Site Director - Clinical Research

At Headlands Research, we are dedicated to enhancing clinical trial delivery within our communities. As a leading network of advanced clinical trial sites, we leverage cutting-edge technology and exceptional support services to broaden outreach and participation. Founded in 2018, our rapidly growing company currently operates 20+ sites across the US and Canada, with plans for further expansion.

📍 Location: Escondido, CA | 🏥 Site Name: AMCR | 🕒 Full-Time | 🧪 Clinical Research

Are you an experienced clinical research professional with a passion for advancing medicine? Join a leading, integrated clinical research network dedicated to high-quality data, patient-centered care, and innovation in clinical trials.

We’re seeking a Site Director to help us continue to grow our clinical research site located in Escondido, California. Reporting to the Director of Regional Operations (RDO), the Site Director (SD) oversees daily operations at the site to ensure participant safety, sponsor satisfaction, and high-quality data. This role drives financial targets, enrollment goals, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), while ensuring strict adherence to Good Clinical Practice (GCP), International Council of Harmonization (ICH), applicable regulatory requirements and Company and site level policies and procedures. This role requires strong leadership and communication skills to guide and mentor staff, provide strategic direction, manage resources, and foster a collaborative environment to achieve research objectives.

Type: Regular Full-time Employee Schedule: Mondays through Fridays, 8:00am - 5:00pm Location: Onsite in Escondido, CA (no capabilities for remote or hybrid work) Benefits: Our benefits package for full-time employees includes health insurance (medical, dental, and vision), Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), Paid Time Off (PTO), a variety of disability, accident, and life insurance options, as well as many more.

💼 What We Offer

Competitive pay + annual performance incentives

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) plan with company match

Paid time off (PTO) and company holidays

A mission-driven culture focused on advancing medicine and improving patient outcomes

🚀 Why Join Us?

You’ll be part of a growing, mission-driven organization that values its people. At our core, we’re committed to bringing innovative medical treatments to patients faster—while creating an environment where employees thrive. If you’re passionate about clinical research and ready to make a difference, we’d love to hear from you.

Operational Leadership & Study Management:

Manage site facilities, workflows, and Clinical Trial Management Systems (CTMS) to ensure premium experience for study participants, staff, and sponsors

Monitor clinical study progress, review monitor reports, and create risk management/mitigation strategies during the full lifecycle of a study

Ensure that all studies are conducted in compliance with all applicable regulations, GCP, ICH, policies, and procedures. This work is supported by the RDO, Therapeutic Area Leadership (TA Leadership) and Quality team, which provides SOPs, training, best practices, quality reviews, issue resolution and expertise to ensure high-quality trial execution and that the site remains audit-ready for customer or regulatory inspections

Responsible for the lifecycle of all site regulatory documentation, from initial start-up through ongoing maintenance

Provide operational support for protocol-related questions and ensure all staff are trained on study-specific requirements, in coordination with the principal investigator

Oversee external site partners/vendors, including onboarding, training, and performance monitoring

Ensure proper storage and handling of study specimens and investigational products

Partner with Headlands’ Shared Services teams, including TA Leadership, Quality, Central Regulatory, Finance, Human Resources, Budgets and Contracts, Participant Recruitment, and Business Development, to drive site performance and operational execution

Partner with the RDO to align and execute on strategies to support organic growth at the site

Proactively communicate real estate, capacity, equipment, vendor, staffing, or training needs to the RDO/AD to ensure the site has the resources necessary to conduct ongoing and upcoming clinical trials

Duties as assigned

People & Team Management:

Manage the full employee lifecycle for all site personnel, including interviewing, hiring, onboarding, performance reviews, and disciplinary actions in partnership with the Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP)

Provide coaching, mentoring, and development plans for all direct reports and ensure that all site staff have coaching, mentoring and development plans to maintain high morale, retention, and an engaged workforce

Collaborate with the Medical Director office, RDO/AD, and HRBP, as applicable on investigator hiring, onboarding, training, development, performance management, and investigator development plans

Proactively assess staffing needs and manage coverage to ensure study participant safety and data integrity

Foster a collaborative and productive work environment that encourages continuous improvement

Lead regular team meetings to discuss status of current projects, plan for future projects, provide updates on new company initiatives, seek feedback regarding team barriers

Manage local team to meet/exceed quality and performance metrics, report key performance indicators to leadership team

Serve as a Culture Champion to support our mission and values

Financial Management:

Own site-level financial performance by taking action to achieve revenue, expense, profitability, budget, and forecast targets

Partner with Finance and the RDO/AD to create, manage, and update accurate site budgets and monthly forecasts

Participant Recruitment & Business Development:

Responsible for driving recruitment strategies to meet or exceed monthly participant screening, randomization, and retention targets

Develop and execute study-specific recruitment plans prior to study start, including hold lists, screening and enrollment monitoring, and plan adjustments as needed to meet enrollment goals, with the support of the Participant Recruitment team

Develop and support strategies to develop the site’s participant database through local community engagement strategies, physician-practice outreach, participation in community events, and pre-screening events

Serve as the primary point of contact between the site team and sponsors and Contract Research Organizations (CROs)

Participate in study feasibility processes, providing accurate site-specific data to secure future trials

Maintain current site information, including investigator Curriculum Vitae (CVs), site capabilities, equipment, vendor relationships, and operational constraints, to support accurate feasibility assessments and sponsor/CRO discussions

Communicate changes in investigator staffing, site capabilities, operational capacity, or strategic priorities that may impact current or future study opportunities

Drive the growth and development of the site by identifying areas for improvement and innovation while staying informed of industry advancements

REQUIREMENTS:

Education :

Bachelor's degree in a scientific, health-related, or business administration field or equivalent experience

Advanced degree desirable

Experience & Skills:

1–3 years of direct People Management experience (Preferred)

3+ years as a Primary Clinical Research Coordinator (Preferred)

Demonstrate ability to motivate teams and lead planning/organization efforts

Strong critical thinking and proactive problem-solving abilities

Proficiency in Clinical Trial Management Systems and standard office software

Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills

Growth mindset and a commitment to continuous improvement

Strong conflict resolution and mediation skills; ability to manage and resolve disputes effectively

Strong ethical standards and professionalism

Supervision :

Responsible for the direct supervision of various levels of clinical research staff

Headlands Behavioral Characteristics:

Solution-Oriented

Adaptable

Curious

Insightful

Collaborative

Proactive

Communicative

California Pay Range $100,000 — $120,000 USD

Headlands Research will never ask a candidate for personal identifiable information (date of birth, social security number, driver’s license information, etc) via email or messenger tools, or for a financial deposit of any kind.

Headlands Research is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Need Assistance?

Headlands Research is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact recruiting@headlandsresearch.com for further assistance. Please note this is for individuals to request an accommodation as part of the application process and any other correspondence will not receive a response.