Activation Specialist - Clinical Trials - Regular Full-Time 2026-18559

Description:

Sunnybrook Research Institute (SRI) is a $100M multidisciplinary research community, fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and servicing a broad spectrum of research programs and platforms. The Centre for Clinical Trial Support (CCTS) is SRI’s coordinating centre in support of investigator-driven clinical research projects and clinical trials and has recently expanded its mandate to support site level clinical trial activities at Sunnybrook in support of SRI’s strategic plan to enhance patient access to research opportunities.

In support of the work led by the President’s Task Force for Accelerating Clinical Trials (PACT), CCTS is seeking a highly motivated and organized individual looking to join our site operations team as an Activation Specialist – Clinical Trials. The successful candidate will work closely with research teams, the Research Ethics Office, Clinical Operations, Legal Services, Finance, and external partners to support and accelerate clinical trial activation across the institution, including initiatives such as the 45 day Fast-Track Pathway for Institutional Authorization.

Summary of Duties:

1.    Activation Navigation & Coordination
•    Support institutional readiness and timely trial activation for Institutional Authorization (IA) and the 45 Day Fast-Track pathway by working with research teams, the Research Ethics Office, clinical operations, legal services, finance, and external partners. Closely support research teams to enhance their preparedness for the required IA approvals. 
•    Serve as a central point of contact among all stakeholders to support communication, issue identification and resolution, and alignment of workflows and expectations throughout the activation process to drive improvement in IA times.

2.    Best Practices Implementation  
•    Promote and support implementation and optimization of activation-related best practices, standardized tools and processes, technologies, and reporting systems to ensure a coordinated and optimized approach 
•    Ensure alignment with Clinical Trials Ontario (CTO), TAHSN, and other provincial and national initiatives where applicable.

3.    Stakeholder Engagement and Education 
•    Build collaborative relationships with internal stakeholders, industry sponsors, academic partners, and external organizations, such as pharmaceutical and biotech companies, to support efficient and effective clinical trial activation. 
•    Educate all stakeholder on best practices for initiating clinical trials to drive consistent and efficient trial activation, including delivering in-person and virtual information sessions to clinical research staff at all levels across the organization. 

4.    Performance Monitoring and Process Improvement  
•    Track, analyze, and report on key performance indicators related to IA timelines and activation processes (e.g., contracts, budgets, REB approvals, operational reviews), identify barriers and process gaps, and recommend opportunities for improvement.
•    Triage and support resolution of individual trial and systemic IA bottlenecks to maintain momentum toward target timelines 

5.    Support other identified needs to improve navigation of clinical research activation when needed

Qualifications/Skills:

• Completion of a Bachelor’s degree or recognized equivalent in a health or science-related discipline
• Completion of a post-graduate Clinical Research program is an asset
• Previous work experience in clinical research at Sunnybrook Research Institute is an asset
• Minimum 3 years of hospital-based clinical research experience, including working knowledge & experience with study-start up
• Experience activating multisite, industry-sponsored and/or investigator-initiated trials in Ontario is highly desired
• Familiarity with current provincial priorities to improve trial competitiveness and access is an asset
• Experience with REDCap, Power BI, and/or Project Management tools preferred
• Highly organized, detail oriented and self-directed, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines
• Strong relationship building and interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to engage and coordinate across multidisciplinary teams and use good judgment when decision making