Senior Clinical Trials Budget Analyst

About Vitalief
Vitalief is a consulting and professional services firm that helps clinical research sites, sponsors, and CROs improve trial activation, operational performance, and workforce readiness. Our approach combines clinical research expertise, operational excellence, and business acumen to help teams do more with less. We enable clients to streamline processes, save time, reduce costs, accelerate results, and ultimately enhance patient outcomes.

The Role
As part of our growth, we are seeking a hands-on, detail-oriented, client-facing professional with deep clinical trial budgeting expertise to join Vitalief’s Budgeting Outsourcing Services Team. This role is focused on directly supporting Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) and clinical research health systems with day-to-day budgeting, coverage analysis, and billing compliance activities.

Why Join Vitalief?

• Make an Impact: Support leading AMCs and health systems in improving clinical trial financial performance and compliance.
• Innovation-Driven: Help modernize clinical trial budgeting and billing processes using technology and best practices.
• People-First Culture: Collaborative, entrepreneurial environment focused on growth and excellence.
• Rewarding Compensation: Competitive salary with performance-based incentives.
• Flexible & Remote-Friendly: Primarily remote with occasional travel (up to 10%).

Responsibilities

• Develop, build, and finalize clinical trial budgets for industry-sponsored studies (oncology and non-oncology) in collaboration with AMC and health system stakeholders.
• Perform detailed Medicare Coverage Analyses (MCA) to accurately distinguish routine care vs. research-related costs in compliance with CMS guidelines.
• Configure and maintain study calendars, budgets, and billing grids within OnCore, ensuring alignment with protocol requirements and institutional billing practices.
• Support clinical trial start-up by ensuring accurate budget setup, billing designation, and downstream readiness for compliant invoicing and revenue capture.
• Lead or support budget negotiations with sponsors and CROs, advocating for fair market value and full cost recovery for AMCs and health systems.
• Partner closely with investigators, study coordinators, finance, and revenue cycle teams to validate assumptions and resolve budget or billing discrepancies.
• Conduct ongoing budget tracking, reconciliation, and variance analysis to ensure financial accuracy throughout the study lifecycle.
• Identify and address billing compliance risks, ensuring adherence to CMS, FDA, NIH, and institutional policies.
• Assist in audit readiness activities, including documentation review, compliance checks, and issue resolution.
• Standardize and improve budgeting and coverage analysis workflows, templates, and tools to enhance efficiency and consistency across client engagements.
• Serve as a subject matter expert for clinical trial budgeting, billing compliance, and OnCore functionality within AMC and health system environments.
• Provide hands-on support across multiple client engagements, managing competing priorities while maintaining high-quality deliverables.

Required Skills

• Bachelor’s degree is required (Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field is preferred).
• 3 to 5+ years of hands-on experience in clinical trial budgeting within Academic Medical Centers or health systems.
• Strong expertise in Medicare Coverage Analysis and clinical trial billing compliance.
• Required experience using OnCore for calendar build, budgeting, and billing grid configuration.
• Proven experience negotiating budgets with sponsors and CROs.
• Strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Effective communication skills with the ability to collaborate across clinical, financial, and administrative teams.
• Ability to manage multiple studies and deadlines in a fast-paced, client-facing environment.
• Willingness to travel domestically (up to 10%).

 
Preferred Skills

• Consulting experience is a plus.
• Experience with clinical trial financial lifecycle management, including invoicing and reconciliation.
• Knowledge of research billing workflows within AMCs and integrated health systems.
• Familiarity with clinical trial management systems (CTMS) and financial reporting tools.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working at a computer .  Standing, walking, visual perception, talking and hearing.  Lifting up to 20lbs.  Limited travel to various physical locations domestically.