Research Patient Recruitment Specialist at Apex Clinical Research Center – Mayfield Heights, Ohio

Position Overview

Apex Skin and the Apex Clinical Research Center are physician-led, rapidly growing organizations committed to delivering exceptional patient experiences while advancing clinical research. We are seeking an experienced and energetic Research Patient Recruitment Specialist to support our clinical research operations by driving patient recruitment and retention efforts across active studies.

Reporting to the Research Network Director, this role is responsible for identifying, screening, enrolling, and engaging research participants in accordance with study protocols and regulatory requirements. The ideal candidate brings strong communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to build trust with patients while managing multiple studies in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

Schedule

• Full-time, salaried, exempt position
• Hybrid work schedule
• Increased on-site presence required during the first 30 days for onboarding and training
• Following onboarding, remote work is standard when not supporting on-site research activities
• On-site presence required as needed at the site level
• Occasional travel required to support research operations once established in the role

Essential Functions

• Plan, organize, and implement recruitment efforts to successfully meet enrollment goals
• Ability to maintain knowledge regarding multiple protocols including inclusion and exclusion criteria
• Build and maintain relationships with referral sources such as hospitals, physicians, and other clinical organizations
• Assess subjects’ qualifications for participation based on information gathered during prescreening
• Maintain ownership of sponsor provided portals
• Collaborate closely with core team leaders
• Demonstrate the ability to proactively identify solutions to improve existing business processes
• Monitor and report metrics to key stakeholders- maintains spreadsheets with current prescreening, outreach, enrollment metrics.
• May collaborate with marketing
• Demonstrate the understanding of recruiting diverse patients into clinical trials
• Serve as a liaison between Apex Dermatology providers and Research staff
• Design recruitment activities to maximize access to potential participants, which may involve irregular work scheduling to match community needs and availability, requiring occasional evening, weekend work and off-site local travel.
• Develops and maintains professional relationships, strong interpersonal skills, including frequent and open effective communication with stakeholders
• Other duties, as assigned.

Qualifications

• BA/BS/AD/High school diploma or equivalency
• Years of experience: 2-4 in the clinical research and/or medical field (clinical research coordination preferred)
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize.
• Strong organizational skills
• Effective communication skills- written and verbal.
• Travel requirements: may be required to travel across Apex clinical sites.

Physical Requirements & Work Environment

• Prolonged periods of sitting, standing, and walking within clinical, research, and office environments
• Frequent use of hands and fingers for typing, data entry, documentation, and use of electronic systems and sponsor portals
• Visual acuity sufficient to read medical records, EMR systems, study protocols, and recruitment metrics
• Ability to speak, hear, and communicate clearly with patients, providers, research staff, and external stakeholders
• Ability to occasionally lift or move up to 10 pounds (files, outreach materials, or clinical supplies)
• Work is performed in a professional clinical and office setting, including interaction with patients and collaboration with clinical, research, and administrative teams
• Hybrid work environment with on-site presence required for patient engagement, provider coordination, or recruitment activities
• Requires sustained attention to detail, organization, and professionalism when managing time-sensitive patient and study-related activities
• Must adhere to HIPAA, OSHA, and Apex Skin privacy, safety, and compliance standards

Apex Skin Culture

Apex Skin fosters a collaborative, patient-first environment built on compassion, clinical excellence, and teamwork. We believe in a respectful and supportive workplace where employees feel valued, trusted, and empowered to contribute to exceptional patient experiences and meaningful clinical care.

Employee Health & Safety Requirements:

All patient-facing employees are required to provide proof of a TB test within the past 12 months and an annual flu vaccination as part of Apex Skin’s employee health and safety protocols. The Hepatitis B vaccination series is also strongly recommended for clinical staff due to potential occupational exposure risks. Apex Skin complies with federal and Ohio law by providing reasonable accommodations for medical conditions or sincerely held religious beliefs that prevent vaccination. Employees seeking an accommodation should contact Human Resources for more information.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

Apex Skin provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Apex complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.