At Headlands Research, we are dedicated to enhancing clinical trial delivery within our communities. As a leading network of advanced clinical trial sites, we leverage cutting-edge technology and exceptional support services to broaden outreach and participation. Founded in 2018, our rapidly growing company currently operates 20+ sites across the US and Canada, with plans for further expansion.
Marketing Manager, Patient Recruitment
Location: Remote
Department: Patient Recruitment & Marketing
Reports to: VP of Patient Recruitment & Marketing
The Role
The Marketing Manager, Patient Recruitment, is responsible for leading and scaling Headlands Research’s patient acquisition engine across its multi-site network. This role owns the end-to-end recruitment marketing lifecycle, including strategy, execution, performance optimization, budget management, and compliance. This leader will drive measurable improvements in enrollment outcomes, standardize branding and processes, expand into new acquisition channels, and ensure all marketing activities adhere to regulatory and ethical standards. The role requires a balance of strategic leadership, operational execution, and data-driven decision-making.
Responsibilities:
- Recruitment Strategy & Scaling
- Develop and execute scalable, multi-channel patient recruitment strategies across therapeutic areas and geographies
- Build repeatable frameworks to support rapid study start-up, enrollment acceleration, and cross-site deployment
- Partner with feasibility and operations teams to align recruitment plans with study timelines and enrollment targets
- Identify and activate new acquisition channels, including digital, community outreach, and referral networks
- Performance Marketing & Conversion Optimization
- Own full-funnel performance (impressions through enrollment)
- Optimize campaigns to improve conversion rates, reduce screen failures, and lower cost per randomized patient
- Implement structured A/B testing for creatives, messaging, targeting, and landing pages
- Build and leverage dashboards and analytics to drive continuous performance improvement
- Channel Management & Innovation
- Oversee paid and organic channel strategy (Meta, Google, TikTok, programmatic, SEO, email, SMS, etc.)
- Evaluate, onboard, and manage marketing vendors and platforms
- Drive innovation in patient engagement (video, digital experiences, content strategy)
- Expand into underutilized channels such as physician referrals, partnerships, and community-based outreach
- Branding & Standardization
- Establish and enforce standardized branding, messaging, and creative guidelines across all sites
- Ensure consistency in patient-facing materials while enabling localized optimization
- Oversee development and approval of marketing assets (ads, landing pages, email campaigns, educational materials)
- Partner with internal stakeholders to ensure messaging aligns with protocol requirements and patient needs
- Budget Management & Financial Oversight
- Own and manage patient recruitment marketing budgets across studies and sites
- Allocate spending strategically across channels to maximize ROI and enrollment outcomes
- Monitor budget pacing, forecast spending, and adjust allocations based on performance data
- Evaluate cost efficiency, including cost per lead, cost per screened patient, and cost per randomized patient
- Manage vendor contracts and ensure alignment with financial and performance expectations
- Compliance & Regulatory Adherence
- Ensure all recruitment materials and campaigns comply with IRB/EC requirements, HIPAA, and applicable regulatory standards
- Partner with regulatory and clinical teams to manage submission, approval, and version control of marketing materials
- Maintain audit-ready documentation of campaigns, approvals, and consent-related materials
- Ensure ethical, patient-centric messaging that aligns with clinical trial guidelines and sponsor expectations
- Team Leadership & Management
- Lead, mentor, and develop a team of recruitment marketing professionals
- Establish clear KPIs, performance expectations, and accountability structures for direct reports
- Manage external agencies and vendors, ensuring delivery against defined performance metrics
- Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and collaboration
- Operational Excellence & Infrastructure
- Build scalable processes for campaign launch, tracking, reporting, and optimization
- Ensure proper tracking infrastructure (UTMs, CRM integration, attribution models) is implemented and maintained
- Partner with technology teams to enhance marketing automation and patient engagement systems
- Standardize workflows and reporting across sites to drive efficiency and consistency
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, or related field required
- 7+ years of experience in digital marketing, growth marketing, or patient recruitment required
- 2+ years of people management experience required
- Proven experience managing marketing budgets and driving ROI
- Strong analytical skills with experience in CRM and marketing analytics platforms (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot)
- Experience managing multi-channel paid media campaigns
- Data-driven decision making
- Financial acumen and budget management
- Regulatory awareness and compliance rigor
- Growth mindset and innovation
- Operational scalability and process optimization
- Leadership and team development
- Patient-centric communication
- Experience in clinical research, healthcare, or patient recruitment environments a plus
- Familiarity with HIPAA, IRB processes, and regulatory considerations in healthcare marketing preferred
- Experience with marketing automation, CDPs, and attribution modeling highly preferred
- Experience in multi-site or network-based organizations a plus