Career Center

JOB SUMMARY

At Houston Methodist, the Director Human Research Protections (HRP) position is responsible for leading, managing, and advising designated staff, teams, and/or areas within the Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) and for independently identifying and resolving issues regarding the Institutional Review Boards (IRB) and associated designated committees. The position works closely with Office of Research Protections (ORP) leadership, HRP staff, IRB members, ancillary committee leadership, and others in the Houston Methodist research community to ensure operational efficiency and compliance with laws, regulations, standards, and institutional requirements that impact human research, and ensure proper budgetary needs are met, including optimizing financial resources. In the performance of duties, the position will review, research, and interpret changes, trends and new developments related to human research; provide written analysis on specified topics; draft policies and procedures to implement and operationalize IRB and HRP-related initiatives; ensure regulatory review processes are standardized; develop strategies to enable the IRB and HRP and other implicated research departments and personnel to successfully adapt to changes; serve as a resource to the research community regarding human research matters; maintain HRP staff and IRB productivity; and resolve compliance, service and operational issues.

The Director position responsibilities include overseeing the activities of the department staff, ensuring quality, productivity, functional excellence and efficiency to accomplish strategic and operational objectives.  In addition, this position is accountable for employee engagement, adequate staffing levels, budget development and compliance, staffing decisions such as hiring and terminating employment, coaching and counseling employees on work related performance, and developing and implementing policies and procedures to ensure a safe and effective work environment.  This position also ensures training, monitoring and operations initiatives are implemented which secure compliance with ethical and legal business practices and accreditation/regulatory/government regulations.

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• Ten years of clinical research experience within an IRB/Human Research Protections Program (HRPP) or direct regulatory oversight of clinical research, of which five years people management experince OR

Eight years of experience within an IRB/Human Research Protections Program (HRPP) or direct regulatory oversight of clinical research of which five years people management experience, with a Master’s degree

CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSES AND REGISTRATIONS REQUIRED

• Certified IRB Professional (CIP)