Director, Medical Chair

Description and Requirements

ABOUT WCG:

WCG’s clinical solutions are built on a foundation of best-in-class clinical services companies. We deliver transformational solutions that stimulate growth, foster compliance, and maximize efficiency for those performing clinical trials. WCG is proud to serve individuals on the frontlines of science and medicine, and the organizations striving to develop new products and therapies to improve the quality of human health. It is our role to empower them to accelerate advancement, while ensuring the risks of progress never outweigh the value of human life.

WHY WE LOVE WCG:

At WCG, our employees are our most valuable asset and as with all our assets, we invest in them with an eye toward future success. We provide each eligible employee with a comprehensive set of benefits designed to protect their personal and financial health and to help them make the most of their future.

• + - Comprehensive Benefits package - Health, Dental, Vision, Life Disability, 401k with match, and flexible spending accounts
• Employee Assistance Programs and additional work/life resources
• Referral Bonuses and Tuition Reimbursement
• Paid time off including holidays, vacation, and sick time
• Opportunities for career development with on-the-job training, certification assistance and continuing education reimbursement

The expected base salary range for this position is $138,870 to $275,000\. This salary range may vary based on the candidate's qualifications, experience, skills, education, and geographic location.

JOB SUMMARY: Provide the highest possible support for ethical review and research safety programs in areas and issues requiring medical training and judgment. This is a hands-on leadership role: the Director, Medical Chair actively chairs IRB board meetings, works directly with Medical Chairs and staff to resolve day-to-day ethical and operational issues, and engages directly with clients to address complex scientific, regulatory, and protocol-specific questions.

The Director, Medical Chair is a senior, enterprise‑level leader responsible for setting the strategic medical, ethical, and regulatory direction of WCG’s IRB operations. This role combines executive leadership, deep IRB expertise, and technology fluency to ensure scalable, consistent, and future‑ready human research protection across all WCG IRBs.

This position combines strategic leadership with direct, daily operational involvement. The Director, Medical Chair supervises Medical Chairs and provides both strategic direction and hands-on guidance across multiple IRB panels and geographies, in consultation with the Executive IRB Chair and Vice President IBC Affairs. Beyond enterprise-level influence, the role requires active participation in board meetings, direct resolution of escalated issues raised by direct reports and clients, and real-time medical and ethical decision-making. The role operates as the highest medical authority within IRB Affairs, influencing enterprise risk management, regulatory standing, and external reputation.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and responsibility satisfactorily. The accountabilities listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or ability required.

Strategic \& Executive Leadership

• Influence and advise on the strategic medical vision for WCG’s IRB operations, translating enterprise strategy into policies, standards, and multi‑year objectives
• Serve as a strategic advisor to executive leadership on medical ethics, regulatory risk, and emerging trends in human subjects research
• Provide guidance and decision making on complex, high‑risk, or escalated ethical and medical determinations to the IRB Executive Committee
• Act as a visible external representative and thought leader for WCG in interactions with regulators, sponsors, academic institutions, and industry forums

Board Leadership

• Chair Board meetings to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations and WCG IRB policies
• Identify Board and Chair training needs at an individual and group level and prepare and deliver training to Chairs, Board members, outside clients, institutions, and other parties involved in human subject research.
• Facilitate high‑quality deliberation and model best‑in‑class ethical and scientific decision making
• Resolve disagreements between Board members and guide consensus‑based outcomes
• Review research submissions, identify issues, and guide effective resolution

Management \& People Leadership

• Responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of a senior team of Medical Chairs, including being directly accessible to Medical Chairs to assist with day-to-day escalations, difficult determinations, and real-time guidance on complex submissions
• Lead and develop physician and scientist leaders through coaching, feedback, and performance management
• Ensure quality, consistency, and accountability across IRB panels and geographies
• Foster a culture of professionalism, rigor, collaboration, and continuous improvement in conjunction with the ethical review leadership team.

Technology \& Operational Excellence

• Partner closely with Technology, Product, and Operations leaders to ensure IRB processes are scalable, data‑driven, and technology‑enabled
• Champion adoption of new platforms, tools, and system enhancements while maintaining regulatory integrity
• Utilize dashboards, metrics, and reporting to improve IRB performance and client outcomes

Client, Regulatory \& Educational Responsibilities

• Advise clients on scientific, ethical, and regulatory considerations, including direct engagement with sponsors and institutions to work through complex, protocol-specific, or day-to-day issues as they arise
• Support regulatory inquiries, audits, and inspections
• Provide training and education to Board members, staff, and external stakeholders
• Other duties as assigned by supervisor. These may, on occasion, be unrelated to the position described here.

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS (Required) :

• Doctor of Medicine (MD), Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM), or an equivalent clinical doctoral degree from an accredited institution
• Equivalent international clinical doctoral degrees must be recognized as comparable to U.S. MD/DO/DPM credentials based on standard credential evaluation practices (e.g., ECFMG or similar evaluation bodies)

CERTIFICATIONS/LICENSE/REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS:

• Required: Certified IRB Professional (CIP), or ability to obtain within designated timeframe
• Preferred (not required): Active, unrestricted medical license (U.S. or equivalent international licensure), where applicable to scope of practice. While an active license is not required, license cannot be restricted.

QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE:

• Significant senior‑level leadership experience (minimum 5 years), including leading groups of physicians, scientists, and/or senior regulatory professionals in complex or distributed environments
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively at the Director / executive‑adjacent level, with strong executive presence and judgment
• Significant experience chairing IRB meetings with authority, credibility, and regulatory rigor.
• Deep IRB and HRPP expertise, including FDA/OHRP regulations and evolving research modalities
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse groups, including clinical professionals, executives, operations leaders, technology and product teams, and external stakeholders
• Technology fluency: ability to partner with Technology, Product, and Operations teams to modernize workflows, leverage data and dashboards, and support scalable IRB operations
• Proven experience using data, metrics, and process improvement methodologies to enhance quality, consistency, and turnaround times
• Ability to analyze complex scientific, ethical, regulatory, and operational issues and present recommendations clearly to senior leaders
• Thought leadership mindset with the ability to influence direction, policy, and future‑state design
• Proven ability to lead change and operate effectively under pressure across concurrent, high‑impact initiatives

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: Overall responsibility for leadership, direction, performance management, and development of assigned team, including senior medical leaders.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS: 5% to 10%

Physical and Sensory Requirements:

The physical and sensory requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be offered to individuals with disabilities to assist in performing the essential functions of the position. Work activities involve light to moderate physical effort (for example, sitting in one place for extended periods of time, standing, walking, bending, lifting lightweight objects, intermittent to sustained periods of keyboarding). Majority of time is spent in a seated position with frequent opportunity to move about at will. Activities require a variety of easy muscle movements. Work activities involve a frequent need to concentrate on a variety of sensory inputs for moderate to lengthy durations at a time requiring diligence and attention to interpret effectively. There will be a need to attend to single or simultaneous tasks where accuracy of details is important. The need for detailed and precise work is high.

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WCG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer – Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment based on merit and without regard to race, color, national origin or ancestry, religion or creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, age, marital status, family or parental status, disability, genetic information, citizenship, veteran status, or any other legally recognized basis or status protected by federal, state, or local law. WCG complies with the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Act and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. We promote a "One WCG" culture where all are welcome, respected, valued, and empowered to make a difference every day to advance clinical research.