Boston College IntroductionFounded 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 DescriptionFull-Time Equivalent Hiring Range: $94,600 to $118,250; salary commensurate with relevant experience.
Reporting to the Principal Investigator and Director
of the Research Program on Children and Adversity, Dr. Theresa S. Betancourt,
the Associate Director of Research is tasked with coordinating the research
activities of the lab to ensure they achieve the goals and deliverables set out
by the lab’s Principal Investigator and donors. They achieve this by
supervising research program managers and other administrative staff to ensure
work plans are advancing the lab’s research objectives and by organizing
proposals that strategically contribute to the lab’s research portfolio.
The Research Program on Children and
Adversity (RPCA) at Boston College School of Social Work focuses on
observational research to understand trajectories of risk and resilience in
children facing multiple forms of adversity while also using these research
outcomes to develop and test evidence-based interventions to promote child
health, development and family functioning. The program team, including a
network of talented local collaborators, has developed and evaluated several transdiagnostic
interventions that are both feasible, effective and able to be integrated into
a range of social protection, health and education programs in low- and
middle-income countries. The RPCA manages a diverse global research portfolio;
including several active projects, the details for which can be found at www.bc.edu/rpca. Essential
Functions Include:
PROVIDE OVERSIGHT OF STUDY IMPLEMENTATION IN
FIELD (20%): Manage 4-5 Research
Managers/Administrative Manager and related personnel to contribute to research
outputs. Work with stakeholders (local stakeholders, community-based
organizations along with government and nongovernmental partners) to ensure
study aims are fulfilled. Work with the Boston College and sub-contracted
institutions’ administrators, field-based program managers, and post-doctoral
fellows to ensure that research budgets fulfill the scientific aims of the
projects. Spearhead budgeting and forecasting [including burn rate, monitoring,
etc.] for current and upcoming proposals using detailed Excel budgeting or
other related systems. Understand the importance of administrating sponsored
research within funder parameters, including NIH/federal and philanthropic
funders. Work with the RPCA Grants Administrators to ensure Program Managers’
abilities to support project budgets to help forecast expenses across projects.
Coordinate with Boston College internal departments, such as but not limited to
the Institutional Review Board, Office of Sponsored Programs, Transferring and
Licensing, and School of Social Work to manage outputs related to RPCA research
are managed and negotiated with the respected parties.
SUPERVISE RESEARCH AND DATA COLLECTION (20%): Support in-country and Boston College data analysts to ensure data
collection is met with scientific standard. Liaise with any third-party data
collection firms to create and oversee processes regarding study design,
assessment battery creation, and deployment in the field. Refine systems of data collection and
management to be in line with the trends in research related to implementation
science in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) and technology-based data
collection systems. Ensure that study enrollment and data analysis advances
according to expected timelines and that all quantitative and qualitative data
is well organized while upholding strong ethical and scientific standards. Directly
oversee all Boston College Program Managers and support partner-country IRB,
DSMB and local ethics committee requirements and applications. Work with the
Principal Investigator to support all research staff and postdoctoral fellows
working with the RPCA lab both internally and externally to problem solve on
all field-based research projects or dissemination outputs. As needed, be able
to step in for program managers and oversee all research activities related to
RPCA funded research Provide technical assistance to local community partners
to ensure local partners are able to fulfill study aims and ensure programs are
delivered with fidelity. Travel to research sites as needed (2-3 times per
year).
PROMOTE AND COORDINATE RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT (50%):
Oversee the grant writing, refinement and
submission process of grant submissions, including federal and philanthropic
funders. Remain current on all advances in the literature on implementation
science, child development and mental health services research to ensure that
the RPCA avails itself to the most advanced analytic and data collection
methods. Support the publication and data dissemination efforts in
publications, grant applications, communications materials and other products
of the RPCA lab. Engage in networking with stakeholders to expand the RPCA
research portfolio. Act as a proxy for the Director in all meetings and
engagement with current and potential stakeholders.
OVERSEE LAB ACTIVITIES (10%): Along with the Administrative Manager
and adjunct staff, oversee students working with the RPCA lab to create student
work plans and monitor activities of students both at Boston College and
externally. Provide mentorship and one-on-one supervision of students, program
managers, administrative managers, and key personnel as needed. Ensure student
work contributes to the scientific knowledge of the lab as a whole. Ensure
productivity of research managers, including monitoring their management of
using electronic systems such as BOX, Asana, and G-Suite.
This position is based in Boston with a
flexible work environment.
RequirementsDoctoral degree in Public Health, Social
Work, Psychology, or another related field, preferred; MPH or Masters required.
A minimum of five years’ experience as a translational scientist investigating
cross-cultural mental health and child development topics. A minimum of five
years’ experience in research program management or research coordination in
the mental health, child development, implementation science, or public health
field. A minimum of three years’ experience conducting research to include:
research conceptualization and implementation, data analysis, and preparation
of data for dissemination in publications and conference presentations. Proficiency
in utilizing computer applications including Microsoft Office, STATA, SPSS,
Atlas.ti, MAXQDA, MPLUS and other applicable quantitative and qualitative data
analysis platforms are preferred. Expert knowledge of qualitative and
quantitative research methodologies including Community Based Participatory
Research (CPBR), implementation science in LMICs, fidelity monitoring and mixed
methodology. Understanding of the application of technology both for data
collection and data management, as well as routine symptom monitoring, fidelity
monitoring and quality improvement efforts in global mental health and child
development. Experience managing diverse team members preferred. Ability to
travel internationally in order to supervise and support research projects
abroad in sub-Saharan Africa or related research site. Ability to work nights
and weekends as needed in order to fulfill work responsibilities and meet
project deadlines.
Closing StatementBoston 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 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.
