Clinical Scientist / Neuropsychological Rater (Mandarin Bilingual) - Bay Area

Job Description

Job Description

Oakland Clinical is part of the Irvine Clinical Research site network, the largest of its kind on the West Coast. With 5 research centers in California, we are leaders in the search for new treatments in neurology, psychiatry, and obesity medicine. Our largest area of research is in Alzheimer’s Disease prevention and treatment drug trials, and our doctors were the largest contributors in the world to the most recently FDA-approved medication in Alzheimer’s Disease.

As our only site in the San Francisco Bay Area, Oakland Clinical is hiring a Bilingual Mandarin Clinical Scientist / Neuropsychological Rater to play a central role in expanding clinical trial access to our Mandarin-speaking community. In this role, you will identify, engage, and screen potential participants for outpatient Phase II/III clinical trials in Neurology and Psychiatry. While cognitive scale administration is an important component of this team, a primary operational focus for this opportunity is in prescreening, screening, and enrollment.

We are seeking an analytical, bilingual candidate to conduct focused prescreening interviews and evaluations in both Mandarin and English. In this role, you will efficiently identify clear protocol exclusions while actively advocating for nuanced or borderline candidates who satisfy protocol criteria. The ideal candidate constructs compelling, evidence-based cases for participant inclusion rather than relying solely on textbook presentations, while effectively communicating the value of trial participation to potential participants and their families.

Job Duties

• • Bilingual Clinical Prescreening & Screening: Conduct focused clinical interviews and medical history reviews in Mandarin and English to screen potential participants, efficiently identifying clear protocol exclusions while isolating viable candidates.

  • Participant & Family Engagement: Educate potential participants, study partners, and families in their preferred language (Mandarin or English) on trial requirements, protocol safety, and scientific impact, addressing cultural nuances and hesitation with clarity and professionalism to support site enrollment.

  • Empirical Case Building & Advocacy: Synthesize diagnostic data and clinical history to build objective, evidence-based cases for protocol eligibility, advocating for complex or nuanced candidates who qualify under protocol criteria.

  • Bilingual Scale Administration: Administer and score standardized neurological, psychological, and psychiatric rating scales in Mandarin and English (e.g., CDR, ADAS-Cog, MMSE, MoCA, MADRS), maintaining rigorous testing standards and scoring consistency across subjective assessments.

  • Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Present clinical evaluation findings and eligibility rationale clearly to Principal Investigators, Sub-Investigators, Clinical Research Coordinators, and sponsor monitoring teams.

  • Operational & Enrollment Support: Assist with site enrollment initiatives, community outreach within the local Mandarin-speaking population, protocol workflows, source documentation, and trial operations as needed.

Job Requirements

• Language Fluency: Native or full professional fluency in spoken and written Mandarin and English. Ability to conduct clinical interviews, obtain informed consent, and administer cognitive scales in both languages seamlessly.

• Education: PhD, PsyD, MA, MS, or MSW in psychology, neuroscience, clinical social work, or a related scientific/healthcare field.

• Clinical Assessment Experience: Prior experience conducting cognitive assessments and/or working clinically with older adults, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), or Alzheimer’s Disease.

• Analytical & Critical Reasoning: Strong analytical skills with the ability to synthesize complex medical histories, evaluate diagnostic data objectively, and build evidence-backed arguments for protocol eligibility.

• Prescreening Efficiency: Sound clinical judgment to efficiently identify protocol parameters and rule out obvious medical or cognitive exclusions.

• Communication & Cultural Competence: Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to articulate the value and scientific impact of clinical trials across diverse cultural backgrounds.

• Preferred Experience: Prior psychometrician or clinical rater experience in pharmaceutical clinical trials (specifically in Alzheimer’s Disease, MCI, or Major Depressive Disorder) is preferred and qualifies for higher starting compensation.

• Location & Work Environment: This is a full-time employment position based in-person at our clinic next to Alta Bates Summit in Oakland. Located on the 11th floor of a large, safe medical building, our facility features convenient transit access, a multi-story parking garage, and views of the bay.
  In the future, there may be an option to move to San Jose (South Bay).

• Schedule: Full-time, in-person schedule with no planned overnight or weekend hours.

• Salary Range: $80,000 – $90,000 per year.

• Starting Base: The starting salary for this position is $80,000 per year. Higher starting salary is negotiable for candidates with verified Psychometrician / Psychological Rater experience in pharmaceutical clinical trials of Alzheimer's Disease or Major Depressive Disorder.

• Benefits: The company pays for 100% of health, dental, and vision individual insurance costs for eligible full-time employees. Vacation (PTO) is earned at a rate of 3 weeks per year.