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Blackrock Neurotech

Develops implantable neural interfaces for communication

Director Clinical Affairs

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/25/2026
No salary listed
Expert
Bachelor's
Salt Lake City, UT, USA
In PersonSalt Lake City is the ideal home base; remote employees must make regular on-site visits for routine work and departmental events.
Biology & BiotechClinical Research Operations

About the job

Requirements
  • A bachelor's degree in a relevant field and 10 or more years of progressively responsible clinical development or clinical affairs experience within the medical device industry are required.
  • At least three years of demonstrated leadership experience, including building and leading a team from the ground up, defining its organizational structure, hiring key talent, and establishing the processes and infrastructure needed to scale, are required.
  • Experience advancing Class III and/or permanently implantable medical devices through meaningful stages of clinical development is required; pivotal development, regulatory approval, or commercialization experience is ideal.
  • Experience designing and executing clinical investigations, including IDE/EFS programs and clinical evidence generation, is required.
  • The candidate must be able to work across Clinical, R&D, Regulatory, Quality, and executive leadership and translate clinical requirements into actionable development strategies.
  • Experience building and scaling teams in smaller organizations, while operating strategically and personally driving critical activities when needed, is required.
Responsibilities
  • Develop and execute the company's clinical development strategy in alignment with R&D, regulatory, and commercial objectives.
  • Translate product-development objectives into clinical evidence strategies for investigational and commercial-stage products.
  • Develop clinical strategies for early feasibility studies, IDE programs, pivotal investigations, and post-market clinical activities as appropriate.
  • Define clinical development plans, evidence requirements, milestones, timelines, and resource requirements for individual products.
  • Work with Regulatory Affairs to develop clinical strategies supporting FDA and global regulatory submissions.
  • Ensure clinical strategies align with intended use, risk profile, regulatory classification, and product-development stage.
  • Lead the development and execution of clinical investigations involving implantable neural interfaces and brain-computer interface technologies.
  • Lead study closeout, post-study assessment, lessons learned, and downstream clinical deliverables, incorporating findings into future clinical and product-development decisions.
  • Provide strategic input into study design, protocols, endpoints, patient populations, sample sizes, inclusion and exclusion criteria, follow-up requirements, and statistical considerations.
  • Develop clinically meaningful and scientifically defensible primary and secondary endpoints.
  • Assess the appropriateness of proposed patient populations and clinical-use scenarios for evaluating device safety and performance.
  • Work with investigators and cross-functional teams to develop practical clinical workflows for implantation, recording, stimulation, device management, follow-up, and explantation where applicable.
  • Oversee clinical research organizations, clinical vendors, and other external partners as required.
  • Establish appropriate clinical-monitoring and study-management processes.
  • Establish a systematic approach for collecting, analyzing, and communicating clinical evidence across the company's product portfolio.
  • Evaluate clinical data for safety, performance, efficacy, feasibility, usability, and long-term device performance.
  • Develop clinical evidence packages supporting regulatory submissions, investor communications, scientific publications, and internal decision-making.
  • Ensure appropriate distinction between preliminary clinical performance, feasibility data, and statistically supported efficacy claims.
  • Identify gaps in clinical evidence and develop strategies to address them.
  • Work with Data Science, Biostatistics, and Engineering teams to translate neural-recording and clinical datasets into meaningful clinical evidence.
  • Work closely with Regulatory Affairs to support FDA IDE, EFS, 510(k), De Novo, PMA, Breakthrough Device, and other applicable regulatory strategies.
  • Provide clinical input into regulatory interactions, including Q-Subs, IDE submissions, FDA meetings, and responses to regulatory questions.
  • Partner with Quality to ensure clinical processes are appropriately incorporated into the company's QMS.
  • Ensure clinical investigations comply with applicable regulations, standards, protocols, and ethical requirements.
  • Support the development and maintenance of clinical procedures, work instructions, and clinical quality systems.
  • Contribute clinical input to hazard identification, risk estimation, clinical risk, and residual-risk assessment.
  • Develop relationships with leading neurosurgeons, brain-computer interface researchers, and other key clinical stakeholders.
  • Establish and manage a network of clinical investigators and key opinion leaders.
  • Identify appropriate clinical sites and investigators for early- and later-stage studies.
  • Represent the clinical function with investigators, research institutions, strategic partners, and regulatory authorities.
  • Monitor developments in brain-computer interfaces, neuroscience, intracranial recording, deep brain stimulation, neuroprosthetics, and related fields, and translate relevant developments into the company's clinical strategy.
  • Support scientific publications, conference presentations, investigator meetings, and other external scientific activities.
  • Build and strengthen the Clinical organization by defining the roles, capabilities, processes, and infrastructure needed to support the evolving product portfolio.
  • Establish clear expectations for clinical inputs and deliverables across functions, coaching partners in R&D, Engineering, Quality, and Product Management to strengthen clinical readiness and execution.
  • Assess the maturity of existing clinical capabilities, processes, and cross-functional inputs, and prioritize improvements required for near-term programs and long-term growth.
  • Establish scalable processes that can transition from early-stage clinical development to larger clinical programs.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience with brain-computer interfaces, neuroscience, deep brain stimulation, intracranial recording or stimulation, or another implantable neurotechnology is strongly preferred; experience with other complex Class III or permanently implantable medical devices will also be considered.
  • Experience interacting directly with FDA and other global regulatory authorities to advance Class III medical devices through clinical development, regulatory submission, approval, and commercialization across multiple jurisdictions, including familiarity with applicable FDA submission processes and global requirements such as EU MDR, is preferred.
  • Experience establishing productive clinical partnerships with leading investigators, academic medical centers, and research institutions is preferred.
  • Familiarity with eQMS and design-control platforms such as MasterControl, Ketryx, TrackWise, or comparable systems is preferred.

About the company

Blackrock Neurotech develops brain-computer interface (BCI) technology. Its main offering is the Utah Array, a microelectrode device implanted in the brain to record neural signals, along with software and hardware to decode those signals so users can control computers, prosthetic limbs, or other devices. The company sells its BCI systems to research institutions and medical device companies and also provides engineering and consulting services to support implementation. Unlike many competitors that focus on noninvasive or software-only solutions, Blackrock Neurotech provides invasive neural interfaces with a complete hardware–software pipeline for recording, decoding, and using brain activity. Its goal is to help people with paralysis and other neurological disorders communicate and interact with their surroundings by restoring neural communication through implanted interfaces.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Growth Equity (Venture Capital)

Total Funding

$24.1M

Headquarters

Salt Lake City, Utah

Founded

2008

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • June 2026 MoveAgain expanded to a third clinical site, accelerating patient enrollment.
  • July 2026 safety and efficacy results strengthen reimbursement, regulatory, and partner confidence.
  • MindX integration and Tether's $200 million capital support a full-stack BCI rollout.

What critics are saying

  • Tether's 2024 majority stake ties Blackrock's strategy to one volatile crypto owner.
  • Blackrock still sells research-grade implants, leaving Neuralink and Precision Neuroscience to chase commercial clinics.
  • Any 2026 trial failure in MoveAgain or INTENT would delay commercialization for years.

What makes Blackrock Neurotech unique

  • Blackrock Neurotech's Utah Array has been used in humans since 2004.
  • June 2026 FDA breakthrough designation accelerated Blackrock's high-density recording array review.
  • July 2026 human ICMS data showed 27 implant-years without serious adverse events.

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Benefits

  • Commuter Benefits
  • Paid Holidays
  • Paid Sick Leave
  • Company Social Events

Growth & Insights and Company News

6 month growth

13%

1 year growth

13%

2 year growth

9%
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Tether, a cryptocurrency company, has invested $200 million in US-based Blackrock Neurotech, a competitor to Elon Musk's Neuralink. Blackrock Neurotech develops brain chips aimed at helping individuals with neurological diseases regain abilities such as walking, talking, hearing, seeing, and feeling. The technology also enables users to control prosthetic limbs through thought and experience sensory feedback, enhancing interaction with robotic arms. The investment will help commercialize and launch the technology, already used by 40 people.

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Tether has invested $200 million to acquire a majority stake in Blackrock Neurotech, a leader in brain-computer-interface technology. This partnership aims to accelerate the development and commercialization of BCI technologies, which allow direct brain communication with devices, enhancing functions like operating robotic arms and driving cars. This move aligns with Tether's strategy to diversify its portfolio and invest in transformative technologies.