Research Associate

Nova Scotia Health; Halifax; On-site; CAD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading academic health sciences center is seeking a Research Associate to work on obstetric anesthesia research projects. The successful candidate will collaborate with clinical investigators, design studies, secure funding, and provide mentorship to research staff. This role requires a PhD in a relevant field and experience in women’s health. The position offers competitive hourly compensation and is based in Halifax, Canada.

Qualifications

• Experience in clinical research, ideally within women’s health and/or obstetric anesthesia.
• Experience in qualitative and quantitative methodologies related to data analyses and interpretation of results.
• Solid understanding of ethical principles and regulatory requirements in human subjects research.

Responsibilities

• Support research project development in obstetrical anesthesia.
• Provide supervision and mentorship to research staff.
• Ensure compliance with ethical and regulatory standards.

Skills

Laboratory Experience

ELISA

Immunoassays

Mammalian Cell Culture

Biochemistry

Cell Biology

Research Experience

Cell Culture

Molecular Biology

Microscopy

Western Blot

Education

PhD in applied women’s health, medical education, epidemiology or a related field

Job description

Company: IWK Health

Req ID: 211480

Department / Program: Anesthesia Research Research Services

Location: Halifax

Type of Employment: TemporaryHourly FT long-assignment (100% FTE) for 1 year x 1position(s)

Start Date: October 2025

Union Status: Research Management / Non Union Bargaining Unit

Compensation: $40.4645 - $49.1205 / hour

Closing Date: October 29 2025 (Applications are accepted until 23 : 59 Atlantic Time)

IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax Nova Scotia providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers and learners at sites across Nova Scotia. People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other's talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our values and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.

Promoting an anti‑racist environment and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care is important to us. We are located in Mikmaki the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mikmaq people. Working in Mikmaki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long deep and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportions of transgender and non‑binary people than any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination but have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self‑identify as Indigenous, Black / African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants / Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families and communities that we care for at all job levels.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Managing Director of Research the Research Associate is a member of Dalhousie University Department of Anesthesia Pain Management and Perioperative Medicines Office of Research and is assigned primarily to work with the IWK Health Womens & Obstetric Anesthesia research team. The Research Associate will partner closely with clinical investigators to advance obstetric anesthesia programs of research. The Research Associate co‑designs projects with appropriate qualitative and quantitative methodologies, including tool and instrument development. A major focus of the position is to help secure external grant funding that will support a sustainable research program and continue to expand its capacity and impact. The role is ideal for a candidate who is both collaborative and self‑directed and can produce high‑quality publication‑ready writing.

The Research Associate is primarily responsible for designing, undertaking and analyzing information from clinically based investigations. The incumbent is also responsible for executing innovative knowledge translation strategies and research mentorship. They are closely involved in all aspects of the research projects undertaken to achieve the project deliverables required by the sponsors and granting agencies as well as the Department.

Major Responsibilities

• Support research project development (60%): Working with Principal Investigators and the Office of Research to contribute to strategic priority setting and support the development and implementation of rigorous research that generates meaningful, relevant and valuable insights regarding obstetrical anesthesia.
• Provide on‑site supervision and direction to research staff and mentorship to trainees, fostering their development and ensuring high‑quality contributions to the research team.
• Use specialized knowledge and scientific principles to review, critically appraise and interpret published literature for project development.
• Make significant contributions to the design of research proposals/protocols using appropriate qualitative and quantitative approaches to address complex health issues.
• Identify appropriate funding opportunities and co‑design competitive grant proposals with the research team that will improve outcomes of patients and their families.
• Establish and maintain opportunities for regional and national collaborations to strengthen multicentre obstetric anesthesia research.
• Contribute to knowledge translation and collaborative authorship of peer‑reviewed manuscripts through drafting, editing and submission of documents. Develop presentations and present at meetings, seminars and conferences.
• Project coordination (40%): Troubleshoot problems at all stages of the implementation of the projects.
• Ensure compliance with ethical and regulatory standards across diverse research settings.
• Negotiate research agreements and subcontracts to meet site requirements.
• Develop research budgets that account for the time and resources required to complete the project. Coordinate expenditures and provide regular financial updates to the Principal Investigators that adhere to institutional best practices.
• Maintain accurate and confidential data systems that support multi‑sector data integration ensuring data quality and compliance with privacy regulations. Analyse qualitative and/or quantitative data, apply rigorous data cleaning, coding and analysis techniques using tools such as NVivo, R, SPSS ensuring data integrity and reproducibility.

Hours of Work

• Hours of Work: On‑site presence at IWK Health is required as well as occasionally at other sites within HRM. Approximately 8:00 am – 4:00 pm Monday‑Friday (with some flexibility for early mornings).

Your Qualifications

• PhD in applied women’s health, medical education, epidemiology or a related field obtained in the last 4 years.
• Experience in clinical research, ideally within women’s health and/or obstetric anesthesia.
• Experience in qualitative and quantitative methodologies related to data analyses and interpretation of results.
• Experience in the organisation and presenting results from large clinical datasets.
• Demonstrated proficiency in all stages of research including grant writing success, research design, research synthesis, quantitative, qualitative and/or mixed methods.
• Solid understanding of ethical principles and regulatory requirements in human subjects research.
• Record of scholarly publications and conference presentations and public outreach/knowledge translation in the topic area.
• Excellent verbal and written English communication skills.
• Self‑directed and able to consistently take initiative and multi‑task across more than one project with a high level of attention to detail, regard for quality, accuracy and regulatory compliance.

Assets

• 1–2 years postdoctoral training or related experience.
• Experience working with women and/or community partners.
• Experience working with academic institutions and/or government agencies.
• Experience working in a hospital setting.
• Background in women’s health.
• Interest in advancing women’s health and care.

Key Skills

• Laboratory Experience
• ELISA
• Immunoassays
• Mammalian Cell Culture
• Biochemistry
• Cell Biology
• Research Experience
• Cell Culture
• Molecular Biology
• Microscopy
• Research Laboratory Experience
• Western Blot

Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.

Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview/testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing) you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.

This is a Management / Non Union bargaining unit position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionised positions. Successful applicants changing unions/bargaining units or employment status are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority benefits and vacation entitlement and/or usage prior to accepting the position.

An offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials.

If you are an employee of IWK Health please apply through the internal careers page to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.