Assistant Director, Nursing Clinical Research Units

UTHealth Houston is looking for an Assistant Director to work with your Clinical Research Units and working with other CRUs through our CTSA. This employee provides oversight and directs all clinical activities and training of the clinical research unit (CRU) clinical research personnel, including nurses, study coordinators, and lab techs. Partners with research faculty and study teams to provide the support needed for clinical research, emphasizing patient safety and research quality. Develops sound clinical processes, policies, and practices to ensure adequate study conduct. It will require someone who can offer a blend of nursing, supervising, and training. 

 

UTHealth Houston has a clinical trial team, and we utilize this staff to adhere to studies and clinical trial parameters. These studies can be either in-patient or out-patient. The Assistant Director will need to be able to help assess a study, do a proper intake, and create pricing for the procedures. Applicants should have a background in clinical trials and must have been educated as a registered nurse. This is a full-time position that will work out of a hospital in the Texas Medical Center that we partner with.

What we do here changes the world. UTHealth Houston is Texas’ resource for healthcare education, innovation, scientific discovery, and excellence in patient care. That’s where you come in.

Once you join us, you won't want to leave. It’s because we reward our team for the excellent service they provide. Our total rewards package includes the benefits you’d expect from a top healthcare organization (benefits, insurance, etc.), plus:  

• 100% paid medical premiums for our full-time employees  
• Generous time off (holidays, preventative leave day, both vacation and sick time – all of which equates to around 37-38 days per year) 
• The longer you stay, the more vacation you’ll accrue! 
• Longevity Pay (Monthly payments after two years of service) 
• Build your future with our awesome retirement/pension plan! 

We take care of our employees! As a world-renowned institution, our employees’ well-being is important to us. We offer work/life services such as... 

• Free financial and legal counseling 
• Free mental health counseling services 
• Gym membership discounts and access to wellness programs 
• Other employee discounts include entertainment, car rentals, cell phones, etc. 
• Resources for child and elder care 
• Plus, many more! 

Position Key Accountabilities:

• Directs the activities of the CRU nurse, study coordinators, and laboratory staff, including study and workload assignments, training, and evaluations.
• Oversees study intake, creation of individual study budgets for CRU, implementation, and ongoing study conduct within the CRU with full adherence to patient safety standards, protocol instructions, and clinical research rules and regulations.
• Partners with the Program Director for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS) to perform the CRU nursing responsibilities required by the CCTS federal grant.
• Develops a centralized mechanism for communication and cross-training among the clinical research coordinators and clinical research nurses with the CRUs of Memorial Hermann Healthcare System (MHHS), Harris Health (LBJ) Lower Rio Grand Valley (LRGV) of the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS) and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Clinical Research Unit (MDACC).
• Assists leader as needed with overall strategic planning and implementation, budgeting, marketing, and growth of the CRUs.
• Designs and maintains a mechanism for using the CRUs as training sites in clinical research for nurses, physicians, investigators, coordinators, and UT students.
• Serves as a consultant to CRU clinical research investigators and coordinators on implementation design, patient safety guidelines, and protocol management strategies for new studies.
• Manages Human Resources activities for direct reports in regard to recruiting and selection, hiring and termination, training, development, mentoring, counseling, performance evaluations, and salary planning. 
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Certification/Skills:

• Well-developed interpersonal and communication skills. 
• Registered Nurse in the State of Texas required. Must be a registered nurse in the State of Texas before employment.

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Nursing with related Business Certification required. Master's degree in Nursing with related Business Certification preferred.

Minimum Experience:

Six (6) years in management and research required.

Physical Requirements:

Exerts up to 50 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 20 pounds frequently and/or up to 10 pounds constantly to move objects.

Security Sensitive:

This job class may contain positions that are security sensitive and thereby subject to the provisions of Texas Education Code § 51.215

Residency Requirement:

Employees must permanently reside and work in the State of Texas.