Brussels Pfizer Clinical Research Unit, Participants and Recruitment and Engagement Lead
StepStone
Brussels, Belgium Posted November 9, 2026
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Job Description
JOB SUMMARY
The Brussels Pfizer Clinical Research Unit, Participants and Recruitment and Engagement Lead (BR PCRU Participants and Recruitment and Engagement Lead) provides strategic and operational leadership for participants recruitment at the Brussels Pfizer Clinical Research Unit, ensuring high-quality service delivery. The Lead ensures ethical, inclusive, and participant-centred identification, engagement, pre-screening, and enrolment of healthy volunteers and special populations while safeguarding participants' rights, safety and privacy.
The role supports timely, compliant study delivery and translates site and portfolio priorities into data driven recruitment strategies aligned with R&D goals. The Lead builds high-performing teams that responsibly use approved AI, automation, risk based strategy and analytics to improve targeting, forecasting, database management, and decision-making while maintaining human oversight, ethics, and participants data privacy.
Key accountabilities include: local recruitment strategy and delivery; study feasibility and portfolio forecasting; enrolment-risk management; participant experience and ethical recruitment; team, capacity and budget leadership; recruitment data quality and privacy compliance; vendor/channel performance; digital enablement and continuous improvement; local cross-functional coordination; and cross-site sharing of practice through PCRU governance JOB RESPONSIBILITIES Recruitment Governance and Resource Oversight:
Capacity and resource planning Colleague and contractor allocation Recruitment channel and vendor management Advertising, outreach and budget management Workload, training and competency oversight Team Performance management Inspection and audit readiness Business continuity to sustain critical recruitment activities during operational disruption or resource constraints. Database health and participant-contact quality supporting privacy, data quality and positive participant engagement.
Strategic Participant Recruitment & Portfolio Delivery Recruitment strategy
Lead the development and delivery of the Brussels PCRU participant recruitment strategy in line with site priorities and the resource parameters established by the Brussels Site Head.
Predictive planning and protocol feasibility
Shape early study strategy by assessing recruitment feasibility, developing evidence-based plans aligned with timelines, quality and budget, and proactively mitigating or escalating risks. Compliance, ethics and process improvement: Develop, implement and continuously improve applicable local procedures, ensuring team compliance with relevant Pfizer policies, SOPs and work instructions.
Participant data stewardship
Ensure recruitment data are collected, maintained, accessed and used in accordance with privacy requirements, consent provisions, Pfizer standards and defined data-owner and data-steward accountabilities. Digital Innovation, Automation & Responsible Adoption Digitalization and automation opportunities: Identify high-value opportunities to simplify processes, increase efficiency and improve operational outcomes through appropriate digital t...
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
Education
Bachelor's degree in life science, health-related, data science, or healthcare administration discipline is required.
Clinical Experience
Minimum of 15 years of experience in clinical trial operations or participant recruitment, with at least 7 years within a pharmaceutical company or a Contract Research Organization (CRO) environment.
Digital & Analytics Literacy
Demonstrated experience evaluating, adopting, or implementing advanced digital systems, automated databases, or AI-enabled tools to optimize operations, analyze datasets, and support executive-level business decisions.
Leadership Track Record
Minimum of 5 years of experience leading teams, managing personnel, directing complex operational processes, and navigating organizational change management.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Strategic & Systems Thinking:
- Outstanding capability to translate complex operational data, digital dashboards, and AI-generated models into clear, actionable recruitment strategies and executive-level recommendations.
Regulatory Mastery
Thorough and deep understanding of Phase I clinical operations, ICH-GCP, European and Belgian clinical trial regulations, and data privacy laws (GDPR).
Stakeholder Influence
- Exceptional communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to lead and align cross-functional, multi-disciplinary stakeholder groups behind strategic goals.
Problem-Solving:
- Strong, proactive risk-management capability, with expertise in scenario modeling, continuous operational improvement methodologies, and structured root-cause analysis.
Required Skills
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