Employee Path
Gonzalo
MANAGER, PHASE II-III Clinical Operations
I joined Parexel in 2006 as a clinical trial specialist (CTS). Prior to that, I worked as a lab technician for five years. I heard about the CTS job from a colleague who had joined Parexel. I was looking for an opportunity to grow my career and have challenging experiences, and I saw this was possible at Parexel.
Now, I am a Phase II-III Clinical Operations line manager in our Buenos Aires, Argentina office. I lead a group of clinical monitoring associates (CMAs). My main role is to ensure the team delivers with high-quality standards in a profitable way so that we delight our customers at the end of the day. I engage with my direct reports on a daily basis to know what they are doing and help them do their jobs. As a line manager I guide my staff in their career growth at Parexel. We also need to keep our eyes wide open to ensure our staff is engaged, motivated and happy. This plays an important role in customer satisfaction and business growth.
There are five key skills I think you need to succeed. First, is active listening. You need to obtain information from staff in individual and team meetings as well as from functional leads. Second, is transparency. It’s important to give and receive feedback and propose what can be improved. Third and fourth are flexibility and adaptability. You must be able to adjust to changes. These skills I also see as important for everyone. Finally, fifth is staff engagement. As a line manager, you must understand their strengths and weaknesses, so that you can help them be successful.
We interact with various project team members on a daily basis, such as clinical operation leaders (COLs), project leaders (PLs) and site contract leaders (SCLs). Teamwork and collaboration are a must. Parexel is a project-based company – we must all row together in the same boat to get to the other shore. In addition to project teams, CMAs interact with and remotely monitor sites. We also work remotely with Clinical Research Associates (CRAs) Communication is the key for success in this department.
Parexel is a great company to work for and is continuously growing. This offers opportunities for everyone. You have to manage your own career. I always looked for and found opportunities to grow professionally and that’s what I like the most about Parexel.