Senior Patient Recruitment and Engagement Lead - Site Recruitment Optimization

Work Schedule

Standard (Mon-Fri)

Environmental Conditions

Office

Job Description

PPD, the clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific, is transforming patient recruitment through Patient First - a dedicated organization focused on enhancing the patient experience from the first click to the final study visit. Through human-centered, digitally enabled solutions, Patient First optimizes patient recruitment and engagement, site operations, and quality data collection.

We are seeking a Senior Patient Recruitment & Engagement Lead (PREL) to provide strategic leadership for global patient recruitment and retention across clinical trials. This role serves as the functional recruitment lead, partnering with cross-functional study teams, clients, and external vendors to design, execute, and optimize global recruitment strategies that drive enrollment success while ensuring compliance, quality, and exceptional patient experience.

Key Responsibilities

Global Recruitment Strategy & Leadership

• Lead global patient recruitment and retention strategy throughout the clinical trial lifecycle.

• Develop and own comprehensive recruitment and retention plans aligned with enrollment goals.

• Identify recruitment risks, develop mitigation strategies, and proactively adjust plans based on study performance.

• Serve as the primary subject matter expert for patient recruitment and engagement in client-facing interactions.

• Support proposals, bid defenses, and strategic planning activities related to recruitment.

Study Execution & Operational Management

• Partner closely with Project Leads (PLs), Clinical Leads (CLs), CRAs, study teams, and operational stakeholders throughout study startup and enrollment.

• Oversee study activities related to recruitment, including timelines, strategy, approvals, data/reporting updates, and training for internal and customer teams.

• Maintain oversight of site-specific commitments to recruitment, strategies, and overall study recruitment progress over enrollment period duration.

• Review study recruitment data such as pre-screening, screening, screen failure and recruitment rates to make informed data driven decisions about recruitment strategy direction.  

• Coordinate implementation of recruitment tactics and materials across global regions while ensuring country-specific requirements are met.

• Develop and implement recruitment initiatives per country that span beyond support mechanisms such as materials and recruitment campaigns, focusing on site engagement strategy and insight collection for recruitment activities per country.

Recruitment Campaigns & Materials

• Lead the development, review, approval, translation, production, and distribution of patient-facing recruitment materials.

• Oversee Central Recruitment campaigns and ensure effective implementation across participating sites.

• Take ownership of quality of deliverables and timelines with customer teams.

Data Analysis & Performance Management

• Monitor enrollment metrics and recruitment performance.

• Analyze recruitment data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for optimization across outreach campaigns and study operations.

• Develop dashboards, reports, and executive-level presentations for clients and internal stakeholders.

• Track recruitment and diversity metrics throughout study execution.

Vendor & Financial Oversight

• Manage relationships with third-party recruitment vendors and service providers.

• Monitor vendor performance and ensure quality deliverables.

• Partner with Finance to oversee recruitment budgets, invoices, out-of-scope activities, and contract modifications.

• Take ownership of financial forecasting for assigned projects, ensuring timely forecast and recognition of deliverables.

Diversity & Patient Engagement

• Collaborate with Population Science and internal stakeholders to incorporate diversity objectives into recruitment strategies.

• Ensure diversity plans are implemented and monitored throughout enrollment.

• Promote patient-centric recruitment approaches that improve engagement and retention.

Compliance & Quality

• Ensure recruitment activities comply with applicable regulations, SOPs, study protocols, and patient privacy requirements.

• Maintain operational excellence through adherence to study tools, systems, documentation, and quality standards.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent and relevant formal academic / vocational qualification.

• Previous experience in patient recruitment within clinical trials, to include study management operations and global strategy creation that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the job (comparable to 5+ years’ experience)

• Experience designing and executing global patient recruitment campaigns.

• Demonstrated client-facing experience with pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or CRO sponsors.

• Experience managing vendors, budgets, and cross-functional project teams.

• In some cases, an equivalency, consisting of appropriate education, training, and/or directly related experience will be considered sufficient for an individual to meet the requirements of the role.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong understanding of clinical trial operations and enrollment strategy.

• Experience presenting recruitment strategy and performance to executive-level stakeholders.

• Knowledge of recruitment material development and localization.

• Knowledge of recruitment campaign strategic development and implementation.

• Experience collaborating with internal clinical operations and clinical management teams. 

• Experience supporting diverse patient recruitment initiatives.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong leadership and project management skills.

• Excellent client relationship and stakeholder management abilities.

• Advanced analytical and data interpretation skills.

• Experience developing recruitment reports, dashboards, and executive presentations.

• Strong organizational and prioritization skills.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to manage multiple global studies simultaneously.

• Strong critical thinking, decision-making, and risk management capabilities.

• Knowledge of healthcare regulations, patient privacy requirements, and ethical recruitment practices.

• Proficiency with project management tools and Microsoft Office applications.

• Ability to work effectively within a global matrix organization.

At Thermo Fisher Scientific, we are committed to fostering a healthy and harmonious workplace for our employees. We understand the importance of creating an environment that allows individuals to excel. Please see below for the required qualifications for this position, which also includes the possibility of equivalent experience:

• Able to communicate, receive, and understand information and ideas with diverse groups of people in a comprehensible and reasonable manner.

• Able to work upright and stationary for typical working hours.

• Ability to use and learn standard office equipment and technology with proficiency.

• Able to perform successfully under pressure while prioritizing and handling multiple projects or activities.

• May require as-needed travel (0-20%).