Knowledge Translation Coordinator (VEC)

Staff - Non Union

Job Category
M&P - AAPS

Job Title
Knowledge Translation Coordinator (VEC)

Department
Vaccine Evaluation Centre | Department of Paediatrics | Faculty of Medicine (Sigrun Murr, Manish Sadarangani)

Posting End Date
May 20, 2024

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

Job End Date
May 31, 2025

This position is located within a health-care facility. Therefore, this position requires successful verification of full vaccination against Covid-19 provided prior to the start date, as required by the provincial health mandate.

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. 

About the Organization
Established in 1988 at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, the Vaccine Evaluation Center (VEC) is jointly supported by BC Children’s Hospital and the University of British Columbia. The VEC brings together researchers from diverse backgrounds to work together towards a common goal of optimizing immunization programs and improving our understanding of vaccines. Visit https://bcchr.ca/vec for more information.

Job Summary
The Research Knowledge Translation (KT) Coordinator’s primary role is to support KT relating to the VEC’s research, vaccine evaluation, education activities, and similar activities. Responsibilities include providing direct support to VEC investigators and managers to achieve the VEC’s short- and long-term KT goals. This position involves KT-related event planning, project planning, grant submissions, and promotion of a strong positive profile for the VEC among the internal and external public, including patients and their families, volunteers, the media, the medical community, the health care industry, academia, all levels of government, and the general public.
Organizational Status
The Research KT Coordinator reports to the Director of the VEC and to the investigators affiliated with the VEC, as applicable.
Work Performed

Major responsibilities include the following:

• Planning, coordination, and execution of in-person and virtual KT events and workshops for the VEC; travel within Canada will be required.

• Provides meeting management and chairs project team meetings (including agenda development).

• Represents the VEC at meetings at BCCHR and liaises with other administrators to facilitate collaboration on common research KT goals.

• Provides direction and guidance to projects for effective KT to promote and support action for clinical practice and policy changes at UBC, BCCHR, and other clinical sites.

• Supports the planning, development, implementation, and project management of various KT projects, including consulting with researchers and other stakeholders as needed and preparing regular reports with reference to defined milestone targets.

• Researches, recommends, and implements internal and external KT activities such as employee information sessions or KT events for the general public.

• Interprets academic literature on a variety of topics and presents complex medical phenomena into non-technical language by writing lay summaries of academic journal articles for dissemination to the general public.

• Writes, edits, and coordinates production of a variety of print materials such as brochures, fact sheets, newsletters, and study recruitment materials. Produces content for VEC’s internal and external publications and liaises with designers, printers, and other suppliers as required.

• Regularly communicates with investigators regarding their research to research, prepare, and obtain approval for materials to be included in VEC and partner publications.

• Develops content for the VEC websites such as articles profiling investigators and their research.

• Engages with diverse stakeholders (researchers and research users) at various points in the research cycle to increase the use of health research evidence in practice, policy, and further research.

• Provides advice on research facilitation and support on KT activities such as letters of support, stakeholder and research team communication, and translation of research findings into plain language.

• Assists in the development of funding applications to support KT activities and events.

• Manages the day to day social media and website communications of the various research projects conducted at the VEC.

• Managing special projects and assignments as required. This includes keeping informed of new technologies that may be of use.

• Maintaining database of VEC accomplishments, publications and studies for reporting use.

• Identification of problems in the administration of the VEC research activities and working with the management/executive team to solve these problems. Implements new policies and procedures that are developed by the management team.

• Acts as a resource person to investigators, staff, and students in particular in the interpretation of university and departmental policies relevant to KT. Is responsible for exploring solutions for situations not covered by existing policies.

Consequence of Error/Judgement
This position requires a high degree of discretionary judgment, initiative, and tact.  A high level of reliability, accuracy, and maturity are also vital in this position. This position will be responsible for promoting a strong positive profile for the VEC, therefore errors in judgment can have serious impact on the operation of the VEC. Interaction with sponsors requires professionalism and appropriate communication skills that if not done well, would reflect poorly on the VEC. Delay or lack of planning can result in failure to hold a successful VEC event, and reflect poorly on the VEC.
Supervision Received
Responsible for working independently and receives general direction from senior managers and investigator(s). Responsible for completing assignments delegated by the Director of the VEC in support of the management team’s needs and priorities. Responsibility lies with the incumbent to prioritize the workflow and respond in a timely manner. With regard to day to day operations, the individual must recognize and prioritize additional tasks that need to be done, and proactively resolve problems. Work is reviewed in terms of effectiveness within the established policies of the Vaccine Evaluation Center, Department, and University. 
Minimum Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum of two years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own.

• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications
A degree in business, health, science or a related field. Recent related experience working in the science field and supporting health research in an academic environment would be an asset. Relevant office management and administrative experience in a research supporting role is an asset.

Skills/Qualifications

• Event planning:

Ability to manage and execute all aspects of events, both locally and nationally. Ability to establish relationships with event venues and vendors, collaborate with speakers and organize presentations, make accurate payments to vendors on time, and communicate with stakeholders and team members throughout the planning process. 

• Strategic planning:

Ability to strategically plan ahead, manage time well, think of better ways to do things. Ability to effectively manage multiple tasks and priorities. Ability to prioritize and work effectively under pressure to meet deadlines.

• Leadership:

Ability to develop and implement policies and procedures. Ability to identify, obtain, and effectively manage organizational resources.

• Communication:

Ability to communicate very effectively verbally and in writing. Ability to develop and deliver effective presentations on the VEC. Ability to manage multiple social media platforms, websites, and have a solid understanding of social media.

• Decision Making:

Ability to make thoughtful, informed, and thorough decisions. Ability to exercise sound judgment.

• Interpersonal:

Ability to deal with a diversity of people in a calm, courteous, and effective manner. Ability to develop and maintain cooperative and productive working relationships within the VEC and all collaborators. Ability to approach interactions with an awareness of sensitive issues. Ability to exercise tact and discretion. Ability to work effectively independently and in a team environment. Ability to work effectively with minimal supervision.

• Administrative:

Ability to be thorough, accurate, and have a high level of attention to detail. Ability to compose scientific correspondence, reports, presentations, and other written materials using clear concise English to promote research. Ability to efficiently and effectively coordinate tasks. Ability to gather, record, and organize information. Ability to respond appropriately to inquiries in person, on phone, and in writing, and make appropriate referrals. Ability to effectively use Outlook, MS Word, MS Excel, MS Access, MS PowerPoint. Ability to prepare and complete job-related documents using relevant content and appropriate format. Ability to understand and apply policies, procedures and instructions.