Research Project Manager

Department: MED-Mesulam Ctr Cog Neur & Alz
Salary/Grade: EXS/7

Job Summary:

The Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease (Mesulam Center) is a multidepartmental component of the Feinberg School of Medicine. We specialize in the clinical care and scientific study of neurological diseases that interfere with cognition and behavior. Areas of emphasis include age-related memory impairments, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal degenerations, primary progressive aphasia, and related neurodegenerative conditions. Our three interacting missions are to investigate the causes and clinical characteristics of neurodegenerative diseases, to ensure that our patients are the beneficiaries of the latest advances, and to explore the neural foundations of behavior and cognition in health and disease.

The Research Project Manager will oversee day-to-day operations for the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) study and potentially other research projects. The ADRC is one of many ADRCs in the country making it a large multi-site study with each site enrolling participants to better understand cognitive aging, neurodegeneration, and dementia. The Research Project Manager will assist in progress report writing; compile metrics for progress reports, meetings, and presentations; facilitate meetings with appropriate parties; assist with recruitment and retention efforts; track tasks and/or deliverables to ensure timelines, milestones and/or goals are attained; and resolve or escalate issues in a timely manner. The Research Project Manager 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 successful candidate will be joining a highly collaborative research environment. Like current Mesulam Center research staff, we are looking for an individual who has a passion for science and helping others. We are expecting this person to be on-site Monday-Friday approximately 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM.

Please note: Position requires supervision of the autopsy pager which may or may not be during normal working hours.

Specific Responsibilities:

Technical

• Provides complex scientific & technical leadership in determining research priorities & the plan, design & execution of research projects ensuring that programs of investigation meet specified objectives.
  • Coordinate with other ADRC teams or Cores to integrate Clinical, Data, Neuropath and Outreach, Recruitment, & Education operations.
  • Coordinate with Mesulam Center project leaders (i.e., SuperAging, PPA, Clinical Trials, Quality of Life programs, etc.) to make subject and data transfers smooth, reduce subject burden, and eliminate duplication of effort.
• Plans, develops & implements new processes & protocols to support research studies & maximize/extend study and staff capabilities.
• Oversees completion of study activities per protocol.
• Ensures that study protocols are in compliance with appropriate rules & regulations & reviews study progress and recommends revisions, amendments, and/or other study changes as necessary to better meet needs of sponsors.
  • Maintains IRB and all regulatory documents.
  • Ensures staff are up-to-date on training and completing study activities in a compliant manner.
• Reviews scientific literature & evaluates & recommends applicable techniques & procedures.

Administrative

• Plans and leads All Cores meetings, team meetings, and meetings with Clinical Core leadership.
• Prepares results & may co-author scientific papers for presentation & publication & disseminates information via seminars, lectures, etc.
• Acts as liaison between sponsoring agencies, collaborating organizations &/or other research &/or educational institutions.
• Assist in the preparation of progress reports.
• Ensures that all study documents associated with current local, state, & federal regulatory guidelines, requirements, laws & research protocols are completed in a timely manner.
• Implements new SOPs and maintains existing SOPs.

Finance

• May create &/or manage research study budget which may include deciding on & approving expenditures of funds based on budget.
• Monitors accounts.
• Assists with invoicing from vendors.
• Purchases supplies, materials, equipment & services.

Supervision

• Trains, directs, assigns duties to & supervises research staff, students, residents &/or fellows.
  • Oversees visit procedures for research staff.
  • Manages four direct reports.
• Manages brain donation on-call rotation schedule and serves on-call to fulfill brain donations at subjects' time of death.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 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 5 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 3 years' research study or other relevant experience.
• Supervisory experience required.
• Human subjects research 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 knowledge of Alzheimer's disease, related dementias, &/or neurodegenerative disorders.
• Demonstrated knowledge of federal and state regulations governing the participation of human subjects.
• Strong computer skills.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Efficient and organized.

Preferred Qualifications:

• A bachelor's degree in a social or health science + 5 years' experience or a master's degree in a social or health science + 3 years' experience
• Supervisory or project management experience specifically with NIH grants.
• Experience administering neuropsychological tests.
• Experience with REDCap, Ripple Science, Study Tracker, &/or Epic.
• Experience with creating, implementing, and maintaining study procedures and SOPs.
• Managed at least two direct reports.

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Ability to train people for current assignment and mentor them in all aspects of research policy and procedures at a higher education institution.
• Ability to work effectively in an environment in which parameters may change daily and to adjust behavior to meet the needs of different people and situations
• Demonstrated knowledge in database management

Target hiring range for this position will be between $63,079 - $88,705 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.

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.

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