Research Director Jobs in North Carolina
Research Director jobs in North Carolina are open across Research Triangle Park, Durham, and Boone and other North Carolina metros, with employers like United Therapeutics, Appalachian State University, and Cambrex hiring at every experience level. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Description
Your passion belongs at UNC Health. Join more than 56,000 teammates working together to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve across North Carolina.
Summary:
Oversees the quality, coordination, and conduct of all aspects of clinical research administration to ensure research is conducted safely, ethically, efficiently, and with the highest integrity. Provides strategic, operational, regulatory, financial, and program leadership for the Heart & Vascular clinical research portfolio. Directs program-level planning, workforce development, and external partnerships to support organizational goals and high-quality clinical research.
Responsibilities:
- Clinical Research Administration
Exceeds departmental and organizational goals and customer expectations by delivering high quality research operations. Provides direction for the clinical research operation in accordance with ICH GCP guidelines and established regulatory, professional, and organizational standards. Develops, implements, and maintains policies, SOPs, and operational workflows. Ensures IRB policies and procedures are followed. Provides operational and administrative leadership, including oversight of the clinical team and regulatory specialist. Coordinates with ancillary departments (pharmacy, radiology, labs, scheduling, etc.) to ensure efficient daily operations and compliance with institutional and regulatory requirements.
- Leading People
Leads people toward achieving the organization’s vision, mission, and goals. Provides an inclusive workplace that fosters development, teamwork, and constructive conflict resolution. Responsible for efficient staffing to meet research department needs. Oversees hiring, orientation, training, coaching, and evaluation of coworkers to ensure safe, high quality patient care, protection of research subjects, and adherence to UNC Health standards. Delegates assignments, clarifies expectations, and holds others accountable for achieving results. Oversees workforce development, including competency assessment, training initiatives, and ongoing professional development for research staff. Encourages workforce engagement and builds a commitment to excellence.
- Leading Change
Initiates and manages change to support program growth, operational efficiency, and high quality research. Communicates a compelling vision and need for change that generates excitement, enthusiasm, and commitment. Leads strategic planning and program development, including long term staffing, infrastructure, and resource planning. Identifies new research opportunities and partnerships. Oversees risk identification, mitigation planning, and issue escalation. Serves as a role model for innovation and continuous improvement in organizational performance and clinical research operations.
- Results Driven
Prepares and maintains accountability for departmental resources and finances. Identifies variances and implements corrective actions. Oversees contract and budget negotiation and execution; serves as primary point of contact for NCHVR contracts. Reviews sponsor protocols to ensure capture of all points of service as they apply to the department and hospital. Determines applicable billable items, appropriate expense reimbursement, and operational cost coverage. Oversees research billing compliance, including review and approval of research patient billing accounts in Epic, Medicare Coverage Analysis (MCA), Medicaid attestation, coding accuracy, and financial reconciliation of charges. Uses financial information to monitor overall financial status and program performance and provides regular updates to leadership.
- Collaboration & External Relations
Promotes collaboration among physicians, healthcare team members, and other departments to maximize viable clinical trials, improve quality, and enhance participant and physician satisfaction. Works collaboratively with medical staff and departmental representatives to determine study feasibility and guides studies through required processes until trials are approved and opened for enrollment. Ensures active medical staff involvement in identifying clinical trial opportunities and securing participation as principal investigators. Facilitates collaboration with study sponsors and monitors to support ongoing data collection and ensure adherence to contracted timelines and study milestones. Provides study portfolio oversight, including review of feasibility assessments, study selection, activation timelines, and startup processes. Monitors key program metrics such as enrollment, audit outcomes, workload distribution, and financial indicators; attends PSV and SIV meetings. Manages communication and external relations, including interactions with physicians, sponsors, CROs, and institutional partners. Supports sponsor facing business development and relationship management. Provides monthly and quarterly operational reporting and represents the program in institutional and external meetings.
Education Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in an appropriate discipline is required. Master's degree preferred.
Licensure/Certification Requirements:
Professional Experience Requirements:
- Five years of clinical research experience
- Three years of management and contract negotiation experience
- Hospital based cardiovascular research experience preferred
Knowledge/Skills/and Abilities Requirements:
- LANGUAGE SKILLS Ability to read and interpret documents and instructions. Ability to write financial reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively with executive staff, department managers and accounting department staff.
- MATHEMATICAL SKILLS Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as addition, subtraction, percentages, and division. Ability to work with complex formulas, statistical methods, and exponential relationships. Ability to structure mathematical formulas from spoken instructions.
- REASONING ABILITY Ability to apply principles of logical thinking to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems. Ability to deal with nonverbal symbolism (formulas, scientific equations, graphs, etc.) in its most difficult phases. Ability to deal with a variety of abstract and concrete variables. Ability to work independent of supervision.
Job Details
Legal Employer: NCHEALTH
Entity: UNC REX Healthcare
Organization Unit: Rex NC HandV Research
Work Type: Full Time
Standard Hours Per Week: 40.00
Salary Range: $47.90 - $68.86 per hour (Hiring Range)
Pay offers are determined by experience and internal equity
Work Assignment Type: Onsite
Work Schedule: Day Job
Location of Job: US:NC:Raleigh
Exempt From Overtime: Exempt: Yes
This position is employed by NC Health (Rex Healthcare, Inc., d/b/a NC Health), a private, fully-owned subsidiary of UNC Heath Care System. This is not a State employed position.
Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran or political affiliation.
UNC Health makes reasonable accommodations for applicants' and employees' religious practices and beliefs, as well as applicants and employees with disabilities. All interested applicants are invited to apply for career opportunities. Please email applicant.accommodations@unchealth.unc.edu if you need a reasonable accommodation to search and/or to apply for a career opportunity.
See All 20 Research Director Jobs in North Carolina
Find roles in North Carolina that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Research Director JobsResearch Director Jobs by City in North Carolina
Where North Carolina roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Research Director Job Market in North Carolina
A snapshot from current North Carolina openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- United Therapeutics5

- Appalachian State University2

- Cambrex2

- Asklepios Biopharmaceutical1

- Atrium Health1

Top Industries Hiring
- Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals9
- Healthcare & Medical Services4
- Education2
- Consulting & Professional Services1
- Distribution & Wholesale1
What North Carolina Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in research director jobs across North Carolina.
- Advanced degree in a relevant field such as a PhD or master's degree
- 7 or more years of progressive research experience including supervisory responsibility
- Demonstrated ability to design, lead, and publish or present original research
- Proficiency with statistical software such as SPSS, SAS, R, or similar tools
- Experience securing and managing grants or external research funding
- Strong written and verbal communication skills for executive-level reporting
Research Director Jobs in North Carolina: Frequently Asked Questions
How many research director jobs are there in North Carolina?
There are 20+ research director openings in North Carolina on Migrate Mate as of June 2026, with the most roles in Research Triangle Park, Durham, and Boone. New positions post regularly as employers across North Carolina hire.
How much do research directors make in North Carolina?
Research directors in North Carolina earn a median of about $173,870 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $101,810 for the lowest 10% to over $305,970 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which North Carolina cities have the most research director jobs?
Research Triangle Park, Durham, and Boone have the most research director openings in North Carolina right now, with additional roles spread across smaller metros statewide.
Which companies hire research directors in North Carolina?
Employers hiring research directors in North Carolina include United Therapeutics, Appalachian State University, and Cambrex, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of June 2026.
Are there remote research director jobs in North Carolina?
Yes. About 40% of research director openings tied to North Carolina are remote or hybrid as of June 2026. The rest are on-site roles based in North Carolina metros.
How do I apply for research director jobs in North Carolina?
You can apply to research director jobs in North Carolina directly on Migrate Mate. Search the listings above, find roles that match your experience and preferred North Carolina location, then apply to each one that fits.
See All 20 Research Director Jobs in North Carolina
Find roles in North Carolina that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Research Director Jobs