RESEARCH PROGRAM LEADER, SR

Position Location: Kannapolis, NC

School of Medicine Established in 1930, Duke University School of Medicine is the youngest of the nation's top medical schools. Ranked sixth among medical schools in the nation, the School takes pride in being an inclusive community of outstanding learners, investigators, clinicians, and staff where interdisciplinary collaboration is embraced and great ideas accelerate translation of fundamental scientific discoveries to improve human health locally and around the globe. Composed of more than 2,600 faculty physicians and researchers, nearly 2,000 students, and more than 6,200 staff, the Duke University School of Medicine along with the Duke University School of Nursing, and Duke University Health System comprise Duke Health, a world-class academic medical center. The Health System encompasses Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital, Duke Health Integrated Practice, Duke Primary Care, Duke Home Care and Hospice, Duke Health and Wellness, and multiple affiliations.

Be You.

About the Center for Precision Health

The Duke Center for Precision Health (CPH), part of the Duke Clinical & Translational Science Institute (CTSI), works to harness the power of genomic, biomarker, and health data to transform patient care and population health. CPH serves as a collaborative hub that brings together clinical, translational, and basic science investigators across Duke to accelerate discovery and implementation of precision health approaches. 

The Center advances research and innovation across population genomics, translational omics, implementation science, community engagement, and precision health education. Through major initiatives such as OneDukeGen, Duke Kannapolis, and population-based biorepository resources, CPH supports research that translates scientific discoveries into improved patient outcomes and more personalized approaches to care. 

CPH is committed to advancing scientific discovery, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, engaging communities, addressing health disparities, and developing the next generation of precision health scientists and leaders. 

Occupational Summary

CPH is seeking a Senior Research Program Leader to provide strategic, operational, and scientific leadership for the Center for Precision Health research portfolio. This position oversees a diverse portfolio of complex clinical and translational research programs spanning genomics, precision medicine, biobanking, implementation science, and population health.

The role is responsible for portfolio strategy, research operations, pre-award and post-award program development, quality management, regulatory oversight, personnel leadership, and stakeholder engagement across multiple research initiatives. The role partners closely with faculty investigators, institutional leaders, external collaborators, industry sponsors, and community stakeholders to develop and execute high-impact research programs that advance the mission of the Center for Precision Health. 

The position provides operational oversight for research activities conducted at the Duke Kannapolis research site and across multiple Duke locations, and serves as a key ambassador for CPH research capabilities and partnerships. 

Be Bold.

Key Responsibilities

Research Portfolio Leadership

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for a large and diverse precision health research portfolio.
• Develop and implement operational strategies that support scientific, financial, and organizational goals.
• Lead planning, execution, monitoring, and reporting for complex research programs and initiatives.
• Direct portfolio risk management, resource allocation, quality management, and performance monitoring.
• Establish and maintain project management frameworks, operational standards, and governance structures.
• Represent research programs on behalf of principal investigators and Center leadership as needed. 

Research Program Development

• Lead development of funding proposals, grant applications, industry-sponsored research opportunities, and strategic partnerships.
• Collaborate with investigators to design and operationalize new research initiatives.
• Contribute to scientific protocol development, study design, research strategy, and manuscript preparation.
• Identify opportunities to expand CPH research capabilities and develop innovative research programs.
• Support development of sustainable funding strategies and long-term portfolio growth. 

Operations and Regulatory Oversight

• Ensure compliance with Duke, federal, sponsor, and regulatory requirements.
• Serve as a subject matter expert for research operations, quality assurance, monitoring, auditing, and regulatory processes.
• Oversee development and implementation of standard operating procedures across the research portfolio.
• Provide leadership for participant recruitment, retention, informed consent, study conduct, specimen management, and study documentation.
• Direct implementation of corrective and preventive actions resulting from audits, monitoring activities, or quality reviews. 

Data Strategy and Research Informatics

• Lead implementation of data quality, governance, security, and provenance standards across research programs.
• Oversee research data workflows, electronic data capture systems, reporting processes, and technology adoption.
• Promote FAIR data principles, open science practices, and common data standards.
• Collaborate with bioinformatics, biostatistics, information technology, and data science teams to optimize research infrastructure.
• Develop executive-level reports, dashboards, and visualizations that support decision-making and program evaluation. 

Site and Program Management

• Oversee research operations across multiple locations, including the Duke Kannapolis research site.
• Direct management of research resources, project budgets, staffing plans, and operational performance.
• Ensure successful startup, conduct, monitoring, and closeout of research studies.
• Support feasibility assessments and operational planning for new projects and partnerships.
• Coordinate activities across multiple study teams and collaborating organizations. 

Leadership and Personnel Management

• Directly and/or indirectly supervise Research Program Leaders and other research professionals.
• Recruit, mentor, develop, and retain high-performing staff.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Lead professional development initiatives and workforce planning efforts.
• Influence organizational change and drive implementation of operational improvements.

Stakeholder and Partnership Development

• Build and maintain productive relationships with faculty, institutional leaders, sponsors, community partners, and external collaborators.
• Serve as a champion for CPH resources, services, and capabilities throughout Duke and externally.
• Participate in institutional committees, working groups, strategic initiatives, and professional organizations.
• Support development of industry partnerships, sponsored research opportunities, and cross-institutional collaborations. 

Research Environment

The Center for Precision Health portfolio includes a broad range of research activities, including:

• Large-scale longitudinal precision health programs, including OneDukeGen.
• Population genomics and precision medicine research.
• Community-engaged research initiatives.
• Biorepository and biospecimen research programs.
• Multi-omic discovery and translational research.
• Implementation science and clinical translation studies.
• Collaborative projects involving faculty investigators across Duke and external partners.

Minimum Qualifications

Education

Bachelor’s degree.

Experience

Work requires a minimum of eight years of research experience (e.g., research, clinical, interaction with study population, program coordination). A Master's degree may substitute for two years of related experience.

Position is based at the Duke Kannapolis research site in Kannapolis, NC.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (PhD, DrPH, MBA, MPH, or related field).
• Experience in genomics, precision medicine, biobanking, implementation science, or population health research.
• Experience leading large-scale multidisciplinary scientific programs.
• Experience with industry-sponsored research, strategic partnerships, and business development.
• Experience managing geographically distributed teams and research operations across multiple sites.
• Record of scientific contributions through grants, publications, presentations, or major research initiatives. 

• Experience leading complex clinical research, translational research, or research administration programs.
• Demonstrated success managing large, multi-stakeholder research portfolios.
• Experience supervising professional staff and managing multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience with grant development, research operations, regulatory compliance, program management, and budget oversight.
• Experience working with academic medical centers, research institutes, or healthcare organizations.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong leadership, organizational, and strategic planning skills.
• Expertise in clinical research operations and regulatory compliance.
• Experience with research quality systems, process improvement, and operational excellence.
• Knowledge of data management, research informatics, and research technology platforms.
• Ability to effectively communicate with faculty, executives, sponsors, and community stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to build consensus, influence organizational change, and lead through complexity.
• Strong problem-solving, analytical, and decision-making capabilities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic and rapidly evolving research environment.

Choose Duke.

Join our award-winning team as identified by Forbes magazine as America’s Best Large Employer 2024 and be part of an inclusive culture that values excellence, innovation, and discovery. As an organization, we have exciting opportunities to be forward-thinking leaders in our field. We want talented individuals to join us, examine our current operations, and create innovative solutions that will revolutionize and enhance the way we approach our work.

Duke University is consistently ranked among the top universities worldwide and is renowned for its cutting-edge research across disciplines.

Beyond the engaging work, you'll also benefit from Duke's competitive benefits package including health insurance plans, generous paid time off, retirement programs with employer contributions, tuition assistance for employees and their children, and more.