TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POSITION, PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT A RESUME VIA LINKEDIN. PLEASE EMAIL A COPY OF YOUR RESUME AND A COVER LETTER TO REBECCA JOHNSON AT RJOHNSON@BCAN.ORG. APPLICATIONS VIA LINKEDIN WILL NOT BE REVIEWED.
ABOUT BCAN
Founded in 2005, the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network's (BCAN's) vision is to create better todays and more tomorrows for everyone impacted by bladder cancer. Our mission is to provide patients with the critical information and community support they need to thrive today – and champion innovative research and responsive national policy to inspire hope for tomorrow.
Each year, BCAN provides thousands of patients, caregivers and the medical community with the educational resources and support services they need to navigate their bladder cancer journeys. BCAN works collaboratively with medical and research professionals who are dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer.
We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Program Officer to play a lead role in the oversight, management, and strategic advancement of the Bladder Sparing Therapy Registry (BLAST), a large, prospective multi-site research effort focused on understanding treatment decisions and outcomes in bladder cancer.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Program Officer plays a central role in advancing BCAN’s research strategy by stewarding complex, multi-site research programs that address critical gaps in bladder cancer knowledge and care. Reporting to the Vice President of Research, this role combines hands-on oversight of BCAN’s flagship BLAST registry with strategic partnership in shaping future collaborative research initiatives aligned with BCAN’s strategic plan and the evolving bladder cancer research landscape.
The Program Officer serves as BCAN’s primary point of contact for BLAST, a national, multi-center observational study involving academic investigators, industry partners, and patients. In this role, the Program Officer ensures scientific, operational, and contractual alignment across stakeholders while translating study progress and emerging insights into future research direction.
This position is ideal for a professional who can independently manage complex research programs while also exercising strategic judgment about how philanthropic investment, cross-sector collaboration, and data-driven insights can accelerate progress in bladder cancer research. The Program Officer works closely with BCAN’s research, finance, and communications teams, as well as outside counsel, external investigators, vendors, and industry funders.
ABOUT BLAST
BLAST is a multi-center, prospective, observational trial designed to address gaps in understanding treatment decision-making and outcomes in patients with intermediate and high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer as well as identify biomarkers for response and recurrence in muscle invasive bladder cancer. BLAST seeks to generate real-world evidence that can inform clinical practice, future interventional trials, and translational research efforts. With over fifteen participating clinical sites and eight corporate partners, BLAST represents one of BCAN’s flagship research investments and reflects the organization's role as a convener and catalyst within the bladder cancer research ecosystem. The registry's national scope and longitudinal design position it as a foundational platform for future collaboration and patient-centered research.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
BLAST Registry and Major Research Program Oversight
- BLAST Registry and Major Research Program Oversight
- Provide administrative, strategic and operational leadership for the BLAST Registry, ensuring scientific progress, cross-stakeholder alignment, and execution consistent with BCAN’s research priorities and funder expectations.
- Manage day-to-day coordination and oversight across participating sites, vendors and investigators.
- Track study timelines, milestones, and deliverables, ensuring consistent follow-up, documentation and communication.
- Support Principal Investigators and Steering Committee members through scheduling, preparation of materials, meeting coordination, and follow-up activities, acting as a strategic partner to support scientific progress while ensuring alignment with BCAN priorities and funder expectations.
- Develop and maintain systems to monitor enrollment, data quality, and study progress and outcomes in collaboration with Clinical Research Organization (CRO), using insights to inform study execution and future research planning.
- Oversee adherence to study protocols, timelines and milestones for any other assigned BCAN-supported research programs.
Contracts, Compliance, and Financial Oversight
- Serve as the primary BCAN point of contact for all BLAST study funders, managing communications, reporting expectations, and contractual flow-down requirements.
- Lead efforts to finalize any funder contracts still under negotiation and support the development of new funder agreements for BLAST or future research initiatives.
- Ensure compliance with all funder and CRO contractual obligations, including reporting requirements, data-sharing provisions, and timelines.
- Work closely with the Vice President of Finance to track program budgets, review invoices and ensure timely and accurate payments.
- Manage and oversee contracts related to BLAST and any other assigned research programs, including coordination with BCAN’s contracted CRO, academic institutions, and funders.
Research Operations, CRO Oversight, and Site Coordination
- Serve as primary point of contact for the CRO responsible database development, site operations and site-level contracting.
- Manage regular communications with the CRO, including issue escalation, documentation and tracking of CRO deliverables.
- Ensure site contracts are finalized and fully executed in coordination with the CRO and participating institutions.
- Track and collect required regulatory documentation, including IRB approvals and amendments.
- Coordinate communications across participating study sites in partnership with the CRO, including development of site newsletter providing study updates and progress to all sites.
- Collaborate with CRO and study teams to support development and ongoing maintenance of the REDCap database.
Regulatory, Reporting, and Dissemination Activities
- Coordinate and oversee ClinicalTrials.gov registration, updates, and results reporting, as applicable.
- Support and coordinate the submission of abstracts, manuscripts, and presentations arising from BLAST and other BCAN-supported research programs.
- Review study-related documents, reports, and publications, in collaboration with study investigators, to ensure accuracy, clarity, and alignment with BCAN standards.
- Oversee adherence to reporting and dissemination requirements across all funder contracts.
BCAN Research Program Strategic Development and Portfolio Support
- Partner with the Vice President of Research to identify emerging scientific opportunities, gaps, and collaboration models within the bladder cancer research field.
- Contribute to the development of new research funding initiatives, registries or collaborative studies aligned with BCAN’s strategic goals to maximize impact.
- Provide leadership support across BCAN’s broader research portfolio, including pre-award and post-award management, portfolio synthesis, and cross-program coordination as needed.
- Prepare summaries, reports, presentations, or web content in collaboration with BCAN’s research and communications teams to highlight research progress, impact, and learning.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Advanced degree required in a relevant field (e.g., MPH, MS, MPA/MPP, PhD, or equivalent).
- Minimum of 5-7 years of progressively responsible experience managing health-related research programs, registries, or multi-site studies, with demonstrated involvement in study design, start-up, implementation and ongoing oversight.
- Experience working within nonprofit, academic, government, or research-focused organizations, with demonstrated ability to collaborate and serve as the primary point of contact for senior-level stakeholders, including pharmaceutical or biotechnology company partners.
- Proven experience in grants and contracts administration, including post-award management, funder reporting, compliance monitoring, and coordination of contractual obligations across multiple partners.
- Demonstrated ability to manage and monitor research program budgets and track financial deliverables in partnership with finance team.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively and professionally with Principal Investigators, clinicians, researchers, senior industry partners, funders, and vendors. Able to synthesize and translate complex scientific and operational information for diverse audiences.
- Strong project management skills, sound judgment, and the ability to operate independently while managing complex initiatives in a dynamic and evolving research environment.
- Demonstrated ability to understand and assess a disease-focused research landscape and identify how individual programs contribute to broader scientific and patient impact.
- Experience working across cross-sector research collaborations involving academic, industry, nonprofit, and CRO partners.
Schedule
This position is full-time at 40 hours/week.
Location
The successful candidate has the opportunity to work quasi-remotely, with time spent at BCAN’s National office in Bethesda, MD as determined necessary.
Compensation
Salary range for this position is $100,000 - $120,000. BCAN offers an excellent benefits package including paid time off, retirement plan contributions, medical, dental, vision insurance and competitive salary commensurate with experience. BCAN is a leader in the bladder cancer community and is committed to diversity.
APPLICATIONS VIA LINKEDIN WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. EMAIL YOUR RESUME AND COVER LETTER TO RJOHNSON@BCAN.ORG.
