Clinical Research Associate Jobs in San Francisco, CA
Clinical Research Associate jobs in San Francisco are concentrated in the Mission Bay biotech corridor, South of Market, and the broader Embarcadero district, driven by one of the densest clusters of biopharma, medical device, and clinical-stage companies in the country. Employers hiring right now include University of California - San Francisco, Vir Biotechnology, and Merck. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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This 60% position (24 hours per week) will involve conducting on-site study visits at Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco's Mission Bay, and may require presence at Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland, based on the needs of the department. Flexibility is required, as the study's needs will determine the number of hours worked on any given day.
Duties include conducting study visits, participant recruitment, data entry, regulatory maintenance, conducting monitoring visits, submitting to the Institutional Review Board, and other study coordination duties.
We invite candidates to please address the following questions in your cover letter:
- Describe your experience with research, clinical trials, working with patients, children, families, or children with hormone conditions.
- Describe your organizational skills and provide an example of how you handle competing priorities.
- What are your plans for the next 2-3+ years (are you planning to go back to school, if so, what program/timeline for matriculation, etc.)?
- Are you currently in school or employed? If so, please describe.
- Do you speak any other languages? If so, which one(s)?
- This position is 24 hours per week, primarily Monday through Friday at the UCSF Mission Bay Campus.
- Some remote work may be possible depending on the needs of the studies and current department policies.
- The number of hours worked per day varies each week depending on the needs of the studies.
- There are occasional evening and rare weekend hours to accommodate our patients’ schedules, usually for a phone call to discuss the study.
- There is the possibility of increasing the number of hours per week in the future.
- Are you able to commit to this schedule?
- If selected for this position, when would you be able to start?
Required Qualifications:
- High School Diploma; or equivalent experience
- Excellent verbal and written communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills to work effectively in a diverse team
- Attention to detail; strong interpersonal skills; excellent, effective verbal and written communication skills to coordinate with subjects, team members, other departments, and outside institutions; and the ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment while working with a diverse subject population
- Ability to work well independently, complete projects in a timely manner, and prioritize multiple projects to ensure the completion of essential tasks by deadlines
- Proficiency with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and Windows
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, team-based environment; project management and coordination skills; ability to prioritize tasks and meet multiple deadlines on concurrent projects
- Ability to establish cooperative working relationships with patients, co-workers, & physicians Experience and/or comfort working with children, adolescents, and families
Preferred Qualifications:
- Career interest in working with children and/or adolescents and their families
- Fluency in the usage of Institutional Review Board (IRB) online iRIS system for submission, renewal, and modification of protocols through this system
- Understanding of patient population to create rapport and a relationship, while also giving insight to what is realistic and appropriate for patient participation
- Certification by the Society of Clinical Research Associates or the Association of Clinical Research Professionals
- Experience with accessing electronic medical records and entering the data into REDCap and other platforms
- Knowledge of UCSF and departmental policies for dealing with reimbursement, guidelines for research, confidentiality and HIPPA regulations, following the UCSF mission statement and purpose for research, and a clear understanding of policies and procedures on patient safety and confidentiality (electronic and hard copy medical records, patient charts, communication, etc.); knowledge of medical terminology, research policies and guidelines, guidelines for packing/shipping infectious substances, database building/analysis, and data management within some of the following: Access, Stata, SASS/ SPSS, and Teleform programming platforms
- Experience applying the following regulations and guidelines:
- Good Clinical Practice Guidelines
- Health Information and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
- The Protection of Human Research Subjects
- IRB regulations for recruitment and consent of research subjects
- Effective Cash Handling Procedures
- Environmental Health and Safety Training
- Fire Safety Training
This 60% position (24 hours per week) will involve conducting on-site study visits at Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco's Mission Bay, and may require presence at Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland, based on the needs of the department. Flexibility is required, as the study's needs will determine the number of hours worked on any given day.
Duties include conducting study visits, participant recruitment, data entry, regulatory maintenance, conducting monitoring visits, submitting to the Institutional Review Board, and other study coordination duties.
We invite candidates to please address the following questions in your cover letter:
- Describe your experience with research, clinical trials, working with patients, children, families, or children with hormone conditions.
- Describe your organizational skills and provide an example of how you handle competing priorities.
- What are your plans for the next 2-3+ years (are you planning to go back to school, if so, what program/timeline for matriculation, etc.)?
- Are you currently in school or employed? If so, please describe.
- Do you speak any other languages? If so, which one(s)?
- This position is 24 hours per week, primarily Monday through Friday at the UCSF Mission Bay Campus.
- Some remote work may be possible depending on the needs of the studies and current department policies.
- The number of hours worked per day varies each week depending on the needs of the studies.
- There are occasional evening and rare weekend hours to accommodate our patients’ schedules, usually for a phone call to discuss the study.
- There is the possibility of increasing the number of hours per week in the future.
- Are you able to commit to this schedule?
- If selected for this position, when would you be able to start?
Required Qualifications:
- High School Diploma; or equivalent experience
- Excellent verbal and written communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills to work effectively in a diverse team
- Attention to detail; strong interpersonal skills; excellent, effective verbal and written communication skills to coordinate with subjects, team members, other departments, and outside institutions; and the ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment while working with a diverse subject population
- Ability to work well independently, complete projects in a timely manner, and prioritize multiple projects to ensure the completion of essential tasks by deadlines
- Proficiency with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and Windows
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, team-based environment; project management and coordination skills; ability to prioritize tasks and meet multiple deadlines on concurrent projects
- Ability to establish cooperative working relationships with patients, co-workers, & physicians Experience and/or comfort working with children, adolescents, and families
Preferred Qualifications:
- Career interest in working with children and/or adolescents and their families
- Fluency in the usage of Institutional Review Board (IRB) online iRIS system for submission, renewal, and modification of protocols through this system
- Understanding of patient population to create rapport and a relationship, while also giving insight to what is realistic and appropriate for patient participation
- Certification by the Society of Clinical Research Associates or the Association of Clinical Research Professionals
- Experience with accessing electronic medical records and entering the data into REDCap and other platforms
- Knowledge of UCSF and departmental policies for dealing with reimbursement, guidelines for research, confidentiality and HIPPA regulations, following the UCSF mission statement and purpose for research, and a clear understanding of policies and procedures on patient safety and confidentiality (electronic and hard copy medical records, patient charts, communication, etc.); knowledge of medical terminology, research policies and guidelines, guidelines for packing/shipping infectious substances, database building/analysis, and data management within some of the following: Access, Stata, SASS/ SPSS, and Teleform programming platforms
- Experience applying the following regulations and guidelines:
- Good Clinical Practice Guidelines
- Health Information and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
- The Protection of Human Research Subjects
- IRB regulations for recruitment and consent of research subjects
- Effective Cash Handling Procedures
- Environmental Health and Safety Training
- Fire Safety Training
See All 234+ Clinical Research Associate Jobs in San Francisco
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Find JobsClinical Research Associate Job Market in San Francisco
Who's Hiring
- University of California - San Francisco145
- Vir Biotechnology17
- Merck11
- Medpace11
- CYTOKINETICS11
Top Industries Hiring
- Education50
- Healthcare & Medical Services17
- Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals17
Clinical Research Associate Jobs in San Francisco: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a clinical research associate job in San Francisco?
Candidates who focus on San Francisco's Mission Bay and South of Market biotech hubs tend to find the strongest concentration of openings, particularly at clinical-stage biopharma and contract research organizations with Bay Area offices. Experience in oncology, rare disease, or cell and gene therapy trials is especially valued here. Familiarity with GCP compliance and electronic data capture systems gives applicants a concrete edge in this market.
Which companies hire clinical research associates in San Francisco?
San Francisco clinical research associate roles are posted by University of California - San Francisco, Vir Biotechnology, and Merck and others right now, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. The local market includes a mix of clinical-stage biotechs, established biopharma companies, and contract research organizations that support trials running out of the city's major research institutions.
Are there remote clinical research associate jobs in San Francisco?
Yes, though site-facing CRA roles require regular on-site visits and are rarely fully remote. About 55% of clinical research associate openings tied to San Francisco are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, with flexibility most common in data review, regulatory coordination, and sponsor-side monitoring roles rather than hands-on site management positions.
How can I get a clinical research associate job in San Francisco with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in San Francisco is through a clinical research coordinator role at one of the city's academic medical centers or affiliated research sites, which builds the site experience that CRA positions require. Local contract research organizations also hire clinical operations associates and trial assistants as stepping stones. Volunteering or interning with UCSF-affiliated research programs strengthens a candidate's profile considerably in this market.
Which industries hire the most clinical research associates in San Francisco?
Most clinical research associate openings in San Francisco sit in Education, Healthcare & Medical Services, and Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. San Francisco's concentration of clinical-stage biotechs and biopharma companies anchored in Mission Bay drives outsized demand relative to most other U.S. cities of comparable size.
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