Clinical Trial Cognitive Rater/Clinical Research Coordinator

Description:

We are seeking a highly engaged, compassionate, and detail-oriented Clinical Trial Cognitive Rater / Clinical Research Coordinator to join our independent research site focused on Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other clinical research trials. This is a full-time, on-site role for someone who takes pride in excellent patient care, works well as part of a team, and is motivated by the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to high-quality clinical research.

This is a dual-function role from the start. The primary emphasis will be cognitive and functional rating activity when study volume supports it; however, this is not a rating-only position. During times when the schedule does not require rating activities, this team member will serve as a Clinical Research Coordinator or support coordinator on assigned trials. The right candidate will be a self-starter who can shift thoughtfully between responsibilities, communicate well with teammates, and maintain strong attention to detail in a fast-paced research environment.

We are especially interested in candidates of strong character who care deeply about patients and families, take ownership of their work, and bring a collaborative, steady presence to the team. On-the-job training will be provided for study coordination responsibilities and, where appropriate, for the development of rating capability.

Key Responsibilities

• Administer standardized cognitive, functional, and neurologic assessments, such as CDR, MDS-UPDRS, RBANS, MMSE, MoCA, and ADAS-Cog, across multiple clinical trials.
• Serve as a cognitive rater for assigned study teams, ensuring consistency, protocol adherence, and high-quality scale administration.
• Actively incorporate feedback to grow skills and strengthen scale administration performance over time.
• Serve as a Clinical Research Coordinator or support coordinator on assigned trials when rating activity does not fill the schedule.
• Coordinate and support patient-facing study activities in accordance with protocol, GCP/ICH guidelines, FDA regulations, IRB requirements, and company SOPs.
• Conduct and support subject visits, including follow-up, retention activities, and participant communication.
• Depending on background, experience, training, and delegation, perform clinical procedures such as vital signs, ECGs, phlebotomy, and basic laboratory processing.
• Support and enhance study recruitment through prescreening, community outreach, memory screens, and collaboration with the recruitment team.
• Maintain precise, timely, inspection-ready documentation in source documents, study records, and electronic systems.
• Document and escalate adverse events, protocol deviations, noncompliance, or quality concerns as appropriate and per protocol requirements.
• Maintain thorough knowledge of assigned protocols, investigational products, visit schedules, and study requirements.
• Build strong relationships with participants and caregivers to support retention, engagement, and an excellent participant experience.

Requirements:

Qualifications

• Master's degree or higher in Psychology, Neuroscience, Nursing, Social Work, or a related field.
• Experience administering cognitive assessments, such as CDR, MDS-UPDRS, MoCA, MMSE, RBANS, or ADAS-Cog, is preferred. Prior experience with tangential cognitive, neurologic, psychological, functional, or behavioral assessments is also qualifying.
• Candidates with appropriate education, clinical judgment, patient-facing experience, and strong learning ability may be considered even without prior formal rating experience.
• Background in clinical research, especially neurology, psychiatry, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, or other CNS trials, is a strong plus.
• Clinical experience with elderly populations, individuals with cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, or Parkinson's disease is preferred.
• Excellent communication, organization, documentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, on-site clinical research environment.

Preferred Skills

• Certification or formal training in cognitive, functional, or neurologic rating scales.
• Prior experience with rating vendors such as Cogstate, MedAvante, or similar platforms.
• Prior Clinical Research Coordinator experience or experience supporting clinical trial visits.
• Bilingual abilities are not required but are beneficial.

What We Offer

• Direct impact on cutting-edge research in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other therapeutic areas.
• A highly collaborative, mission-driven team environment.
• Opportunities to help shape best practices in cognitive assessment, recruitment, and study execution.
• Professional development, study-specific training, rating certification support, and on-the-job coordinator training.
• Competitive compensation and benefits.

Working Conditions

• Full-time, on-site clinical research role based in Ocala, Florida, with potential responsibilities at nearby locations in Central Florida.
• Role requires flexibility to shift between rating responsibilities and coordinator support based on study needs.
• Depending on assigned studies and site needs, travel less than one hour between regional research locations may be required.