Senior Clinical Research Officer

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Status: Full time, indefinite

Closing date: August 28, 2024

Salary range: $86,000 to $107,000 per year

CADTH is now Canada’s Drug Agency — a pan-Canadian health organization. We are an independent, not-for-profit organization headquartered in Ottawa, with a satellite office in Toronto. Created and funded by Canada’s federal, provincial, and territorial governments, we drive better coordination, alignment, and public value within Canada’s drug and health technology landscape. We provide Canada’s health system leaders with independent evidence and advice so they can make informed drug, health technology, and health system decisions, and we collaborate with national and international partners to enhance our collective impact.

We are proud to be a 2024 National Capital Region Top Employer. This recognition celebrates our dedication to fostering a work environment that nurtures growth; innovation; and inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA). It reaffirms our ongoing efforts to create an outstanding workplace where our employees thrive and feel valued.

Most of our employees participate in a hybrid workspace arrangement that allows for flexibility and enhanced work-life balance. Added consideration is given to qualified candidates who live near our offices and can participate in a hybrid arrangement. Those applying must be located in Ontario, except in rare circumstances where the employment position is remote.

Primary Focus

We are excited to welcome a new Senior Clinical Research Officer to support the Pharmaceutical Policy and HTA team and to contribute to the advancement of Canada’s Drug Agency.

The primary responsibilities of the Senior Clinical Research Officer are to conduct evidence-based analyses on pharmaceuticals, medical devices, procedures and other health technologies and prepare reports on the findings, with limited supervision from the manager. The Senior Clinical Research Officer will present the findings to expert advisory committees and respond to questions and challenges.

What do the daily responsibilities look like?

On any given day, the Senior Clinical Research Officer will:

• conduct evidence-based assessments (e.g., systematic reviews, meta-analyses, optimal use analyses, health technology assessments, formulary, therapeutic, and rapid reviews and environmental scans) on various health technologies (e.g., pharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostic tests) with limited supervision from Manager
• prepare reports that clearly communicate the research findings to meet customers’ needs (e.g., clinical reviews, briefing papers, technology overviews, manuscripts)
• lead or participate in a multidisciplinary team to conduct a critical appraisal of health technologies to meet customer expectations
• draft portions of the report or submission-based recommendations based on deliberations of the expert advisory committees, as requested
• provide regular updates on project status to the manager and other team members
• independently present and discuss research findings and methodologies to colleagues, customers, and expert and jurisdictional advisory committees and respond to feedback
• collaborate with external content experts, reviewers, stakeholders, and others to ensure the successful execution of assigned projects
• guide new internal research staff and external reviewers to ensure the quality of reports meets corporate requirements
• lead and participate in the development of program processes and research methods development, and other initiatives and special projects within the organization.

Is this the right role for you?

The Senior Clinical Research Officer will likely have:

• a graduate degree in a health-related discipline with a minimum of 2 to 4 years of research experience
• experience in critical appraisal of clinical evidence
• prior experience in conducting systematic reviews, meta-analyses or health technology assessments
• training in epidemiology, health technology assessment, pharmacy, or related disciplines
• training or experience in conducting, reviewing, or critically appraising observational studies
• an understanding of the principles of evidence-based medicine and study design
• strong analytical and critical thinking skills
• excellent oral and written communication skills and demonstrated strength in scientific or technical report writing
• interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with multidisciplinary teams, advisory committees, and external reviewers and experts, including the ability to review and provide feedback on others’ work and to respond constructively to feedback about your own work
• a working knowledge of biostatistics
• the ability to work independently, and to prioritize and effectively manage multiple tasks to meet competing deadlines
• a demonstrated ability to suggest improvements, present opinions, and articulate conclusions
• proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook.

What will set you apart?

The following are considered asset qualifications:

• training and/or experience in indirect treatment comparison methodologies and critical appraisal
• an understanding of basic concepts of health economics and the main types of economic analyses
• experience in reviewing and critically appraising qualitative research
• working knowledge of general statistical/meta-analysis software (e.g., Review Manager, SAS, ‘R’)
• past experience in successfully leading multidisciplinary project teams
• an understanding of Canada’s health care system, and knowledge of the decision-making processes for drugs and other health technologies within the federal, provincial, and territorial levels
• fluency in French.

What’s in it for you?

At Canada’s Drug Agency, you will find:

• a team-focused, supportive, and inclusive work environment
• a competitive compensation package, including participation in the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) — 1 of Canada’s largest and most successful defined benefit pension plans
• a comprehensive benefits package for employees and dependents, including health, dental, life, and travel insurance; a health spending account; and an employee assistance program
• paid time off (including a minimum of 4 weeks of vacation leave as well as sick leave and life leave, a December holiday closure, and other leave options)
• opportunities to work with and learn from highly specialized professionals
• personal growth through professional development opportunities, corporate training, and support for continuing education
• a friendly culture that supports community engagement
• the opportunity to make a difference for people living in Canada and effect positive change.

To apply for this position, visit the Careers section of our website. Your résumé must clearly identify how your skills and experience relate to the requirements of this role. Applications for this opportunity may be used for future staffing vacancies. We thank you for your interest; however, only those candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted. Please visit our website regularly for new opportunities.

At Canada’s Drug Agency, we actively celebrate, support, and flourish through our differences. Our employees are people with different strengths, experiences, and backgrounds, who share a passion for building the future of health care. We demonstrate a commitment to IDEA through continuous training, modelling inclusive behaviours, and proactively managing biases. We highly encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including people of all places of origin and religions, people with disabilities, people who are neurodivergent, people who are Black or racialized, Indigenous people, women, and people from the 2SLGBTQ+ community. We also provide accommodations during all phases of the recruitment process. If you require any accommodations during the recruitment process, please let the Talent Acquisition team know when they contact you. We will work with you to meet your needs.

Please note that, as a condition of employment, successful candidates will be required to complete a confidential pre-employment background check, including criminal, employment, and educational verifications.

Candidates must be legally eligible to work in Canada. We regret that we are unable to sponsor employment visas at this time.