisciplinary team focused on treating patients like family.

Job Summary: The Research Operations Manager is responsible for providing strategic leadership and operational oversight of the key teams in the Clinical Trials Office: regulatory, business, and informatics. The manager ensures the efficient activation, implementation, and management of clinical research studies. This position serves as the primary organizer of study start-up processes, overseeing protocol feasibility, regulatory submissions and approvals, contract and budget execution, system configuration, workflow optimization, and cross-functional collaboration. The Research Operations Manager drives operations by standardizing processes, monitoring performance metrics, ensuring regulatory compliance, and facilitating timely study activation while supporting organizational growth, sponsor satisfaction, and high-quality clinical research activities. This role fosters workflows managed in accordance with organizational policies, Good Clinical Practice (GCP), FDA regulations, and sponsor requirements.

Job Duties / Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership and oversight of the regulatory, business, and informatics teams.
• Direct study start-up activities from feasibility through site activation.
• Maintain complete study life-cycle oversight, from start-up to close-out.
• Ensure timely completion of regulatory approvals, contracts, budgets, and system setup.
• Oversee study activation timelines and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency.
• Improve research department & management efficiency.
• Manage departmental staffing, workload distribution, and resource planning.
• Review investigator initiated and student trials.
• Act on and reduce audit findings and deviations.
• Improve internal quality metrics.
• Recruit, develop, and evaluate research operations personnel.
• Track and report key operational and study start-up metrics to leadership.
• Identify internal process improvement.
• Write and revise standard operating procedures and working practices.
• Review clinical staff documents and procedures.
• Attend inter-department meetings to identify synergy.
• Resolve operational barriers impacting study activation, regulatory compliance, or sponsor expectations.
• Develop and mentor staff while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Maintain and update study documentation in accordance with policies and regulations.
• Communicate effectively with investigators, site staff, and sponsors to provide support, guidance, and training as needed.
• Assist in the preparation and conduct of regulatory inspections, audits, and study meetings.
• Stay current with industry trends, regulations, and best practices to contribute to continuous improvement within the organization.
• Prepare and present operational reports, study start-up metrics, and make strategic recommendations to senior leadership.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Graduate from an accredited institution of higher education.
• Proficient with research regulations and industry standards.
• Proficient in computer skills including EMR and Microsoft Office.
• Strong knowledge of medical terminology.
• Maintain continuing education hours as required.
• Maintain all licenses, certifications, and qualifications current as required.

Certifications/Licenses/Education/or Experience in a related field:

• Bachelor’s Degree or higher with 5+ years research and oncology experience preferred.
• CCRP, CCRC, CCRA, or equivalent preferred.

Physical Requirements:

• Sitting for prolonged periods of time at a desk.
• Computer use that requires visual acuity, typing, use of mouse/keyboard, and staring at a screen for extended periods of time.
• Occasionally lifting objects of up to 25 pounds such as files, office supplies, assisting patients when needed, etc.
• Walking and standing for continuous periods around the office or clinic as needed.
• Fine motor skills for tasks like typing, writing, handling small objects or equipment and materials.
• Adequate mobility for daily interactions and traveling between company locations as needed.

Work Environment:

• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
• Due to the nature of our business and the use of radiation and hazardous chemicals, it is imperative that all employees foster a culture and environment of safety.
• Safety Sensitive: In accordance with the Arkansas code this position is designated as a safety sensitive position wherein the employee performing the job duties under the influence may constitute a threat to health or safety.

Highlands Oncology offers a full suite of benefits that includes those pictured below and MANY MORE...

• Certified a Great Place to Work!