PACO Research Program/Project Manager

Education
Bachelor's Degree Related Field of Study required

Master's Degree in public health, public policy, management, or related field required.

Experience
3+ years experience in an academic, research, or related setting required

Experience in international settings is required

Program Management

• Work independently under the general direction of the research faculty members
• Partner with the faculty members to develop and optimize scientific group strategy and management
• Provide technical oversight and supervision of research assistant that work on projects within their managed portfolio
• Work with recruiting team to recruit a new research assistant cohort within the MPEC each year, and facilitate recruitment efforts at international sites by participating in job description development, posting employment opening advertisements in setting-appropriate channels, screening applicants, and interviewing selected candidates
• Meet regularly with programmatic leadership to discuss strategic planning, opportunities to enhance operations, and management approaches
• Ensure research integrity, including data documentation and data management, by developing best practices, provide ongoing training, and monitoring for adherence
• Monitor personnel resource allocations and advise MPEC leadership on factors affecting research productivity
• Manage and participate in collaborative grant-writing projects
• Keep team aware of research conferences and associated deadlines

Research Project Management

• Coordinate all administrative aspects of multiple active and pending projects
• At project outset, clarify project goals, deliverables, tasks, timeline, and research team
• Throughout project duration, plan, track, and report on project tasks, responsible parties, timelines, etc.
• Delegate project tasks among project team
• Proactively take steps to help others move forward, whether it is planning project-specific meetings, getting people to make decisions, bringing in additional resources, etc.
• Ensure research quality by closely monitoring adherence to research protocols and data/materials agreements for each project in management portfolio
• Serve as a liaison between team members at various US and international collaborative research sites
• Manage study project coordinators in areas of financial documentation, reporting, procurement, and maintenance of study equipment and supplies
• Monitor employment contracts of international staff and engage with local HR offices to address contract issues including pay changes, promotions, and renewals
• In conjunction with the Compliance Manager, coordinate and monitor Institutional Review Board applications and reporting for international projects, including all applicable review dates and deadlines to prevent lapses in approval
• In conjunection with the Compliance Manager, coordinate data sharing/materials transfer agreements and manage data and materials exchanges among collaborating institutions

The Medical Practice Evaluation Center (MPEC) within the Mongan Institute is seeking an experienced, intellectually curious and highly organized individual with international research experience to serve as a Research Program/Project Manager. The candidate will work with an internationally-recognized, multidisciplinary team from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, alongside collaborators from many institutions across the globe, on projects spanning a range of methodologies including observational studies, translational studies, qualitative studies, implementation science studies, and others, with the overarching goal of promoting health equity and improving quality of life for populations living in diverse settings globally. The team's research efforts are typically (but not exclusively) focused in Uganda, South Africa, and sometimes in the U.S.

The Research Program and Project Manager will play a key role in research program administration, including supervision of research activities, training, and staff. Specifically, the manager will assist the principal investigators with strategic development and research group organization, management of a team of research assistants and administrators, organization and oversight of materials transfers, coordination of data management and sharing, oversight of financial management and planning, assistance with grant organization and submission, and support for conference and travel scheduling and planning. There are multiple possibilities for interaction with other researchers at MGH, Harvard-affiliated institutes and schools, and our domestic and international research partners.

Example projects include:
* An observational study that uses clinical data, placental histology, and advanced 3D stereology with AI modeling in a multi-country birth cohort to identify placental features that predict neurodevelopmental and growth outcomes in children who are HIV-exposed but uninfected.
* A study to determine whether women with HIV who take dolutegravir during pregnancy have increased postpartum cardiovascular risk, which assesses hypertension, vascular function, biomarkers, and placental pathology compared with women on other antiretrovirals and HIV-uninfected controls.
* A project identifying mechanisms by which maternal HIV infection and antiretroviral exposure alter placental gene expression and vascular development along the placenta-brain axis, leading to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in HIV-exposed uninfected children.
* A project investigating how maternal HIV exposure alters infant gut microbiome development and immune maturation, using multi-omics approaches in a longitudinal birth cohort to identify mechanisms driving growth stunting in HIV-exposed uninfected children.

Interested candidates should apply via www.massgeneral.org/careers.

**When applying, please upload a cover letter and resume. Applications that do not include both components will NOT be considered.**