Research Project Coordinator

Department: MED-Medical Social Sciences
Salary/Grade: EXS/5

Target hiring range for this position will be between $51,346-$64,473 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:

Manages daily operations of a biomedical &/or social-behavioral research study involving multidisciplinary teams of colleagues, sponsors & other external project stakeholders. Monitors study performance, analyzes & review results, & supervises development & implementation of new protocols. Assigns work & supervises study staff & reviews technical operations ensuring that all processes, protocols & procedures are quality controlled & functioning up to standards. Develops implements & administers budgets, grant & administrative procedures. May co-author scientific papers for presentation & publication & coordinates writing, submission & administration of grants. 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).

Dr. Cindy Veldhuis in the Department of Medical Social Sciences is seeking a recruitment and retention coordinator to lead participant screening, enrollment, and engagement on NIH-funded research focused on couple relationships and family planning. Specific duties below.

We are seeking a diverse pool of candidates. Candidates from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in research are encouraged to apply.

This is a grant-funded position and continued employment is contingent upon the grant.

Specific Responsibilities:

Technical

• Will develop and implement a recruitment and retention plan and oversee all recruitment and retention activities.
• Ensure completion of study activities per protocol including recruitment.
• Obtains informed consent.
• Develop plans to identify, screen, and enroll eligible participants.
• Support research manager in developing participant-facing documents (i.e., consent).
• Support research manager in ensuring IRB compliance.
• Maintain continued participant engagement through strategic outreach, screening, and relationship building.
• Identify and engage participants from historically underrepresented, hard-to-reach and vulnerable populations through a combination of social media advertising campaigns and creative recruitment materials.
• Manage participant contact systems and coordinate scheduling with other SOQIR lab members.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for participants to answer questions and schedule visits.
• Ensure participant-centered communication through all stages of the study.
• Develop and track recruitment metrics.
• Maintain regular contact with enrolled participants and implement retention strategies to encourage continued engagement.
• Assist the PI and research manager in final reports.

Administration

• Oversees & manages collection, maintenance, analysis & evaluation of data that will be used in grant submissions, presentations & publications.
• Ensures that information is entered correctly into databases.
• Assists PI in reviewing, analyzing, interpreting, summarizing, formatting, editing, & preparing tables, charts, graphs, progress & final reports, etc.
• Coordinates between sponsoring agencies, collaborating organizations &/or other research &/or educational institutions.
• Ensures that all study documents associated with current local, state, & federal regulatory guidelines, requirements, laws & research protocols are completed in a timely manner.

Finance

• Assists lab manager in managing lab/study budget & inventory including purchasing of supplies & services ensuring that they are necessary, reasonable & project related.
• Assist lab manager in participant compensation procedures.

Supervision

• Trains, directs, and assigns recruitment and retention duties to research staff and students.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications: (Education, experience, and any other certifications or clearances)

• Experience recruiting and engaging diverse, hard-to-reach, vulnerable, and/or stigmatized populations.
• 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 3 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 1 year research study or other relevant experience.

• Must complete NU's IRB CITI training before interacting with any participants & must re-certify every 3 years

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

• Hands-on experience developing, testing, and maintaining REDCap databases.
• Strong project coordination skills and ability to prioritize tasks.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to adhere to instructions/protocols/procedures.

• Demonstrated effective verbal and written communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications: (Education and experience)

• Proficiency in REDCap, including survey design, longitudinal study setup, and data validation.
• Demonstrated experience or interest in working in women's health or wellbeing.
• Demonstrated experience or interest in working with LGBTQ+ community.
• Experience in social science (Psychology, Sociology, etc.) research.
• Experience with community-based participatory research or other community-centric research models.
• Strong interpersonal skills to build trust with participants.

• Ability to establish relationships with community partners to enhance recruitment.

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Demonstrated knowledge of, and experience working with, LGBT communities and issues.
• Ability to write recruitment and retention SOPs as well as training materials for the research team.
• Ability to work in a team environment.

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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