Assistant Director of Research and Methods​

University of Chicago • Hyde Park, VT

4d • $70,000 - $90,000

About The Position

Public Health Sciences (PHS) is the home for the core quantitative research fields in public health: biostatistics, epidemiology and health services research. Our faculty both lead research projects in these fields and participate in interdisciplinary teams with faculty in other departments to address complex problems in health and healthcare, in our communities and around the globe. Our mission is to improve the health of human populations and reduce differences in health by expanding knowledge of factors that affect health, by advancing differences in health methods for carrying out such research, and by training the next generation of innovative public health scholars and professionals. The Survey Lab is housed in PHS and has built a reputation for helping investigators plan & implement all phases of research tasks from study design through analysis. We collaborate with academic researchers, nonprofit organizations, and university administrators in a wide-variety of areas within social, health, education, and behavioral sciences and train students in data collection methods.

The Survey Lab is seeking applicants for an Assistant Director of Research and Methods to coordinate internal research studies as well as projects external to the University of Chicago. Responsibilities include the ability to manage and coordinate multiple complex research human subjects studies including contributing to the methodological plan, and the development and implementation of data collection protocols; developing project timelines; coordination of workflows between internal and external teams; scheduling and facilitating data collection, training and supervising field staff, documentation, data management, and archiving; and interpreting complex data; developing project deliverables; budget oversight; and performing and supervising the analysis of paradata and research data to present to varied audiences and to identify and implement changes/improvements to quality assurance processes. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in survey methods, experience planning and conducting qualitative and quantitative survey research and working with a research team, and familiarity with survey and statistical software. The successful candidate should possess excellent organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills. Attention to detail, the ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently and accurately, and working closely with others, are essential. The job necessitates meeting deadlines on short notice and tasks that may require flexible work hours including evenings or weekends. This at-will position is wholly or partially funded by contractual grant funding which is renewed under provisions set by the grantor of the contract. Employment will be contingent upon the continued receipt of these grant funds and satisfactory job performance.

Requirements

• Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
• Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in sociology, human development, psychology, public health, or a social-behavioral science related field.
• Strong background in survey methods.
• Experience planning and conducting qualitative and quantitative survey research and working with a research team.
• Familiarity with survey and statistical software.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with a high level of responsiveness.
• Excellent customer service skills.
• Proven ability to manage time effectively to manage multiple project timelines without losing sight of the high priority items.
• Attention to detail and creative problem-solving skills.
• Familiarity with survey tools (e.g., REDCap, Qualtrics, WinCATI) and ability to learn new software programs.
• Understanding of data management and analysis in statistical software (e.g., SPSS, R pipeline).
• Proficient using Zoom, and Microsoft Office Software (e.g., Teams, Excel).

Responsibilities

• Oversees research projects from study initiation to conclusion including data collection and management plans, technical approaches, and budget management.
• Develops operating procedures and workflow processes to ensure that the scope and direction of the project is on schedule; monitor project progress and deliverables; generate reports for internal and external partners.
• Develops recruitment and data collection plans including methods, tools, goals, and evaluation procedures.
• Oversees data collection, data management and reporting methods including transcribing and coding data; developing data collection instruments; presenting research; and recruiting and scheduling research subjects.
• Facilitates and monitors daily activities of research projects.
• Coordinates and creates documentation for projects including operating procedures, data collection forms, templates, and manuals.
• Directs technical support activities to develop and maintain tools and computational methods needed to gather and analyze data.
• Identifies, communicates, and resolves project issues; recommend and implement solutions.
• May supervise part-time staff members, including hiring, development, and performance management.
• Manages incentive documentation and provide incentives to participants.
• Works within team on budget management including monitoring/tracking budgets, reporting operational expenses, and reviewing and validating invoices.
• Uses subject matter and best practices knowledge to perform lab and/or research-related duties and tasks.
• Works independently to assist with project design.
• Solves complex problems relating to the administration of projects, including planning new procedures, adapting existing procedures to the needs of the project, and making significant contributions to methodology.
• Guides data collection, evaluation and analysis.
• Designs and manages databases.
• Writes reports, articles and manuscripts.
• Presents research findings at meetings and conferences, as well as to funding agencies.
• Conducts literature reviews.
• Develop and maintain liaisons and effective working relations with groups and individuals, agencies, and the public to encourage cooperative management strategies or to develop information and interpret findings.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Benefits

• The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level