Sam’s career journey from trainee CRA to Senior CRA

If there's one thing that the pandemic made clear, it was that clinical research was an essential part of the global recovery and protecting us from future pandemics. Being one of the most critical markets to the economic prosperity and health of our planet, it should come as no surprise that the global clinical trial market is expected to hit a value of $77 billion by 2026. As a result, many professionals are turning their heads and taking notice of the growing career opportunities. However, it played out a little differently for Senior Clinical Research Associate (CRA) Sam Coxeter.

Sam told us that he didn't always know he wanted to forge a career in clinical research. In fact, he fell into the work. It turns out it couldn't have been a better industry for him to discover. He joined us in 2017 as a Trainee CRA, as a part of our CRA academy, and has since worked up to a Senior CRA role. So what has kept him at ICON all these years? It's simple - the people. We're proud of the culture we've built, whether that's in Sam's team in Melbourne, the IT team in India or our project managers over in the US.

If you're interested in knowing more about the career opportunities for CRAs at ICON, read to hear what Sam had to say.

When did you join ICON and why?

I was looking to make the leap from site-level work to a clinical research organisation (CRO) and start progressing my career in a new direction. ICON offered the job I wanted in a location I was looking to move to, so it was a perfect time, perfect place situation.

What was your experience of the CRA academy?

The academy was really pivotal in establishing a foothold at ICON and within the CRO world. It was helped by my manager at the time, who took the time to invest in our baseline knowledge, but more importantly, in the soft skills required to excel in those tricky situations that will come your way.

The other brilliant part was the networking we did within ICON. I think it’s something people don’t know about us, but we collaborate and share information like no other company. We’re always encouraged to ask questions and gather information, so building a network of information sources was arguably the most valuable experience we could have had.

What inspired you to become a CRA?

Quite honestly, I fell into clinical research. I was working at a research site and looking for the next step, though I wasn’t entirely sure what that would be. In my day-to-day role, I was heavily interacting with CRAs, and I felt it was something I’d be good at and enjoy.

It would be remiss to say I didn’t have help from some of the CRA colleagues about how to apply and a referral that ultimately got me the job here at ICON. But the fact that people were willing to endorse me meant a lot and reaffirmed that it was something I wanted to do.

What is your favourite thing about being a Senior CRA?

What I’m enjoying of late is mentoring and sharing the knowledge I’ve gained with some of our new starters and more junior associates. Also, there’s a portion of me that would say meeting a tough DBL or tight timeline is hugely satisfying.

What is the best thing about working at ICON? 

It might be a little cliché, but the people are the shining light here. It has been a tough couple of years in clinical trials, and it has driven home the key driver to stay at ICON and the reason I find it easy to start work in the morning - the people. I like working with my immediate team here, but there’s something more baked into the ICON DNA where we all push for common goals and help each other to get there that’s motivating for me.

Tell us more about championing the LGBTQ+ community at ICON.

So, myself and a few others have been championing the PRIDE community group at ICON for about two years. It has been a hugely gratifying experience as we move forward and drive awareness and change, both within ICON and the industry.

One of the surprising things about working on this agenda has been the interaction with other people in the industry and the discussions we have as a result. It really has been a very collaborative process both within ICON and externally. For those part of the LBQTQ+ community, I can safely say that ICON is a great place to be, and we only move onward and upward as we move forward with our PRIDE community group.

When you're not working, how do you like to spend your free time?

My dog takes up a shocking amount of my time, considering he spends so much of the day sleeping. But if I’m not looking after him (got to be sure I’ve got the snack cupboard well stocked), I try to play tennis a couple of times a week and spend time with friends, enjoying life in Melbourne.

Explore Clinical Research Associate jobs with ICON

The number of clinical trials listed each year is on the rise. According to the WHO, almost 60,000 trials took place across the globe in 2021. So what does that mean for you? It means

more career opportunities, and since ICON is the world's leading clinical research organisation, there's no better place to bring your career.

Whether you've had your sights set on a CRA career for some time now, or you're looking to find out more about what the job entails, we can help. Explore clinical research associate jobs at ICON to learn more about the day-to-day duties.