Clinical Vendor Activation Manager

Clinical protocol review and vendor needs identification

• Review clinical protocols and study documents to determine vendor scope and compatibility; translate protocol elements into vendor qualifications and expectations.

Clinical consultation for vendor qualification 

• Provide clinical insight to the Vendor Management and SSU teams to support vendor selection, feasibility, and site alignment.  

• Collaborate with SSU, Regulatory, Site Ops, Legal, Vendor Management, and other departments to align on vendor strategy, timelines, and documentation flow.

Vendor onboarding and issue escalation 

• Guide vendors through training expectations based on protocol requirements; assist internal teams in clarifying procedural expectations and documentation needs. 

• Identify and troubleshoot vendor-related issues impacting clinical execution or study timelines; act as clinical escalation point for vendor readiness concerns.

Clinical support during SEV and site activation 

• Participate in SEV preparation and vendor-related activation readiness, ensuring clinical requirements are addressed early in the start-up process, with an ‘outside-the-box' mindset to identify creative solutions with sites and managers to meet deliverables 

Other Responsibilities

• Serve as the clinical point-of-contact for vendors, ensuring timely responses when study manuals are unavailable.
• Standardize and improve communication pathways between vendors, SSU teams, and internal stakeholders.
• Monitor vendor performance, proactively raise risks based on historical knowledge, and escalate concerns impacting KPIs.
• Document and track contracting and qualification timelines, escalation history, and vendor performance metrics in internal systems
• Support relationship-building with vendors, sponsors, site networks, and investigators by ensuring consistent, high-quality messaging.
• Develop and refine vendor management processes to optimize efficiency and quality.
• Contribute to pipeline planning by maintaining accurate vendor historical records and lessons learned.
• Apply data management skills to track KPIs and ensure compliance with site network requirements.
• Negotiate with vendors and sponsors, demonstrating sales ability when communicating the benefits of partnering with Care Access.
• Maintain vendor documentation, records of communications, and escalation logs.
• Represent Vendor Management in clinical and operational discussions with sponsors, CROs, and vendor teams.
• Guide internal and external stakeholders on vendor requirements, protocol expectations, training, and procedures.
• Participate in governance calls and internal meetings to provide updates on vendor performance and risk status.
• Develop tools, templates, and training materials to strengthen vendor onboarding and oversight processes.
• Oversee vendor relationships, ensuring compliance with company policies, service level agreements, and performance standards.
• Review, negotiate, and manage contracts throughout their lifecycle, including renewals and amendments.
• Monitor vendor performance, resolve escalations, and recommend improvements to optimize cost, quality, and service.

• Strong understanding of clinical protocols, trial execution, and start-up workflows. 
• Prior vendor experience with the ability to discuss protocol clinical aspects with vendors. 
• Skilled at guiding vendor partners and internal teams on protocol expectations, training, and procedures. 
• Effective communicator of vendor requirements both internally and externally. 
• Experience interacting with sponsors and their preferred vendor teams to review expectations and qualifications. 
• Experience working with site networks; direct site-based experience strongly valued. 
• Ability to negotiate and 'sell' Care Access’s value to vendor partners and sponsors. 
• Experience interacting with investigators, clinical staff, and site teams to support operational decision-making. 
• Strong cross-functional communication skills in a fast-paced, matrixed environment. 
• Creative, outside-the-box problem solving with openness to brainstorming solutions. 
• Proactive mindset with ownership, accountability, and focus on clinical quality. 
• Ability to foresee risks based on historical knowledge, manage escalations efficiently, and follow up across governance structures. 
• Data management skills for tracking KPIs, vendor performance, and escalation logs. 
• Ability to hold vendors accountable to agreed timelines and deliverables. 
• Capacity to effectively document historical vendor performance and leverage it for future pipeline planning. 
• Experience creating and implementing new processes based on role and company needs. 
• Experience reviewing, interpreting, and providing feedback on vendor contracts, including identifying risks, obligations, and compliance requirements. 
• Proven ability to manage the full lifecycle of vendor contracts, from negotiation through execution, renewal, and termination. 

• Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, healthcare, nursing, or related field (advanced degree preferred). 
• 3–5 years of experience in clinical operations, vendor management, or clinical trial start-up. 
• Prior vendor-facing experience within clinical trials required. 
• Familiarity with vendor qualification systems, contracting workflows, and site activation processes. 
• Experience in SSU, Clinical Project Management, or Vendor Oversight strongly preferred. 
• Proficiency with CTMS, clinical portals, and project tracking tools.