Associate Director, Patient Recruitment Partnerships

About Care Access

Care Access is working to make the future of health better for all. With hundreds of research locations, mobile clinics, and clinicians across the globe, we bring world-class research and health services directly to communities that often face barriers to care. We are dedicated to ensuring that every person has the opportunity to understand their health, access the care they need, and contribute to the medical breakthroughs of tomorrow.

Through programs like Future of Medicine, which makes advanced health screenings and research opportunities accessible to communities worldwide, and Difference Makers, which supports local leaders to expand their community health and wellbeing efforts, Care Access puts people at the heart of medical progress. By leveraging partnerships, technology, and perseverance, the organization is reimagining how clinical research and health services reach the world.

Role Overview: How This Position Makes a Difference

The Associate Director, Patient Recruitment Partnerships is a strategic leader driving Care Access's mission to expand access to clinical research. This role builds and optimizes a high-performing ecosystem of Recruitment Vendors and Patient Advocacy Organizations (PAOs), leading the full lifecycle of partner strategy—from identification and contracting through guidance and performance evaluation. The ideal candidate ensures partners deliver high-quality patient referrals that accelerate enrollment across a diverse portfolio of clinical trials.

Operating at the intersection of strategy, analytics, and community engagement, this position develops scalable frameworks, ensures regulatory and compliance alignment, and cultivates mission-driven partnerships. Through data-informed decision-making and cross-functional collaboration, you will strengthen Care Access's ability to connect patients to opportunity and drive meaningful progress in clinical research.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and Lead the Recruitment Partner Ecosystem: Identify, evaluate, and select Patient Recruitment Partners and PAOs based on therapeutic expertise, reach, compliance, and operational maturity. Lead RFP/RFI processes, negotiate Master Service Agreements (MSAs), Statements of Work (SOWs), budgets, and performance-based agreements in partnership with Patient Recruitment and Legal teams. Onboard mission-aligned partners to expand community reach and improve access for underserved populations.
• Develop Partner Strategy and Performance Frameworks: Collaborate with Campaign Managers to define recruitment partner strategies, establish performance metrics, and set enrollment targets. Create standardized scorecards and dashboards that track partner performance, data quality, and compliance metrics in real time.
• Ensure Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management: Work with Legal and Compliance to ensure all partnership agreements align with FDA, FTC, and industry regulations. Monitor partner activities to maintain ethical standards and regulatory adherence across all recruitment channels.
• Drive Data-Informed Decision Making: Leverage analytics and reporting to identify high-performing partners, optimize recruitment strategies, and allocate resources effectively. Present actionable insights to leadership and partner stakeholders to drive continuous improvement.
• Foster Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Clinical Operations, Campaign Management, and Community Engagement teams to align recruitment efforts with trial objectives and community needs. Build relationships with key internal and external stakeholders to support long-term partnership success.

What We're Looking For

• 5+ years of experience in clinical research, patient recruitment, partnerships, or healthcare operations
• Demonstrated success building, managing, and scaling vendor or partner ecosystems
• Strong negotiation, contract management, and stakeholder relationship skills
• Experience with performance metrics, analytics dashboards, and data-driven decision making
• Knowledge of clinical trial regulations, patient privacy (HIPAA), and healthcare compliance
• Excellent project management, organizational, and communication abilities
• Passion for improving healthcare access and serving underserved communities

💰 Compensation not publicly listed. Market estimate for similar roles: from $200K, varying by experience and location.