PACO Research Program/Project Manager

Mass General Brigham•Boston, MA

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Medical Practice Evaluation Center (MPEC) within the Mongan Institute is seeking an experienced, intellectually curious and highly organized individual with international research experience to serve as a Research Program/Project Manager. The candidate will work with an internationally-recognized, multidisciplinary team from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, alongside collaborators from many institutions across the globe, on projects spanning a range of methodologies including observational studies, translational studies, qualitative studies, implementation science studies, and others, with the overarching goal of promoting health equity and improving quality of life for populations living in diverse settings globally. The team’s research efforts are typically (but not exclusively) focused in Uganda, South Africa, and sometimes in the U.S. The Research Program and Project Manager will play a key role in research program administration, including supervision of research activities, training, and staff. Specifically, the manager will assist the principal investigators with strategic development and research group organization, management of a team of research assistants and administrators, organization and oversight of materials transfers, coordination of data management and sharing, oversight of financial management and planning, assistance with grant organization and submission, and support for conference and travel scheduling and planning. There are multiple possibilities for interaction with other researchers at MGH, Harvard-affiliated institutes and schools, and our domestic and international research partners. Example projects include: • An observational study that uses clinical data, placental histology, and advanced 3D stereology with AI modeling in a multi-country birth cohort to identify placental features that predict neurodevelopmental and growth outcomes in children who are HIV-exposed but uninfected. • A study to determine whether women with HIV who take dolutegravir during pregnancy have increased postpartum cardiovascular risk, which assesses hypertension, vascular function, biomarkers, and placental pathology compared with women on other antiretrovirals and HIV-uninfected controls. • A project identifying mechanisms by which maternal HIV infection and antiretroviral exposure alter placental gene expression and vascular development along the placenta-brain axis, leading to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in HIV-exposed uninfected children. • A project investigating how maternal HIV exposure alters infant gut microbiome development and immune maturation, using multi-omics approaches in a longitudinal birth cohort to identify mechanisms driving growth stunting in HIV-exposed uninfected children.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree Related Field of Study required
Master's Degree in public health, public policy, management, or related field required.
3+ years experience in an academic, research, or related setting required
Experience in international settings is required
Program Management

Responsibilities

Responsible for managing medium to large-scale projects within an assigned functional area or across multiple entities.
Takes ownership of the project lifecycle overall by guiding teams and staff, facilitating communication between stakeholders, and monitoring progress toward project goals.
Ensures that the project is completed successfully and provides support to team members and stakeholders as they complete essential tasks.
Develops comprehensive project plans, monitors, and manages projects from initiation through completion.
Secures required resources and uses formal processes and tools to manage resources, budgets, risks, and changes.
Manages projects to ensure on-time completion, within specifications, and within budget.
Communicates regularly on project status with project stakeholders.
Owns project plans for medium to large-scale projects.
Provides guidance to project coordinators.
Identifies potential risks early, analyzes the possible impact, and develops mitigation strategies.
Work independently under the general direction of the research faculty members
Partner with the faculty members to develop and optimize scientific group strategy and management
Provide technical oversight and supervision of research assistant that work on projects within their managed portfolio
Work with recruiting team to recruit a new research assistant cohort within the MPEC each year, and facilitate recruitment efforts at international sites by participating in job description development, posting employment opening advertisements in setting-appropriate channels, screening applicants, and interviewing selected candidates
Meet regularly with programmatic leadership to discuss strategic planning, opportunities to enhance operations, and management approaches
Ensure research integrity, including data documentation and data management, by developing best practices, provide ongoing training, and monitoring for adherence
Monitor personnel resource allocations and advise MPEC leadership on factors affecting research productivity
Manage and participate in collaborative grant-writing projects
Keep team aware of research conferences and associated deadlines
Coordinate all administrative aspects of multiple active and pending projects
At project outset, clarify project goals, deliverables, tasks, timeline, and research team
Throughout project duration, plan, track, and report on project tasks, responsible parties, timelines, etc.
Delegate project tasks among project team
Proactively take steps to help others move forward, whether it is planning project-specific meetings, getting people to make decisions, bringing in additional resources, etc.
Ensure research quality by closely monitoring adherence to research protocols and data/materials agreements for each project in management portfolio
Serve as a liaison between team members at various US and international collaborative research sites
Manage study project coordinators in areas of financial documentation, reporting, procurement, and maintenance of study equipment and supplies
Monitor employment contracts of international staff and engage with local HR offices to address contract issues including pay changes, promotions, and renewals
In conjunction with the Compliance Manager, coordinate and monitor Institutional Review Board applications and reporting for international projects, including all applicable review dates and deadlines to prevent lapses in approval
In conjunection with the Compliance Manager, coordinate data sharing/materials transfer agreements and manage data and materials exchanges among collaborating institutions