Clinical Research Engagement Lead (CREL) - Central Region (Kansas City, MO)

Clinical Research Engagement Lead (CREL) – Roche As a Clinical Research Engagement Lead (CREL) at Roche, you will act as the strategic partner and primary face of Roche Clinical Operations within your market. This position focuses on executing clinical trials with speed, efficiency, and quality, bridging the gap between strategy and execution throughout the entire trial lifecycle. Responsibilities Strategic Planning & Alignment: Develop and execute country‑level site engagement strategies aligned with internal priorities, making strategic investment decisions regarding Principal Investigators and clinical sites to support the broader portfolio, including site budget negotiation, grant payment tracking, and forecasting site‑level resource needs. Early Feasibility & Study Set‑Up: Conduct early, strategic landscaping and site engagement during protocol concept and study set‑up phases to identify optimal sites, evaluate country feasibility, and accelerate recruitment. Drive study start‑up metrics, optimize cycle times, and use enrollment forecasting tools to ensure site milestones are met on schedule. Relationship Management & Site Support: Build deep, multi‑stakeholder relationships at strategic sites (investigators, pharmacists, administration) and act as the site champion and primary point of contact to maintain consistency and address site needs. Demonstrate exceptional oral and written communication skills. Issue Escalation & Performance Oversight: Serve as the local escalation point for study challenges, monitor investigator performance, support motivational site visits to boost recruitment, and manage sensitive communications during premature site closures, navigating complex situations under unclear circumstances. Cross‑Functional Collaboration & Reporting: Partner seamlessly with internal teams (Medical Affairs, Study Start‑Up) and CROs to ensure unified site communication while maintaining meticulous documentation of site visits and interactions in central systems (e.g., Veeva). Portfolio Oversight & Compliance: Manage assigned local/global clinical studies by overseeing CRO performance, mitigating timeline or operational risks, ensuring eTMF completeness, and maintaining continuous inspection readiness. Digital Clinical Trial: Promote adoption of digital solutions (eConsent, eSource, Remote Data Entry, etc.) with sites, actively pursue and review digital tools, and address challenges by providing solutions. Qualifications Degree (MD, PhD, MA/MS, BA/BS) in life sciences or equivalent. Minimum 5+ years of relevant clinical research or clinical operations experience in pharmaceutical, biotech, or related industry; sponsor experience preferred. Experience in end‑to‑end product development and expert understanding of ICH/GCP. Solid understanding of end‑to‑end clinical trial processes, including monitoring, and strong knowledge of clinical trial regulations and guidelines. Proven track record in managing site relationships and overseeing complex clinical trials. Exceptional interpersonal, cross‑functional, negotiation, and influencing skills with a history of building high‑trust, sustainable relationships with internal stakeholders, CROs, and site personnel. Ability and willingness to travel domestically between 30-50% depending on business or site needs. Preferred Qualifications Postgraduate degree or master’s degree (valued but not required). Prior experience working directly with local trial sites and a strong existing network within the regional healthcare ecosystem. Extensive experience in early and late phase oncology. Extensive experience across multiple therapeutic areas in non‑oncology. This is a regional role; applicants should reside within 30 miles of a major airport and within 50 miles of the primary location. Relocation benefits are not available for this posting. Salary range: $103,300 – $191,900, based on the primary location of Kansas City, MO. Pay will be determined by experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job‑related factors permitted by law. A discretionary annual bonus may be available based on individual and company performance. The position also qualifies for Roche benefits per company policy. EEO Statement Genentech, a member of the Roche group, is an equal opportunity employer. We employ, promote, and otherwise treat all employees and applicants on the basis of merit, qualifications, and competence. The company’s policy prohibits unlawful discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of protected veteran status, disability status, and all applicable federal, state, or local laws. If you have a disability and need an accommodation in the online application process, please contact us by completing the Accommodations for Applicants form. #J-18808-Ljbffr F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG