Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is one of Canada's largest academic health science centres, affiliated with the University of Toronto. Sunnybrook's bold vision is to invent the future of health care — a mission anchored in the belief that clinical trials are clinical care. The institution has confirmed clinical trials as a defining organizational strength and a central pillar of its Strategic Plan, setting the stage for enterprise-wide transformation of its research enterprise.
Sunnybrook is seeking an exceptional, visionary leader to serve as Executive Director, Clinical Trials — a newly created, strategic role reporting to senior executive leadership. This position is an enterprise priority, supported by a dedicated President's Task Force and the launch of the Pan-Sunnybrook Accelerate Clinical Trials (PACT) initiative.
The Executive Director will serve together with the Medical Director as the enterprise team for clinical trial strategy, operations, and performance across the institution. This is a rare opportunity to architect and lead a system-level transformation — building a world-class, centralized clinical trials enterprise that embeds research into care, drives global scientific leadership, and delivers measurable patient impact.
This is a career-defining opportunity to shape the future of clinical research at one of Canada's most storied health science institutions. The Executive Director, Clinical Trials will join at a pivotal inflection point — with full executive mandate, catalytic philanthropic funding, and an institution ready to transform. You will build something lasting: a clinical trials enterprise that makes Sunnybrook the global destination for impactful science and the place where patients access tomorrow's treatments today.
Sunnybrook's vision is rooted in three intersecting pillars:
Operational Excellence
Faster activation, centralized services, standardized processes
Scientific Success
Investigator-led ideas translated into landmark global trials
Global Leadership
Sunnybrook as the preferred site for high-impact industry & research trials
- Serve as the institution's operational leader for all clinical trial activity across programs and departments
- Translate Sunnybrook’s vision for clinical trials into an executable, multi-year enterprise strategy
- Champion a 'Research is Care' cultural transformation, embedding clinical trials into the standard of clinical practice
- Represent Sunnybrook externally as a global clinical trials leader with industry, government, philanthropic, and academic partners
- Report directly to senior executive leadership and serve as a key voice on the institution's research leadership team
- Lead the buildout and optimization of centralized clinical trials services spanning operations, legal, ethics, data management, biobanking, precision diagnostics, and industry relations
- Drive reduction of median time to trial activation
- Implement standardized activation templates, workflows, and KPIs across the enterprise
- Oversee deployment of an Enterprise Trial Management System with real-time visibility across the full trial lifecycle
- Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing, multidisciplinary team including for clinical trials
- Develop and manage High-Performing Teams (HPTs) focused on activation, implementation, bio-banking, methodology, precision diagnostics, and industry relations
- Oversee workforce planning, talent development, and succession for the clinical trials enterprise
- Serve as a connector and champion for Principal Investigators and Site Leads, reducing administrative burden and enabling faster trial launch
- Together with the Chair of Clinical Trails grow the portfolio of Sunnybrook-led investigator-initiated trials and support translation from scientific discovery to clinical protocol
- Drive growth in Sunnybrook's participation as PI, Co-PI, or Sub-Investigator on high-impact multi-site global trials
- Foster a pipeline of scientific publications, with a focus on high-impact journals
- Establish and lead a dedicated Industry Relations function to attract, manage, and grow partnerships with pharmaceutical, biotech, and device companies
- Negotiate and steward industry contracts, ensuring balanced and timely activation
- Position Sunnybrook as the preferred lead site for high-impact trials selected by industry, research funders, and philanthropy
- Work closely with Sunnybrook Foundation leaders to report the impact of philanthropy and leverage additional philanthropic support.
- Oversee enterprise-wide implementation of Trial Management Systems with integrated data analytics, budgeting, and reporting
- Drive automation and standardization to reduce investigator and coordinator burden
- Lead expansion of bio-specimen infrastructure and precision diagnostics capabilities, including 7T MRI capacity
- Ensure digital infrastructure is aligned to support complex trial design and real-time data management
- Establish a clear governance model with defined accountability, transparent KPIs, and regular Board-level reporting
- Ensure compliance with ICH-GCP, Health Canada, FDA, and applicable institutional and research ethics requirements
- Develop and manage a multi-million dollar operating budget, including catalytic philanthropic funding, and maximize cost recovery
- Build the business case for sustained institutional investment in clinical trials as a strategic asset
The Executive Director will be evaluated against the following KPIs:
- Time to activation: Reduce median activation
- Trial growth: Year-over-year growth in total active Sunnybrook-led and Sunnybrook-hosted trials
- Clinician engagement: Increase in clinicians serving as PIs, Co-PIs, and Site Leads across programs
- Patient impact: Increase in patients enrolled on-site and globally in Sunnybrook-led trials
- Industry & philanthropic investment: Growth in industry funding research grants, and philanthropic support
- Culture: Measurable shift toward 'Research is Care' as evidenced by staff surveys and trial enrollment rates
- MBA or equivalent graduate degree
- Minimum 10–15 years of progressive leadership experience in academic clinical research, including senior operational and strategic roles
- Demonstrated success building or transforming a clinical trials enterprise at an academic health science centre, hospital network, or CRO
- Deep knowledge of GCP, ICH guidelines, Health Canada, and applicable regulatory frameworks
- Proven track record engaging Principal Investigators and scientific leadership to grow trial portfolios
- Experience managing large, cross-functional teams and budgets in a complex institutional environment
- Exceptional stakeholder management skills across clinical, research, administrative, industry, and philanthropic audiences
- Experience leading enterprise-wide digital or operational transformation initiatives
- Established relationships with pharma/biotech industry partners and track record of securing major industry-sponsored trials
- Expertise in precision medicine, bio-banking, or advanced diagnostics research
- Experience with philanthropic fundraising in an academic health care context
