Research Operations Coordinator - School of Nursing and Health Studies

School of Nursing and Health Studies (SONHS) at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC).

The Research Operations Coordinator will provide day-to-day operational management for a federally funded, multi-site national evaluation of HIV care engagement and retention interventions conducted through the HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) initiative. Working closely with the Multiple Principal Investigators (MPIs), Evaluation Provider staff, HRSA HAB, the Implementation Technical Assistance Provider (ITAP), participating Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program sites, consultants, and other partners, the Research Operations Coordinator will ensure that project activities are organized, documented, and completed according to the approved work plan and required timelines.

The Research Operations Coordinator will serve as the central operational coordinator, translating project goals and federal requirements into clear workflows, schedules, assignments, tracking systems, and deliverables. The position requires strong project-management skills, independent judgment, excellent follow-through, attention to detail, and the ability to coordinate complex work across multiple organizations. Scientific and methodological decisions will remain under the direction of the MPIs and evaluation leads.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Project Management, Work Plan, and Federal Deliverables
   • Develop and maintain the master project timeline, including major activities, milestones, dependencies, responsible personnel, and deadlines.
   • Translate work-plan requirements, federal requests, and leadership decisions into specific tasks, owners, due dates, and follow-up actions.
   • Maintain project-management dashboards, deliverable calendars, decision logs, risk/issue logs, and task-tracking systems that provide current visibility into project status.
   • Monitor progress toward monthly, quarterly, annual, and project-period milestones; identify delays, bottlenecks, or risks; and coordinate corrective actions when needed.
   • Coordinate drafting, review, approval, submission, and follow-up for HRSA reports, presentations, and other required deliverables.
   • Prepare concise status summaries highlighting accomplishments, upcoming deadlines, risks, overdue items, and decisions needed.
2. Partner, Site, and Team Coordination
   • Coordinate routine communication and meetings among the Evaluation Provider, HRSA HAB, ITAP, implementation sites, consultants, advisory members, and project staff.
   • Serve as a primary operational contact for site-level evaluation staff and coordinate communication between implementation sites and the central Evaluation Provider team.
   • Coordinate site onboarding and maintain site-specific readiness checklists covering staffing, training, regulatory requirements, data-system access, and evaluation activities.
   • Track site participation, implementation milestones, training completion, technical assistance needs, unresolved issues, and follow-up actions.
   • Facilitate communication across investigators, postdoctoral fellows, project coordinators, site evaluators, consultants, and administrative staff and assist the MPIs with workload
   • coordination and operational problem-solving.
3. Meetings, Technical Assistance, and Project Documentation
   • Schedule and organize internal team meetings, cross-site evaluation meetings, site-specific calls, advisory meetings, learning sessions, and other project activities.
   • Develop agendas, distribute materials, document key decisions and action items, assign responsible parties and deadlines, and follow items through completion.
   • Maintain a centralized technical assistance (TA) tracking system and route requests to the appropriate investigator, coordinator, postdoctoral fellow, or technical expert.
   • Identify recurring TA needs and coordinate standardized trainings, SOPs, templates, data dictionaries, clinical abstraction guides, reporting tools, and other site resources.
   • Maintain organized, version-controlled project records, including meeting files, contact lists, calendars, decision logs, action trackers, SOPs, and other core documentation.
4. Regulatory, Data Submission, and Performance Monitoring
   • Support tracking of IRB submissions, reliance agreements, protocol amendments, renewals, Data Use Agreements, Business Associate Agreements, CITI training, and related regulatory documentation.
   • Maintain regulatory and agreement trackers and identify outstanding requirements that could delay site activation, data collection, or other project activities.
   • Work with the Project Coordinator and evaluation staff to maintain schedules for site data submissions and follow up on missing or delayed submissions.
   • Integrate data-submission status, regulatory progress, site participation, TA activities, milestones, and deliverables into the overall project-management dashboard.
   • Support continuous quality improvement by identifying recurring problems, documenting corrective actions, monitoring follow-up, and updating workflows, tools, or guidance as needed.
5. Site Visits, Dissemination, and Administrative Support
   • Coordinate scheduling, travel, agendas, materials, participant communications, and follow-up for annual site visits and cross-site learning activities.
   • Track site-visit findings and action items and incorporate them into site-specific and project-wide management systems.
   • Support coordination of dissemination meetings, presentations, implementation materials, learning products, and other project communications.
   • Coordinate onboarding of central project staff and help ensure team members understand project timelines, procedures, systems, and communication expectations.
   • Support grant administration activities such as progress-report preparation, procurement, consultant coordination, travel, and institutional routing as assigned.

• Other duties as assigned.

Performance Expectations Include:

• Timely completion of project milestones and federal deliverables.
• Accurate, current, and useful project-management dashboards and tracking systems.
• Consistent closure of action items and timely escalation of risks.
• Timely site onboarding, training, regulatory coordination, and data-submission follow-up.
• High-quality meeting documentation, partner communication, and project records.
• Effective coordination of corrective actions and continuous quality improvement activities.
• Responsive and professional support to HRSA HAB, ITAP, implementation sites, and the Evaluation Provider team.
• Other expectations as assigned.

Expected Work Products:

The Program Manager will maintain current and accurate project-management tools, including the master work plan and timeline, federal deliverable calendar, site onboarding and status trackers, meeting and decision logs, action-item tracker, TA log, data-submission tracker, IRB/regulatory and agreement trackers, site-visit calendar, risk/issue log, corrective-action tracker, dissemination tracker, contact database, and organized project document repository.

Reporting Relationship and Scope of Authority:

The Program Manager will report to the MPI/Project Director and Implementation Science Lead and will work closely with the MPI/Evaluation Lead. The Program Manager may coordinate work across Project Coordinators, postdoctoral fellows, site-level evaluation staff, consultants, and other project personnel when activities intersect with project timelines and deliverables. The position will have delegated authority to request status updates, establish operational deadlines, coordinate meetings, maintain project systems, and follow up on assigned tasks. Scientific decisions, changes to evaluation methodology, personnel decisions, and final approval of federal deliverables will remain with the MPIs.

This position is 100% grant-funded and contingent on continued funding.

A Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience and 3 years of experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired is necessary.

Strongly Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in public health, health sciences, healthcare administration, project management, social sciences, business/public administration, research administration, or a closely related field.
• At least three years of progressively responsible experience managing complex projects, research studies, public health programs, healthcare programs, or federally funded initiatives.
• Strong organizational, written communication, documentation, and follow-through skills.
• Ability to work independently, identify problems, establish priorities, and move tasks through completion.
• Proficiency with common productivity and project-management technologies and/or ability to learn new systems quickly.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information appropriately and to travel periodically for project activities.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Training in public health, healthcare administration, public administration, research administration, project management, or a related field.
• Depth and relevance of project or program management experience.
• Experience with federally funded grants, cooperative agreements, multi-site research, or program evaluation.
• Experience coordinating regulatory processes, IRB activities, reliance agreements, DUAs/BAAs, technical assistance, data systems, or federal reporting.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective project-management systems, including timelines, dashboards, task trackers, documentation systems, and accountability processes.
• Experience facilitating multidisciplinary teams and coordinating work across people who may not directly report to the Program Manager.
• Experience with tools such as REDCap, Qualtrics, Microsoft Planner, or comparable platforms; formal project-management training or certification is valued.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to convert broad goals into concrete tasks, timelines, and accountability structures.
• Strong follow-through and comfort proactively pursuing unresolved items across organizational boundaries.
• Ability to distinguish routine operational matters from issues requiring scientific, regulatory, or federal-level decisions.
• Excellent judgment, attention to detail, meeting facilitation, and concise status communication.
• Ability to anticipate downstream consequences of delays and identify risks before they become major problems.
• Commitment to collaborative, respectful engagement with people with HIV, community partners, clinical organizations, and multidisciplinary teams.

The anticipated hiring range for this position has been established as $60,000 to $75,000 annually.

Salary is determined by a variety of factors, including but not limited to, the individual's particular combination of education, skills, and experience, as well as organizational requirements.

Your total compensation goes beyond the number on your paycheck. The University of Missouri provides generous leave, health plans, and retirement contributions that add to your bottom line.

Grade: GGS 10
University Title: Senior Program/Project Support Coordinator
To review the University of Missouri's Staff Compensation Structure you can view the Job Code detail page. Internal applicants can determine their university title by accessing the Talent Profile tile in myHR.

Review of applications to begin immediately. Posting to remain open until filled.

Employment visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Kansas City offers the best of both worlds-a vibrant, urban community with Midwestern appeal. The city's rich history and its modern-day, innovative thinking come together to create an eclectic group of neighborhoods that offer a little something for everyone. From thriving arts districts, an energetic downtown nightlife, casual to upscale shopping and champion sports teams, you will have no problem making yourself at home. Of course, one of Kansas City's biggest claims to fame is its food, especially its world-famous barbecue. Foodies will delight in the culinary scene found throughout the city. Ranging from award-winning chefs to cozy pizza joints, Kansas City definitely is not lacking any flavor.

UMKC's campuses are conveniently nestled in the middle of all the action. Volker Campus is just minutes from the legendary Country Club Plaza, perfect for shopping or restaurants for lunch or after-work happy hours. Surrounded by hip neighborhoods and eateries, the Health Sciences Campus is located downtown near University Health Truman Medical Center and Children's Mercy Hospital.

UMKC is proud to be "Kansas City's university," and the campus and its people celebrate all the characteristics of the surrounding community. To learn more about life in Kansas City and find more resources, visit VisitKC.com.

This position is eligible for University benefits. As part of your total compensation, the University offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement, paid time off, short- and long-term disability, paid parental leave, paid caregiver leave, and educational fee discounts for all four UM System campuses. For additional information on University benefits, please visit the Faculty & Staff Benefits website at https://www.umsystem.edu/departments-staff/human-resources/benefits-retirement

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of Missouri is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

To request ADA accommodations, please call the Office of Equity & Title IX at 816-235-6910.