Director of Clinical Research & Principal Investigator

Director of Clinical Research & Principal Investigator

Lakeside Clinical Research Center | Bellevue, WA | Full-Time | MD Required

Base Salary: $180,000 Performance-Based Production Bonus

Benefits: Health, dental, and vision insurance · 401(k) · Paid time off

About the Role

Lakeside Clinical Research Center is the clinical trials division of Overlake Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center (OAOC), one of the Pacific Northwest's most established and respected rheumatology practices. We are physician-founded, physician-led, and deeply committed to advancing care through rigorous science.

Our research program is active, credentialed, and already outperforming sites with decades of history. We are now ready to scale — and we need one exceptional physician-researcher to lead that expansion.

This is not a maintenance role. If you are an MD who has deliberately chosen research as your career, thrive with ownership and outcomes — not bureaucracy — and have the operational discipline to match your scientific credentials, this seat was built for you.

Site Performance

• #1 Enrolling Site in the US — Johnson & Johnson Phase 3 · Dazodalibep · Sjögren's Syndrome
• #1 Enrolling Site in the US — Novartis · IV Secukinumab · Giant Cell Arteritis & PMR
• #1 Enrolling Site in the US — Invertis Bio · Gout Clinical Trial
• 5 Active Trials currently running, with 10 completed in under 2 years
• 85,000 patient database across 3 clinic sites — actively growing
• Top-enrollment recognition from Amgen and Novartis

Responsibilities

Portfolio Growth & Strategy

• Set the vision and execute the strategy to 10x our clinical trial portfolio within 3–5 years
• Identify, evaluate, and secure new trial opportunities through proactive sponsor and CRO engagement
• Lead feasibility assessments and study selection aligned with our therapeutic strengths
• Represent Lakeside at national investigator meetings, conferences, and sponsor events
• Own the research P&L — budgeting, contract negotiations, and financial performance

Principal Investigator

• Serve as PI on assigned industry-sponsored trials with full FDA Form 1572 accountability
• Ensure rigorous protocol adherence, patient safety, and adverse event reporting
• Maintain inspection-ready regulatory files and data integrity across all studies
• Act as the medical and scientific authority across the trial portfolio
• Oversee IRB submissions, amendments, safety reports, and close-out documentation

Operations & Compliance

• Ensure continuous FDA, sponsor, and audit readiness — and lead CAPA implementation
• Drive enrollment performance and develop effective, ethical recruitment strategies
• Establish and refine operational workflows for study startup through closeout

Team Leadership

• Recruit, develop, and retain a high-performing research team — coordinators, sub-investigators, and support staff
• Build structured onboarding, training, and GCP education programs
• Foster a culture of accountability, urgency, scientific excellence, and patient-centered care
• Serve as a mentor and professional development engine for the research team

Sponsor & CRO Relations

• Serve as the primary physician-facing contact for all sponsors and CROs
• Build long-term sponsor relationships that generate repeat trial placements
• Deliver performance and communication quality that makes us a preferred site

Required Qualifications

• MD or DO — no exceptions
• Active, unrestricted Washington State medical license (or eligibility)
• Substantive experience as a Clinical Investigator in industry-sponsored trials
• Deep working knowledge of FDA regulations, ICH-GCP, and HIPAA
• Proven leadership of clinical research teams or programs
• Research is your career direction — not a detour from clinical practice
• Demonstrated ability to hit deadlines, close loops, and hold teams accountable

Preferred Qualifications

• Track record of growing a research site's trial portfolio
• Experience in rheumatology, immunology, or related specialty
• Established sponsor and CRO relationships you can activate on day one
• Experience negotiating research contracts and budgets
• Audit and FDA inspection management experience
• Executive presence — ability to represent the organization at the national level

Compensation & Benefits

• Base Salary: $180,000 (fixed, full-time)
• Production Bonus: Metric-based — tied to trial activation, enrollment milestones, and compliance performance
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k)
• Paid time off

Why Lakeside & OAOC

OAOC is founder-owned and physician-led. There is no hospital committee, no academic department chair, no administrative layer between a good idea and its execution. Decisions happen directly and quickly.

Behind Lakeside sits a 20 year rheumatology practice with 6 active providers — and 2 additional rheumatologists joining this year — across 3 clinic sites. That means a deep, diverse, consented patient population you can recruit from directly. No cold databases. No external referral dependency.

Our research program is two years old and already outperforming sites with decades of history. The infrastructure is in place. The credibility is earned. What is missing is the strategic physician-leader who can take this from promising to nationally recognized.

How to Apply

Please send your CV along with a brief note outlining how this role aligns with your professional goals to shannon@overlakearthritis.com We review applications promptly and move quickly with qualified candidates.