Clinical Trial Recruitment Manager

Overall Purpose of the Position:

The Clinical Trial Recruitment Manager is responsible for leading, developing, and optimising a team of facility-based recruiters across TASK's clinical research network. The incumbent will oversee recruitment operations, ensure achievement of enrolment targets, build strategic relationships with healthcare facilities and community stakeholders, and drive recruitment initiatives that support the successful delivery of clinical trials.

The role combines people leadership, operational management, participant recruitment strategy, stakeholder engagement, and performance monitoring to ensure efficient and ethical recruitment practices across multiple facilities. The Manager will work closely with clinical, operational, and community engagement teams to identify recruitment opportunities and continuously improve recruitment outcomes.

Key Performance Areas (KPAs) & Responsibilities include, but not limited to:

Recruitment Strategy and Planning

• Develop and implement recruitment plans tailored to study demographics, protocol requirements, and timelines
• Collaborate with Principal Investigators, study coordinators, and clinical teams to understand study protocols and participant eligibility criteria

· Planning, coordinating, implementing and participating in recruitment campaigns according to clinical trial protocol requirements

• Utilise recruitment, site metrics, and feedback to identify effective recruitment channels and refine strategies
• Reassess and adapt plans proactively when recruitment targets are not being met

Operational Oversight and Team Management

• Oversee day-to-day operations of recruitment activities across facilities, ensuring smooth coordination and timely achievement of targets
• Lead, manage, mentor, and develop a team of facility-based recruiters, dispersed geographically across the Cape Town Metropole (primarily Northern-Tygerberg- and Khayelitsha-Eastern sub-structures)
• Establish performance expectations, monitor productivity, and drive achievement of recruitment targets across facilities
• Conduct regular coaching, performance reviews, and skills-development activities
• Ensure recruiters are adequately trained on study requirements, recruitment processes, ethical considerations, and participant engagement practices
• Identify resource needs and implement strategies to improve recruiter performance and operational efficiency
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, quality, and continuous improvement
• Support succession planning and talent development within the recruitment function
• Collaborate with facility management to optimise recruiter integration within healthcare facilities

Participant Identification and Engagement

• Implement and oversee recruitment processes used to identify potential study participants, including through healthcare facilities, outreach activities, referral networks, digital platforms, and database searches
• Ensure recruiters accurately apply specific criteria to ensure preliminary eligibility before referral to clinical site teams (eligibility quality assurance and verification)
• Support participant engagement activities and recruitment campaigns to maximise enrolment opportunities
• Ensure interactions with participants are professional, ethical, and culturally appropriate

Regulatory and Ethical Compliance

• Ensure all recruitment activities adhere to SA GCP, ICH GCP, and relevant regulatory frameworks
• Oversee the preparation and ethical review of participant-facing materials, ensuring they are accurate and compliant
• Maintain a high standard of participant confidentiality and data protection

Monitoring, Reporting, and Performance Management

• Track recruitment metrics including enrolment rates, retention, diversity, and site-level performance
• Prepare reports and deliver progress updates to internal stakeholders and sponsor representatives
• Use performance data to identify operational bottlenecks and implement corrective measures
• Support quality assurance initiatives related to recruitment processes.

Stakeholder and Community Engagement

• Build and maintain relationships with healthcare providers, community health NGOs, investigators, site staff, sponsors, and CROs
• Collaborate with community engagement and outreach teams to promote trial awareness and participation
• Represent the recruitment function in sponsor and cross-functional meetings when required

Innovation and Continuous Improvement

• Explore innovative tools and technologies to enhance recruitment efficiency (e.g., social media and digital databases)
• Evaluate and refine internal recruitment processes to improve participant experience and data quality

Travel and Site Visits

• Travelling and attending events across Cape Town as required to meet recruitment goals and ensuring the successful implementation of recruitment campaigns

Consent and Screening

• Obtaining consent from potential trial participants and performing telephonic and other pre-identification and screening activities in accordance with protocol requirements and South African Good Clinical Practice (SA GCP).
• Support recruitment teams in participant pre-screening and referral processes.
• Participate in participant engagement and recruitment initiatives as needed, in accordance with protocol requirements and South African Good Clinical Practice (SA GCP)

Key Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a health, medical, or life sciences field
• Valid ICH GCP certificate
• Minimum of three years’ clinical experience; related community healthcare experience (advantageous)
• Minimum of three years’ experience in managing teams within a healthcare or recruitment setting. At least one years’ experience in a clinical research or healthcare marketing environment involving patient engagement
• Strong understanding of participant eligibility assessment and clinical workflows
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and clinical trial management systems (CTMS)
• Familiarity with digital marketing and recruitment tools
• Valid driver’s license and willingness to travel regularly between TASK sites and primary healthcare facilities

Key Personal Inherent Characteristics

• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills
• Highly accountable and dependable
• Organised and proactive, with strong operational thinking and problem-solving abilities
• Able to balance strategic planning with hands-on operational management
• Committed to ethical, inclusive, and patient-centred recruitment practices
• Results-driven, adaptable, and comfortable working in a dynamic clinical research environment

Details:

Area: Parow, Cape Town

Contract Type: Permanent

Applications Close: 31 August (16:00)

If you have not received a response within one month, your application was most likely unsuccessful.

TASK reserves the right to withdraw this advertisement and not fill the above-mentioned vacancy at any stage during the recruitment process.

We believe great talent comes in many forms and encourage suitably qualified candidates with disabilities to apply. Meeting our employment equity goals will be acknowledged during the recruitment process.

By responding to this advert and sending your cv, cover letter and/or any other documentation, you are consenting to TASK processing your personal information as contained in the furnished documents. TASK may process your personal information for recruitment purposes for suitable posts that may arise within the organisation. You agree that you have familiarised yourself with South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act and understand your rights and obligations under this Act.

Application Question(s):

• Do you have a Bachelor's degree in a health, medical, or life sciences field?
• Do you have a minimum of three years’ experience in managing teams within a healthcare or recruitme