Job Description

Staff - Non Union

Job Category Non Union Technicians and Research Assistants

Job Profile Non Union Salaried - Research Assistant /Technician 4

Job Title Project Coordinator

Department Kobor Laboratory | Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics | Faculty of Medicine

Compensation Range $4,558.75 - $5,354.67 CAD Monthly

Posting End Date August 22, 2023

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the Posting End Date above.

Job End Date Sept 4, 2024

This position is located within a health-care facility, therefore, the successful candidate will be required to provide verification of full vaccination against Covid-19 provided prior to the start date, as required by a provincial health mandate.

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Summary

The Kobor Lab is seeking a highly motivated and ambitious individual to work as a Project Coordinator on a research study focused on understanding the potential effects of in utero exposure to wildfire disaster events on biological markers at birth, including epigenetic and inflammatory markers, and longer-term effects on child development, health and behavior. The successful applicant will be involved in protocol and method development and study coordination and management and will work with an interdisciplinary team of investigators and trainees at the University of British Columbia, BC Children\xe2\x80\x99s Hospital Research Institute and BC Centre for Disease Control.

Major responsibilities include but are not limited to: writing and submitting human ethics applications, developing recruitment protocols, recruiting and consenting participants, administering questionnaires, liaising with study investigators, and preparing reports, funding applications, and other documents.

Organizational Status
This position reports to the lead Principal Investigator Dr. Michael Kobor (Medical Genetics), and works in conjunction with his research team and with other investigators and research personnel within the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT), University of British Columbia, and external institutions.

Work Performed

• Writes, prepares and submits applications and documents for approval by the UBC Research ethics board, including study protocols and consent forms
• Prepares data access requests, information sharing agreements and requests to Population Data BC for data access and linkage
• Develops and implements approaches for recruiting study participants from around British Columbia
• Oversees the progress of the research project, and participates in project/method development, execution of the study, data analysis, and dissemination of results
• Manages and oversees the project budget, forecasting, and maintenance of financial reports; completes financial processes using the UBC Workday system
• Consents participants and liaises with study participants to ensure completion of the study
• Administers questionnaires to participants
• Liaises with investigators and trainees involved in the project, including planning meetings and keeping team members updated on the study progress and results
• Oversees study progress and troubleshoots when required to ensure study milestones are achieved
• Performs data analysis, including data cleaning, processing, backup and storage
• Develops reports and other communications as requested by the funder and donors
• Identifies funding opportunities and develops funding applications; assists with manuscript writing
• Communicates with various stakeholders and end-users to disseminate study progress and results, including government agencies/ministries, non-profit organizations, and health authorities/organizations.
• Perform ad hoc duties as necessary.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

The incumbent is required to conduct all project coordination activities in an ethical manner following approved guidelines. Confidentiality must be respected when dealing with research data. Study files must be kept secured to ensure that patient confidentiality is not compromised. Errors made could influence the ability of research staff to meet critical deadlines, as well as compromise the results of research projects, and therefore impact the credibility and funding of the principal investigator, UBC and CMMT, and other internal and external research partners.

Supervision Received

Direction is provided by the Principal Investigator, Dr. Kobor; however, the position requires a strong independent work ethic and a candidate capable of setting their own directions and priorities within a given framework and working within agreed-upon milestones and timelines.

Supervision Given

May occasionally oversee junior staff and students as required.

Assists and provides guidelines to other research members as required.

Minimum Qualifications
Completion of a university degree in a relevant discipline or technical program and a minimum four years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Some positions may require a graduate degree.

- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one\xe2\x80\x99s own

- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one\xe2\x80\x99s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong understanding of human biology and life science is preferred;
• Experience in a scientific/medical research environment including a full understanding of research methodology;
• Experience in leading and managing a large research project;
• Demonstrated experience in preparing human ethics applications and with the UBC RISe system;
• Experience with the UBC Workday system, and UBC\xe2\x80\x99s financial processes, policies, and procedures is a strong asset;
• Experience with data processing and management, including commonly used statistical software (e.g. R, SPSS, Prism, etc.);
• Demonstrated experience coordinating large human cohort studies, including recruiting participants and working with confidential information and data;
• Computer literacy including Microsoft Office and writing/publishing software such as EndNote or Mendeley;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to communicate with a multidisciplinary team of researchers, members of the public and a broad range of stakeholders;
• Ability to work independently and to exercise initiative to make decisions and troubleshoot as required;
• High degree of resourcefulness, motivation, enthusiasm and initiative;
• Excellent scientific writing abilities and understanding of research methods;
• Excellent organization and communication skills (written and verbal);
• Ability to comprehend and incorporate broad scientific concepts and effectively communicate complex scientific issues;
• Ability to prioritize workloads and meet deadlines;
• Attentive to detail, with the ability to work quickly and accurately;
• Ability to interpret results and make recommendations for implementation;
• Ability to exercise tact and discretion in communication;
• Strong analytical, problem solving, decision making and organizational skills;
• Must conduct all activities in an ethical manner and treat funding information and research data confidentially.

University of British Columbia