Job Description

Staff - Non Union

Job Category Non Union Technicians and Research Assistants

Job Profile Non Union Salaried - Research Assistant /Technician 3

Job Title Research Assistant - Birth Place Lab

Department Birth Place Lab \xe2\x80\x93 Administration | Department of Family Practice | Faculty of Medicine

Compensation Range $4,434.02 - $5,228.81 CAD Monthly

Posting End Date February 19, 2024

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

Job End Date Feb 28, 2026

NOTE: 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.

This is a full-time position for a term of 2 years, with possibility of extension.

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 Research Assistant provides research support for the Birth Place Lab (BPL), a lab that specializes in community-centred, health services research and knowledge translation to advance equity, quality, and respect in perinatal services. The Research Assistant will be responsible for supporting a range of activities related to research projects in the area of reproductive health and justice. The Research Assistant will participate in analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data, supports research and data administration, and will support development of grants, manuscripts, presentations and data visualization.

Organizational Status

The Birth Place Lab (BPL), a research unit within the Midwifery Program in the Faculty of Medicine, facilitates transdisciplinary, community-based participatory action research aimed at improving access to high quality perinatal services, from preconception to early parenting. The BPL supports multi-national, multi-stakeholder teams as they collaborate on quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods provincial, national, and international research projects, and hosts trainees from midwifery, medicine, public health, and other disciplines. The BPL internal team includes the PI, Research Associates, Projects Coordinator, Equity and Operations Manager, and Research Communications Assistant. All team members liaise with Co-Is, external partners, and community partners who co-lead projects.

The BPL currently holds several grants that support research and knowledge translation on person-centered and respectful care for childbearing families, especially those from historically marginalized populations. These novel research projects are poised to inform health policy, system and service leaders about pragmatic, community-responsive modes of increasing accountability for rights-based, high quality health services for childbearing families. Current research studies are funded by various Tri-Council agencies and foundations, and are institutionally supported through the Division of Midwifery, Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine, the Women\'s Health Research Institute at BC Women\'s Hospital, and Child and Family Research Institute. The core research team is located in Vancouver, though transdisciplinary research and community partners are spread across North America, Europe, Africa, India, the UK, South America, and Oceania.

Work Performed
- Supports and performs data collection, management of datasets, and analysis:

Qualitative analysis of text survey

Organization, cleaning and coding of quantitative survey data

Performs basic quantitative analysis

Prepares data reports with tabulation and visuals for stakeholders

- Prepares lay language summaries of research findings
- Performs literature reviews to support manuscripts and KT products
- Supports the administration manuscript and abstract submissions, including citation management
- Identifies, critically assesses and summarizes literature relevant to proposed manuscripts and funding applications;
- Collaborating with PI, supports and writes grant application submissions, to major funding agencies (e.g., CIHR) and smaller foundations (e.g., Vancouver Foundation)
- Supports PI, Co-PIs, and Research Associates and community research partners to implement and deliver study protocols; and to prepare manuscripts, abstracts, posters and presentations for academic journals and conferences
- Coordinates the maintenance of research study records, including documents and communications in accordance with UBC and funding agencies
- Writes and assists with documents research meetings, decisions and deliverables, providing communication as necessary
- Collaborates respectfully with team members, trainees and community members at all times
- Other duties as required

Consequence of Error/Judgement
Errors in the Research Assistant\xe2\x80\x99s work will hold serious consequences for the timeliness and quality of the research project. While the work may be of a complex nature, tasks are assigned and the incumbent plans and schedules his/her own work.

Supervision Received
The Research Assistant reports to the Operations Manager. The incumbent will be provided with orientation and annual reviews. The Research Assistant will also take direction from the BPL PI, Research Associates, and Project Coordinators.

Supervision Given
The position may oversee the work of students, trainees, community research partners.

Minimum Qualifications
Completion of a relevant technical program or a university degree in a relevant discipline and a minimum three years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

- 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

Related experience in research support projects using qualitative and/or quantitative methods and/or participatory action research designs, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Facility with STATA/SPSS/R/SAS or other statistical packages.

Preferred: experience with qualitative and/or mixed-methods analysis of data, using Nvivo or similar program.

Experience communicating research findings in lay language

Experience with data management, commitment to data quality and integrity.

Experience working with racialized communities, Indigenous Nations, 2SLGBTQAI+ and/or populations underrepresented in health research and knowledge translation.

Demonstrated interest and experience in improving quality of pregnancy and birth care an asset.

Preferred experience doing basic analysis of survey data

Preferred experience using data visualization software

Demonstrated high attention to detail, excellent organizational skills (ability to set priorities and deal with multiple tasks. Demonstrated ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment, and within a team environment to meet deadlines.

Experience with Microsoft Office Suite, Excel.

Demonstrated excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

Commitment to respectful communication, collaboration and principles of equity and inclusion.

Familiarity with research ethics, grant administration, OCAP principles, and the Inclusion Action Plan an asset.

University of British Columbia