Research Project Coordinator

Job Summary:

Manages daily operations of a biomedical &/or social-behavioral research study involving multidisciplinary teams of colleagues, sponsors & other external project stakeholders. Monitors study performance, analyzes & review results, & supervises development & implementation of new protocols. Assigns work & supervises study staff & reviews technical operations ensuring that all processes, protocols & procedures are quality controlled & functioning up to standards. Develops, implements & administers budgets, grant & administrative procedures. Co-author scientific papers for presentation & publication & coordinates writing, submission & administration of grants. Ensures that all study activities are completed by strictly following Good Clinical Practices (GCP) & all current local, state, & federal laws, regulations, guidance, policy & procedure developed by the NU Institutional Review Board (IRB), Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), & the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH).

The Research Application Design and Development (RADD) Core Center at the Feinberg School of Medicine is the software development unit of the Northwestern University Impact Institute. Impact is a university-wide institute dedicated to fostering research that improves the health and wellbeing of the sexual and gender minority communities. It currently has multiple NIH- and foundation-funded studies and actively collaborates with community-based organizations to conduct research and translate findings into interventions. The RADD team develops the innovative technologies and health-based interventions utilized by the Impact faculty, their collaborators, and tens of thousands of end-users nationwide.

The Research Project Coordinator will support a wide range of activities across recruitment, digital product development, and quality assurance for research studies. The Research Project Coordinator will primarily focus on designing and implementing social media recruitment campaigns for research studies, creating graphic design assets and product mockups to support development of study-related materials and websites, building and maintaining research-related websites using Cascade, Squarespace, and WordPress, collaborating with study teams, project managers, and software developers to clarify product requirements and ensure shared understanding of project scope, reviewing test procedures and developing comprehensive testing plans for research-related products, conducting quality assurance testing across multiple scenarios and documenting results, identifying, logging, and reporting bugs or errors, and assisting with troubleshooting issues in online programs, as well as monitoring, screening, and prioritizing incoming calls and emails, including managing and responding to inquiries sent to the RADD inbox from research teams. In addition, the Research Project Coordinator may help perform scientific literature searches in support of research, prepare reports for investigators and sponsors on pertinent study data, write portions of grant applications & co-author scientific papers, and complete documents associated with current local, state, & federal regulatory guidelines, requirements, laws & research protocols.

This is a 1-year term position with the opportunity for renewal based on performance and funding availability. If interested, please submit a resume and cover letter.

Target hiring range for this position will be between $51,346 – 64,473.00 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Specific Responsibilities:

Technical

• Leads execution & control of a biomedical &/or social science project or research study.
• Coordinates processing & analysis of data, conduct of experimental tests & procedures.
• Develops new &/or revised research methodologies.
• Ensures completion of study activities per protocol including recruitment.
• Ascertains pretreatment & eligibility requirements.
• Administers, schedules &/or scores tests.

Administration

• Oversees & manages collection, maintenance, analysis & evaluation of data that will be used in grant submissions, presentations & publications.
• Ensures that information is entered correctly into databases.
• Assists PI in reviewing, analyzing, interpreting, summarizing, formatting, editing, & preparing tables, charts, graphs, progress & final reports, etc.
• Coordinates between sponsoring agencies, collaborating organizations &/or other research &/or educational institutions.
• Ensures that all study documents associated with current local, state, & federal regulatory guidelines, requirements, laws & research protocols are completed in a timely manner.

Finance

• Manages lab/study budget & inventory including purchasing of supplies & services ensuring that they are necessary, reasonable & project related.
• Orders & maintains inventory of study supplies.
• Distributes intra-departmental charges.
• Negotiates with vendors, obtain quotes & arrange for demos of large equipment.

Supervision

• Trains, directs, assigns duties to & supervises research staff, students, residents &/or fellows.
• Acts as a mentor in regard to education of junior coordinators.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications: (Education, experience, and any other certifications or clearances)

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor’s or higher degree in a major such as social or health science or related; OR appropriate combination of education and experience and 3 years’ research study or other relevant experience required; OR
• Successful completion of a full course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a master’s or higher degree in a major such as social or health science or related; OR appropriate combination of education and experience and 1 year research study or other relevant experience.
• Supervisory or project management experience required.

• Must complete NU’s IRB CITI training before interacting with any participants & must re-certify every 3 years.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to adhere to instructions/procedures.
• Efficient and resourceful in problem-solving.
• Good communication skills; demonstrated effective spoken and written communication.
• Strong ability to prioritize tasks.
• Effective time management skills
• Demonstrated ability to take ownership of the work, possessing initiative, and good follow-through

• Ability to receive and benefit from feedback; willingness to expand skill set and improve.

Preferred Qualifications: (Education and experience)

• Experience with recruiting participants to research studies,
• Design experience and experience with visual communications

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Ability to work in a team environment
• Ability to work with minimum supervision and guidance
• Flexibility in adapting to new procedures and environments.

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life’s challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you’re interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.
Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern’s non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.