Department: IPR - Inst for Policy Res
Salary/Grade: EXS/7

Job Summary:

The Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science (Corners) is seeking a Research Project Manager with strong leadership, communication, and project management skills to join our growing team. Corners conducts cutting-edge research into the ways that network and neighborhood science can be used to understand and address gun violence and other pressing social problems in Chicago and beyond. Using an engaged approach, we work with community partners, civic organizations, and policymakers on research projects that seek to bolster their efforts to build communities that are safer, healthier, and more equitable.

The Research Project Manager will help lead large-scale research and evaluation projects focused on better understanding and developing solutions to neighborhood challenges such as gun violence. The project manager will be responsible for overseeing all day-to-day activities necessary to execute the research project, including project development, planning, and workflow management, overseeing data collection, supervising junior study team members, ensuring key deliverables are met, and disseminating results. The position offers the opportunity to work directly with leading social policy researchers, Chicago-based community organizations, and local city and governmental agencies.

A guiding principle of Corners is the hiring, training, and development of a diverse set of scholars and scientists. We encourage and welcome applications from members of groups who are traditionally underrepresented in the research field, those with lived experience, and those who are familiar with the neighborhoods in which our research is centered.

Learn more about Corners here: www.cornersresearch.org

Core responsibilities for this role include:

Manages all activities associated with biomedical &/or social-behavioral research studies considered very complex by the inclusion of several of the following: multiple investigators, teams, sites, sub-contracts, participants, longitudinal assessments/ interventions; &/or multi-million-dollar budgets. Ensures completion of contract requirements & client specifications. Oversees day-to-day operations including identifying & securing needed resources; creating, implementing, monitoring, & updating project plans; facilitating meetings with appropriate parties; tracking tasks/deliverables to ensure timelines, milestones &/or goals are attained; monitoring & reporting progress as appropriate; & resolving or escalating issues in a timely manner. 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).

The Research Project Manager will be a full-time employee of Northwestern University with full benefits. The project manager will work alongside other Corners staff and leadership in our office space on the Evanston campus of Northwestern University.

Please Note: Supervisor provides objectives and deadlines. Work is reviewed for fulfillment of objective and deadlines and overall compliance with policy and procedures. EE completes some activities without direction, informing supervisor only of potentially controversial matters, and/or far-reaching implications.

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.

* Plans, develops & implements new processes & protocols to support research studies & maximize/extend study 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.

* Reviews scientific literature & evaluates & recommends applicable techniques & procedures.

Administrative

* Analyzes, evaluates & interprets data to determine relevance to research.

* Assists PI in developing statistical methods & models to analyze & report data based upon study requirements.

* Prepares results & may co-author scientific papers for presentation & publication & disseminates information via seminars, lectures, etc.

* Creates data for use in grant submission & develop new proposals for research including obtaining financial support.

* Acts as liaison 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

* May create &/or manage research study budget which may include deciding on & approving expenditures of funds based on budget.

* Monitors accounts.

* Negotiates prices & specifications with vendors.

* Purchases supplies, materials, equipment & services.

* Ensures appropriate allocation & compliance.

* Invoices study sponsors for study tests/procedures.

* Coordinates & participates in budgetary negotiations with industry sponsors.

Supervision

* Trains, directs, assigns duties to & may supervise lab EEs, students, residents &/or fellows.

* Acts as a mentor in regard to education of junior coordinators.

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 or project management experience required.

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

Preferred Qualifications:

* Experience working on field-based and/or community-engaged research projects in Chicago or working at a community or civic organization that partners with researchers.

* Experience working with different kinds of data, including qualitative data (e.g., interviews) and/or large-scale quantitative data (e.g., administrative data), or some combination of the two.

* Experience working on projects that involve diverse sets of stakeholders (e.g., researchers, community partners, policymakers, civic organizations, etc.).

* Facilitation experience, including focus groups, or experience navigating conversations between diverse stakeholders.

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

* Familiarity with and/or experience working on the South and West Sides of Chicago.

* Familiarity with research project management, data collection, and data analysis.

* Strong verbal and written communication skills and attention to detail.

* Familiarity with Chicago-based efforts to improve public safety, reduce gun violence, and improve neighborhood well-being.

Target hiring range for this position will be between $67,000-$78,000 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

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at 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 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 to learn more.

Northwestern strongly recommends COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters for people who can obtain them as a critical tool for minimizing severe illness. More information can be found on the webpage.

The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami and Ho-Chunk nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of the land upon which Northwestern University stands, and the Native people who remain on this land today.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Click for information on EEO is the Law.

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