Research Associate
Date: August 2023
Title: Research Associate
Department: Interactive Commons
School: School of Medicine
Location: Thwing – Suite 50
Supervisor Name and Title: Erin Henninger, Executive Director
POSITION OBJECTIVE
The Research Associate will work with Interactive Commons (IC) leadership and team to coordinate the implementation of various technical projects while maintaining a positive, supportive research culture that emphasizes work-life balance, efficiency and discovery at the IC, a campus-wide innovation institute. The Research Associate will oversee the array of research studies underway and formalize and implement processes to manage staffing and timelines and to deliver innovative research on time and within scope. The Research Associate’s contributions will advance the IC mission to encourage interdisciplinary team science to solve problems supported by visualization and technology, especially through shared group, mixed-reality experiences.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Lead planning and maintain a master research portfolio plan including all in-progress, planned, and future initiatives to allow IC leadership to understand and ensure resource capacity and utilization at any time. (25%)
- Develop, pilot, and measure outcomes for research collaboration techniques to develop a positive, supportive research culture that emphasizes work-life balance, efficiency, and discovery. (25%)
- Formalize successful research collaboration techniques into best practices and methodologies for IC innovation, including technical tools, documentation templates, coding practices, file storage practices, reporting and project charters. Apply tools, create documentation, and update materials as needed. (25%)
- Monitor research tasks and activities and identify/remediate issues that may disrupt the research life cycle. Resolve or assist in the resolution of conflicts within and between research studies or functional areas. Ensure research deliverables are completed on-time and within scope; escalating to leadership as needed. (10%)
- Establish innovation timelines and milestones, understand resources/skills inventory. (10%)
- Manage the definition of research innovation goals, milestones and resource allocation. Involve relevant stakeholders and ensure technical feasibility. (5%)
NONESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Perform other duties as assigned.
CONTACTS
Department: Frequent contact with IC leadership (15%); regular contact with IC staff (60%)
University: Moderate contact with CWRU faculty collaborators (10%)
External: Infrequent contact with external project collaborators (10%)
Students: Occasional contact with IC student workers (5%)
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY
N/a
QUALIFICATIONS
Experience: 3-5 years of digital technology project implementation experience, or similar research project management experience preferred
Education/Licensing: Bachelor’s degree
REQUIRED SKILLS
- Flexibility: Willingness to explore the unknown and help teams achieve the impossible through balanced, practical, collaborative, organized and ethical pathways. Ability to adeptly pivot to new methods and techniques as research requires or as requested by IC leadership.
- Critical Thinking & Problem Solving: Apply theories and principles and use reasoning and logic to analyze problems, explore alternatives, and implement the appropriate solution.
- Collaboration: Create a sense of belonging and ownership among team members; delegates responsibility; promotes mutual support and interaction. Values diversity.
- Communication Effectiveness: Convey goals and objectives clearly and in a compelling manner; listens effectively and clarifies information as needed; produces clear status reports; communicates tactfully and candidly. Ensures that project status, issues and successes are communicated to project team, stakeholders, sponsors, steering committee and all levels of management and documented appropriately. Ensures open communication on the project team. Builds relationships and fosters ownership of plans and tasks.
- Decision Making: Make decisions with the guidance of other experienced leaders or project directors.
- Influencing and Leading: Understands, defines, and effectively uses policies and procedures. Undertakes continual adjustments with stakeholders in a persuasive manner, to keep the project on course, by use of positive win/win negotiation. Establish trust, while recognizing how university culture impacts the success of the project.
- Responsibility & Accountability: Prioritizes own and team’s work. Anticipates consequences of actions, potential problems, or opportunities for change. Set and meet realistic deadlines. Forecast changes and communicate current and projected issues. Ensure a high level of fiscal control and accountability for research budget. Exceptional follow-through.
WORKING CONDITIONS
Working conditions are typical of an office environment and computer rooms.
Interested candidates should apply by sending a resume and cover letter to Erin Henninger at erin.henninger@case.edu.