Job Description

Location: United Kingdom
Sector: Clinical Research & Quality Operations
Position Type: Full-Time

Ignite Innovation. Champion Patient Safety. Elevate Clinical Quality.

At our organization, we are a global healthcare leader driven by an inspiring purpose: to discover, develop, and deliver life-saving medicines, vaccines, and animal health products. The difference between potential and achievement lies in the spark that fuels inventiveness—a legacy we have built across more than 125 years of ethical, forward-thinking science.

We believe that world-class clinical research begins with uncompromised quality. We are seeking an experienced, proactive Country Clinical Quality Manager (CCQM) to lead clinical quality management for Clinical Trials Operations across the United Kingdom.

If you are a clinical research professional passionate about setting gold standards in Good Clinical Practice (GCP), continuous improvement, and the future of digitalized quality oversight, this is your opportunity to shape patient outcomes on a national and global scale.

The Opportunity: What You’ll Do

As our Country Clinical Quality Manager, you will serve as the strategic quality guardian and local subject-matter expert for our organization’s sponsored clinical trials in the UK. Reporting collaboratively within our regional and country leadership networks, your mission will be to safeguard patient safety, guarantee uncompromised data integrity, and drive sustainable operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities:

• Regulatory & Process Leadership: Act as the local authority on ICH-GCP and evolving UK clinical trial regulations. Partner closely with Country Operations Management to maintain robust SOPs, evaluate regulatory impacts, and identify opportunities for continuous process refinement.

• Continuous Quality Improvement: Lead country-level quality initiatives and collaborate on regional and global enhancement projects, turning proactive insights into standard best practices.

• Audit & Inspection Readiness: Serve as the primary local point of contact for internal quality assurance bodies and health regulatory agencies (e.g., MHRA). Lead inspection preparations, conduct root-cause analyses on findings, and drive meaningful, sustainable CAPA plans.

• Proactive Quality Control & Site Oversight: Coordinate and execute comprehensive in-house quality control plans and Quality Control Visits (QCVs). Identify trends early, conduct ad-hoc site evaluations, and deliver targeted corrective strategies.

• Issue Escalation & Investigations: Lead the escalation and investigation of significant quality, compliance, and privacy issues—including fact-finding, root-cause analysis, and serious breach evaluations. Oversee investigations into clinical supply GCP inquiries.

• Talent Development & Capability Building: Partner with our Learning & Development functions to assess local training needs, bridge operational knowledge gaps, and coach cross-functional study teams.

• Vendor & Supplier Qualification: Manage quality evaluations and requalifications of locally selected vendors and clinical suppliers, ensuring our high quality management system (QMS) standards are upheld.

What You Bring

We are looking for an analytical, collaborative quality champion who thrives in an agile, cross-functional clinical trials environment.

Education & Experience:

• Educational Background: Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant life sciences or healthcare discipline.

• Clinical Research Experience: 6–8+ years of dedicated clinical research experience, including direct field monitoring or monitoring oversight, with a track record of operational achievement. Experience within UK Country Operations is highly preferred.

• Regulatory Expertise: In-depth knowledge of ICH-GCP guidelines, local UK statutory requirements, and end-to-end clinical trial workflows.

• Quality & Audit Acumen: Direct experience in Clinical Quality Management, Quality Control visits/reviews, process improvement, and managing audits/regulatory inspections.

• Digital & AI-Forward Mindset: Proven ability or strong interest in leveraging modern digital assistants, analytics, or AI-powered workflow tools to enhance trend analysis, oversight, and knowledge management.

• Leadership & Influence: Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams, managing complex projects, and influencing stakeholders across local and international matrices.

Core Strengths:

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the diplomacy to navigate complex regulatory discussions.

• Strong root-cause problem solving and objective, strategic analytical capability.

• High ethical integrity, discretion, and a collaborative, solutions-oriented approach to conflict resolution.

Why Join Our Organization?

By joining our organization, you become an essential link in bringing groundbreaking therapies to patients who need them most. We offer:

• Meaningful Impact: Direct influence over the safety and integrity of cutting-edge clinical trials.

• Growth & Empowerment: Broad exposure to global clinical quality networks with continuous learning opportunities.

• Collaborative Culture: An inclusive, mission-driven environment backed by ethical leadership and supportive team members.

Ready to Make an Impact?

Take the next step in your clinical quality career. Apply today to join our team in delivering clinical research that transforms lives.

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

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Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

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