Program Administrator

Department: MED-Medical Social Sciences
Salary/Grade: EXS/7

Target hiring range for this position will be between $63,079 - $80,000 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.

Job Summary:

Lab for Scalable Mental Health

The Lab for Scalable Mental Health (LSMH; https://www.schleiderlab.org/), directed by Dr. Jessica Schleider, conducts research at the intersection of digital health, public health, dissemination and implementation science, and clinical psychology. The Lab's overarching mission is to create, evaluate, and disseminate brief, scalable supports that bridge gaps in mental healthcare ecosystems, with a focus on harnessing technologies to serve youth facing structural barriers to treatment. Our team has pioneered a new area of intervention science-single-session interventions (SSIs) for mental health-that opens tangible paths toward reducing mental health problems at scale. Via multiple federal, foundation, and industry-funded grants, LSMH is national leader in running clinical trials and cross-sector evaluations of digital and lay provider-delivered SSIs. Through these initiatives, LSMH's SSIs have served more than 150,000 people to date. LSMH is a team science-oriented, dynamic research environment including more than 30 members at all professional levels, including undergraduates, BA- and MA-level scientific staff, doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, and research faculty. LSMH is committed to ensuring that diverse voices and perspectives are reflected in the Lab and to ensuring all members' career development growth.

Overview/Background about the Department of Medical Social Sciences (MSS)

LSMH is housed in Department of Medical Social Sciences (MSS) in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. MSS is a novel transdisciplinary department that advances innovative social science methods to improve health outcomes. We serve as a collaborative hub across clinical and basic science departments in the medical school and the Evanston-based arts and sciences schools. We intend to meet a growing need for expanded interdisciplinary scientific collaboration, to promote discovery of multidimensional mechanisms of health and disease, to improve adult and child health status and outcome assessment, and to collaborate with partners across the translational spectrum. MSS is committed to creating a world of inclusion, health, and well-being for all. We hire the best people from a wide variety of backgrounds because drawing on diverse perspectives and experiences will be the foundation of our department's future success.

LSMH Program Administrator

The LSMH Program Administrator is a newly created Lab-wide position designed to provide operational and administrative support to Dr. Jessica Schleider (Lab Director), and to develop and coordinate efficient systems for lab-wide communication and scientific operations spanning a large portfolio of complex, multi-sector research and implementation projects (the lab's active project and grant portfolio exceeds $8 million). The PA will support administrative, regulatory, and operational activities of LSMH and contribute to establishing, expanding, and monitoring success of SOPs Lab-wide. The individual must be extremely well-organized with a high level of initiative, very attentive to detail, possess excellent written and spoken communication skills, and have an outstanding ability to manage and work well with a diverse set of staff and researchers at all educational levels.

The PA will work closely with the LSMH team to maintain, implement, manage, and improve efficient systems for lab operations and functioning. They will also be responsible for meeting coordination with cross-sector partners, including national and international healthcare and government agencies, and tracking of follow-up and action items. This individual will be the lab's primary liaison to the Department (MSS) and University systems (e.g., HR), the Office of General Counsel, Procurement, and NUCORE (for contract initiation, execution, and management). The PA will also provide instrumental support on preparation and submission of grant materials to the Office of Sponsored Research.

This PA position is an ideal opportunity for individuals interested and well-versed in public health, complex operational challenges, and management of procedures to guide team-based intervention and implementation science. Depending on interests and skills, there may be opportunities for the exceptional individual to engage in research activities, from collaborating on research projects to co-authoring scientific manuscripts to contributing to grant proposals.

Key responsibilities include:

Administrative and operational collaboration and support to Dr. Schleider, as well as administrative support to all lab faculty, including leading a range of tasks spanning multiple Northwestern departments and external partners.

Implement and manage of lab-wide communication and scheduling systems, including: well-organized and efficient systems of staff/lab member communication, meeting documentation, and progress tracking; training team in active use of systems, including communication and scheduling systems.

Refine, develop and ensure ongoing updating of Lab-wide operational procedures. Work closely with LSMH leadership and team members to develop program-wide clear, well-documented administrative procedures and manuals for program operations including staff onboarding, participant payments, IRB submission, grant submission, budget preparation and management, and a broad range of operational tasks.

Grant preparation and submissions support, including collaborating with research administration on tracking and collating specialized grant documents; working with LSMH researchers on both scientific documents and research Biosketches; assisting with administrative documents; formatting, proofreading, and editing final grant documents.

Manage negotiation and execution of all research- and consultation-related contracts, in collaboration with relevant Northwestern offices (NUCORE, OGC, etc.), to forward lab mission and enable large-scale, multi-partnered scientific work.

Engage and support research efforts based on project needs or individual interests, which may include manuscript writing; participant recruitment and payments; qualitative and quantitative data analysis; and intervention adaptations and development.

Provides leadership on operations program/project, recommending goals, assessing feasibility and ongoing performance & providing day-to-day oversight of administrative & operational functions.

• Administration
• Budget & Financial
• Communications
• Faculty Support
• Grants/Contracts
• Outreach
• Regulatory Compliance
• Strategic Planning

Specific Responsibilities:

Administration

• Oversees & ensures that day-to-day operations are appropriately managed, efficient and effective.
• Operationalizes goals & objectives; ensures that resources are created or obtained.
• Manages logistics requirements, including facilities, venue, scheduling, technology, instruction, catering, etc.
• Oversees documentation of agreements between NU and partner institutions, ensuring that agreements are complete and reviewed by all necessary NU officials
• Ensures necessary hardware, software & network infrastructure technology services are appropriated from central or internal IT.

Budgets & Financial

• Ensures that the program/project meets associated revenue & expense goals.
• Develops and implements ideas for improving business processes, and increasing program/project revenues and margins.
• Plans & manages complex budget(s) which fund strategic mission including financial sustainability & enhancement models
• Oversees all daily, monthly & annual financial activities including transactions, analysis, & reporting.

Communication, Outreach & Recruitment

• Engages in outreach/field relations serving a number of goals, including recruitment, participation, sponsorship, relationship building, etc. to support continued program/project development & improvement.
• Interacts with internal/external resources & organizations to identify new markets & opportunities.

Faculty Support

• Oversees all aspects of faculty administrative tasks (colloquium, seminar, travel, faculty COI survey, annual report, etc.) ensuring optimal faculty support.

Grants & Contracts

• Manages professional research administration support staff in order to facilitate & enhance all administrative grant processes & related compliance.
• Builds relationships with Principal Investigators (PIs) & NU research associated offices
• Transfers knowledge & advises on research policy & procedure

Strategic Planning

• Develops & executes strategies to involve internal/external constituents and cultivate new individual, corporate, institutional &/or foundation collaborations

Supervision

• Supervises 1-2 staff.

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; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.

• 4 years program/project administration or other relevant experience.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree

• 1 year program/project management or other relevant experience.

• Familiarity with word processing, spreadsheet, database, and web-based applications.

Preferred Qualifications:

• A master's degree in psychology, public health, social work, or related field

• 3 years of program/project coordination, management, or related experience

• At least one year of experience managing teams of 10+ people

• At least 1 year of research-related experience, such as experience with: participant recruitment and enrollment of clinical and vulnerable populations (e.g., adolescents with elevated depression symptoms); quantitative and qualitative data collection, coding, and analyses; coordinating with various members of a study team (e.g. research staff, trainees, and investigators); maintaining qualitative and/or quantitative research databases; assisting with IRB documentation and compliance; assisting with annual progress report preparation for grant-funded research.

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Exhibits energy and desire to achieve; sets ambitious goals and acts decisively; takes initiative to improve or enhance job results

• Seeks to build collaboration by encouraging trust, mutual respect and shared purpose among various participants in an engagement

• Displays consistency and success in adhering to deadlines

• Demonstrates ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously

• Working knowledge of Qualtrics

• Experience conducting quantitative and/or qualitative clinical research

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.

#LI-GY2