Sr. Clinical Specialist, Surgical Operations

 Aspen is seeking a Senior Clinical Specialist, Surgical Operations as a founding member of a field team supporting neurosurgical procedures for Parkinson’s cell therapy studies. We are looking for candidates who are eager to translate field experience into scalable standards, influencing training, workflows, and operational strategy across the clinical program. This ideal candidate operates with a high degree of autonomy, partnering closely with investigators, surgeons, and cross-functional stakeholders to lead site readiness, procedural execution, and continuous improvement of surgical delivery practices. Roles are currently open in the Great Lakes Region (WI/IL/MI/OH) and Mountain West (Denver/Phoenix).  

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:  

• Serve as the lead field-based clinical and technical expert across assigned sites, providing advanced guidance on surgical workflow, protocol execution, and complex case management while setting expectations for execution consistency  

• Lead site onboarding, advanced training, and ongoing capability development for investigators, surgeons, and multidisciplinary teams, ensuring alignment to standardized procedural practices and trial requirements. Including surgical workflow, intraoperative imaging, cell preparation and handling requirements, and the surgical delivery components of protocol execution and documentation.  

• Drive site pre-case readiness across scheduling, staffing, materials, imaging coordination, and procedural flow, proactively identifying and mitigating execution risks and closing readiness gaps.  

• Provide advanced onsite support during complex neurosurgical procedures, delivering real time guidance, addressing workflow deviations, and resolving procedural or protocol-related issues.  

• Ensure consistent application of protocol requirements, patient safety standards, and data integrity expectations across sites, reinforcing compliance while influencing best practices.  

• Establish and maintain strong relationships with principal investigators, neurosurgeons, and key hospital stakeholders, acting as a trusted clinical advisor and representative of the Company’s surgical delivery model. 

• Synthesize field insights, procedural trends, and site-level challenges to inform cross functional decision-making, influencing Clinical Operations, Clinical Development, Medical, Quality, and Regulatory strategies.  

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives by translating field experience into enhancements to training programs, procedural workflows, tools, and site readiness models. • Contribute to the development and standardization of the Company’s surgical delivery model across the clinical network, ensuring scalability and consistency as trials expand. 

• Informally mentor and guide junior clinical specialists and cross-functional partners, sharing expertise and reinforcing best practices across the team.  

• Support trial expansion strategy, including site activation, network scaling, and investigator engagement, while ensuring readiness and execution quality across new and existing sites. 

• Provide thought partnership in internal case reviews, risk discussions, and cross-functional planning, contributing to trial design considerations and execution strategy. 

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:  

• Bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering, nursing, neuroscience, life sciences, or a related field required; advanced degree (e.g., MSN, PA, NP, PhD) preferred.  

• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in field clinical support, surgical support, clinical applications, or trial-facing procedural roles within complex, procedure driven environments (e.g., neurosurgery, implantable therapies, image-guided interventions).  

• Extensive hands-on experience supporting high-acuity neurosurgical or interventional procedures; deep familiarity with cranial, stereotactic, or intracranial delivery workflows strongly preferred.  

• Demonstrated experience operating in regulated clinical trial environments, including application of GCP, protocol adherence, SOPs, and documentation requirements.  

• Experience supporting early-phase or first-in-human studies, MRI-guided workflows, or advanced therapy delivery (cell or gene therapy), and contributing to development of field procedures, training programs, or site readiness processes. 

JOB SPECIFICATIONS:  

• Judgment & Execution: Advanced judgment in high-risk surgical settings, including live-case decision-making, deviation management, and timely escalation.  

• Clinical & Procedural Expertise: Deep expertise in neurosurgical workflows, clinical trial execution, and investigational product delivery in complex procedural environments.  

• Strategic Execution: Ability to translate clinical protocols into scalable operating models that support consistent execution across sites.  

• Training & Capability Development: Ability to develop scalable training and site readiness approaches that build procedural capability across clinical teams.  

• Communication & Influence: Ability to communicate complex clinical and operational information clearly and persuasively across stakeholder groups.  

• Cross-Functional Influence: Ability to translate field insights into clinical and operational strategies that shape cross-functional decisions.  

• Protocol Interpretation: Ability to interpret complex protocols and apply requirements to practical, compliant site execution.  

• Stakeholder Engagement: Ability to build credibility and trusted relationships with investigators, surgeons, and site leaders. 

• Problem Solving & Escalation: Strong problem-solving skills, including the ability to assess issues, determine next steps, and escalate appropriately.  

• Documentation & Compliance: Strong knowledge of documentation and compliance standards related to patient safety, data integrity, and investigational product handling.  

• Adaptability: Ability to remain effective and composed in dynamic, high-pressure surgical environments. 

• Travel & Field Engagement: Willingness and ability to travel extensively in support of clinical sites and procedural activities. 

WORKING CONDITIONS 

 Clinical and surgical environments, including hospital, operating room, and MRI settings. This role requires frequent travel to domestic clinical sites (approximately 50%).  

PHYSICAL DEMANDS  

While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms and talk or hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. These work environment characteristics are representative of the environment the job holder will encounter. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.