Research Project Manager, RPCA

Founded in 1863, Boston College is a Jesuit, Catholic university located six miles from downtown Boston with an enrollment of 9,484 full-time undergraduates and 5,250 graduate and professional students.  Ranked 35 among national universities, Boston College has 888 full-time and 1,281 FTE faculty, 2,711 non-faculty employees, an operating budget of $1.4 billion, and an endowment in excess of $3.5 billion.

Job Description

Full-Time Equivalent Hiring Range: $64,850 to $81,050; salary commensurate with relevant experience.

The Research Program on Children and Adversity (RPCA) at the Boston College School of Social Work (BCSSW) is an applied research program dedicated to improving the evidence base of understanding trajectories of risk and resilience in children facing multiple forms of adversity, including poverty, conflict, and infectious disease. Through quantitative and qualitative research methods, the program investigates key mechanisms shaping child development and mental health. The program develops evidence-based mental health and family based preventative interventions that support positive outcomes and can be effectively delivered at scale in low-resource settings both in the United States and abroad. With a current focus on hybrid designs, the RPCA prioritizes understanding intervention effectiveness and implementation /process outcomes that support scaling and sustainment efforts. The role will support research programs such as our portfolio of programs in Sierra Leone, including a 20-year longitudinal intergenerational study of war affected youth in Sierra Leone and an ongoing study of a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) based intervention, the Youth Readiness Intervention (YRI), among youth facing adversity in Sierra Leone that examines the spillover and diffusion of the YRI by quantifying the indirect benefits experienced by peers and caregivers through a cost-effectiveness and return on investment analysis. For all current RPCA projects, please visit our website: bc.edu/rpca

The Research Project Manager will oversee a team of faculty collaborators to coordinate all research outputs and deliverables related to the studies and directly contribute to public health by providing critical data to help close health services gaps in LMICs and extend the reach and societal benefits of evidence-based mental health interventions. The Research Project Manager will manage day-to-day activities, research budgets, and contribute to and coordinate research protocols. The Research Project Manager be responsible for supporting additional funding requests to further strengthen the implementation science research. The Research Project Manager will support monitoring and evaluation of data and contribute to dissemination efforts as needed by the faculty collaboration team. The Research Project Manager reports to the Social Science Data Analysis Manger of the RPCA. The Research Project Manager scope of work is dependent on funding and RPCA needs.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Research Management (40%):

• Build and steward critical relationships with collaborative partners and act as primary contact for external relationships with faculty and international collaborators to ensure program deliverables are met.
• Maintain project budgets and forecast expenses and allocate expenses across study.
• Lead preparation of IRB/local ethics committee applications, and oversee data collection.
• Support in-country program team on data collection efforts, including traveling to Sierra Leone as needed.
• Coordinate reporting efforts for funders and manage timelines of study outcomes.

Data Management & Analysis Support (30%):

•  Coordinate the analysis of implementation research outcomes, including but not limited to penetration of YRI effects and cost-effectiveness of the YRI as distinct outcomes. This may include coordinating the work of partners, including colleagues from the Boston College, Brown University and other stakeholders in Sierra Leone and the U.S.
• Store all research and data materials in BOX and other servers to ensure proper storage of research materials.

Research Dissemination (15%):

•  Manage data on program/intervention for peer-reviewed publications, stakeholder reports, grant applications, and conferences related to the work of the PI and broader faculty collaboration team.
• Support, lead, and develop one-pagers and relevant policy briefs to further Sierra Leone research initiatives.
• Support and manage development of abstracts for conferences and posters around the U.S.
• Coordinate presentations regarding study findings in person as needed.

Fundraising and Proposal Development (15%):

• Coordinate proposal submissions for future research expanding current work in Sierra Leone
• Research potential collaborators and grants for RPCA research endeavors related to project(s) in Sierra Leone.

The Research Project Manager is based in Boston and will work in the general office environment with flexible work allowed.

The Research Project Manager will have the opportunity to travel to Sierra Leone as needed for study requirements. Applicant should be aware of the following conditions in Sierra Leone:Hot, humid, tropical climate. Extremely limited medical facilities. Potentially contaminated water. High incidence of HIV/AIDS. Prevalence of common diseases that include Rabies, Lassa fever, water-borne diseases, malaria and other tropical diseases.

Requirements

• Masters in Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Econometrics, Public Health, or other relevant fields required.
• Supervisory experience and prior international work in a low resource or field setting particularly in sub-Saharan Africa are preferred.
• 4 Years of experience required.
• Experience working independently and proactively.
• Experience evaluating problems thoroughly, showing resourcefulness in identifying solutions, and displaying sound judgment.
• Ability to use Asana or Slack for program management.
• Proficiency in utilizing computer applications including Microsoft Office, BOX, Google Suite, Excel.
• Experience motivating, developing, and inspiring colleagues and employees at all levels.
• Experience navigating in a complex work environment and responding to shifting and fluid priorities preferred.
• Experience in ethical research protocols.
• Coursework and experience in intermediate-level qualitative and quantitative methods.
• STATA, R, MPLUS, and other relevant quantitative data analysis platforms, MAXQDA for qualitative data analysis platforms.

Closing Statement

Boston College offers a broad and competitive range of benefits depending on your job classification eligibility:

• Tuition remission for Employees
• Tuition remission for Spouses and Children who meet eligibility requirements
• Generous Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Low-Cost Life Insurance
• Eligibility for both University-Funded 401k and Employer-Sponsored 403b Retirement Plans
• Paid Holidays Annually
• Generous Sick and Vacation Pay
• Additional benefits can be found on https://www.bc.edu/employeehandbook

Boston College conducts pre-employment background checks as part of the hiring process.

Boston College is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer. In concert with our Jesuit, Catholic mission, Boston College is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic faculty and staff committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment and strongly encourages applications for women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and covered veterans. To learn more about how BC supports diversity and inclusion throughout the university please visit the Office for Institutional Diversity at https://www.bc.edu/diversity .

Boston College's Notice of Nondiscrimination can be viewed at https://www.bc.edu/nondiscrimination .