Senior Education and Communication Analyst

Department: IRB Office
Salary/Grade: EXS/8

Job Summary

Responsible for the design and implementation of an education program as it relates to the Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) at Northwestern University, including but not limited to research community brown bag sessions, development of education tools, tracking participation and certification for the research community, IRB members and IRB Office staff, initial assessment of educational requirements, and evaluation of IRB educational needs. Uses specialized knowledge and skills obtained through education and experience to implement, maintain and manage internal and external communication efforts for the IRB office.

This position works in collaboration and consultation with the IRB Office Directors and IRB Managers, to identify both educational and process improvement needs as related to IRB educational programs to meet and further Northwestern University's Office of Research mission.

The Senior Education and Communication Analyst will support the OR mission and values of understanding empathy, modeling accountability, ensuring fairness, embracing community, and valuing creativity.

Specific Responsibilities:

Operational Management

The goal of the following activities is to ensure that all operational priorities are aligned with the mission and direction of the IRB.

• Ensures that IRB Office educational offerings meet legal, regulatory and accreditation requirements and are in compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.
• Monitors changes in laws, regulations, and technology and advises management how that may affect operations.
• Provides education and training to IRB Office staff and Board members through onboarding and continuing education initiatives.
• Develops educational resources, guidance documents and support materials for the HRPP research community that is based upon observations and trends identified by the IRB
• Design, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of the University-wide IRB education program and assesses future training needs. Provides both in-person and online training opportunities for existing and in-development IRB-related processes and systems, from introductory training to in-depth researcher training.
• Provides regulatory, ethical, and method advice to individual faculty and staff in preparation of applications for research proposals involving human participants and consent documents.
• Recommends improvements for enhancing communication between the IRB, researchers and staff on the status of protocols and committee deliberations.
• Manages internal and external communication efforts including website, electronic communication, community engagement, media productions.
• Distributes mass emails from the IRB, formatting of the email, and management of the listserv online system.
• Serves as subject matter expert in state, local, and federal laws and regulations and accreditation requirements as they apply to human research.
• Responsible for ensuring compliance with continuing education requirements for workshops, IRB Member Retreat and other educational activities as it related to continuing education credits obtained for IRB members and IRB Office staff.

Analysis

• Serve as a primary education resource to the Northwestern HRPP community as well as to the Panel Chairs, the Chair for Administrative Review and IRB members.
• Provides assistance through training in the resolution of compliance problems, in partnership with IRB leadership and IRB Office staff, as well as other departments within the Office for Research, e.g. Office of Research Integrity (ORI).
• Provides assistance to IRB Office staff as they assist IRB chairs, members, and researchers on the regulations and ethical principles essential to the review process.

Training

• Instructs IRB chairs, members, and researchers on the regulations and ethical principles essential to the review process.
• Contributes to writing standard operation procedures to ensure consistency within the IRB office.
• Develops and presents training materials and conducts workshops on the ethical conduct of research involving human participants.
• Creates human research training curriculum for investigators or other HRPP research community members as needed.
• Oversees the analysis and creation of reports related to pertinent HRPP education and training activities.
• Provide training for IRB Office staff as required. Facilitate professional development of IRB Office staff under the direction of management.
• Maintains records that are subject to professional and technical audit that convey IRB required training for research activities involving human research.

Other

• Participates in specials projects for the IRB office.

Miscellaneous

• Performs other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications: (Education, experience, and any other certifications or clearances)

• Bachelor's degree or the equivalent combination of education, training and experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired.
• CIP and/or CIM eligible within two years.
• 3+ years of relevant experience including demonstrated knowledge of federal, state, and local regulations governing human research.
• Demonstrated characteristics: adaptability, agility, coaching, collaboration, collegiality, customer focus, ethics and integrity, judgment, and multi-tasking.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Demonstrated knowledge of federal, state and local regulation governing human research.
• Demonstrated competencies: computer proficiency, report writing, and research regulations.
• Demonstrated written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a fast paced and highly stressed environment.
• Possess interpersonal and time management skills.

Preferred Qualifications: (Education and experience)

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in related academic field.
• CIP and/or CIM professional certifications are strongly preferred.
• Active participation in the community of IRB professionals
• Experience with Huron's Click IRB software and HRPP Toolkit.

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Demonstrated skills in writing SOPs and developing training materials.
• Some knowledge of the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Program (AAHRPP) process, tools and requirements

Target hiring range for this position will be between $74,000-$89,500 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 https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html 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 https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html 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 https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html 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 COVID-19 and Campus Updates 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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