Healthy Brain and Child Development Study SRA 3 - 141402

UC San Diego Health; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 121,000; Full time

Job summary

UC San Diego Health is seeking a team lead for the Healthy Brain and Child Development study within the Department of Pediatrics. You will guide SRA staff, train undergraduates and graduates, and ensure protocol adherence while performing neuroimaging (MRI/EEG) and developmental assessments in infants and young children.

Strong data management and cross‑functional collaboration are essential. You will oversee QC, biospecimen handling, IT liaison work, and grant deadlines, working across

Qualifications

• Advanced degree or equivalent education/experience in neuroimaging, neuroscience, psychology, or related field.
• Experience overseeing daily operations of a research study and supervising staff.
• Ability to coach, mentor, and train junior staff and maintain SOP adherence.
• Independent decision making with strong analytical thinking to lead projects.
• Experience performing neuroimaging on young children and ensuring safety requirements.
• Proficient in maintaining complex databases and accurate records.
• Excellent interpersonal and written/verbal communication in English.
• Strong scientific writing for proposals and publications.
• Experience providing work direction and performance evaluations.
• Collaboration with IT support and knowledge of safety policies.
• Knowledge of child development and safety procedures in a research setting.
• Willingness to work across locations and coordinate with diverse teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead Healthy Brain and Child Development study operations, training SRA staff and students.
• Ensure protocol adherence, optimal scan quality, and project oversight.
• Perform QC on study variables and visit completeness; manage biospecimen shipping.
• Coordinate IT needs for study systems and liaise with support teams.
• Support personnel matters, study navigation, and grant deadline management.
• Maintain safety compliance and uphold UCSD safety policies across locations.

Skills

Neuroimaging

Leadership

Data management

Communication

Problem solving

Training staff

Research coordination

English writing

Education

Advanced degree in neuroscience or related field

Tools

MRI (3T)

EEG

Laboratory IT systems

Job description

Payroll Title SRA 3

• Department: PEDIATRICS
• Hiring Pay Scale: $75,448.50 - $121,323.74 /Year
• Worksite: Kearny Mesa
• Appointment Type: Career
• Appointment Percent: 100%
• Union: RX Contract
• Total Openings: 2
• Work Schedule: 8-Hour Shifts, Monday-Friday
• #141402 Healthy Brain and Child Development Study SRA 3
• Filing Deadline: Thu 9/24/2026
• UC San Diego values and welcomes people from all backgrounds. If you are interested in being part of our team, possess the needed licensure and certifications, and feel that you have most of the qualifications and/or transferable skills for a job opening.
• This is a UC San Diego Internal Recruitment open to UCSD and UCSD Health System Staff Only
• Eligible Reassignment clients should contact their Disability Counselor for assistance.

UCSD Department of Pediatrics is one of the most innovative and productive academic departments in the country, offering challenging career opportunities in the diverse areas of advanced educational programs, cutting-edge research, and state‑of‑the‑art clinical services. The department is committed to offering a dynamic learning environment and growing opportunities to its talented and dedicated employees. The Division of Environmental Science & Health within the Department of Pediatrics is involved in four major areas: 1) providing clinical services to patients with birth defects and developmental disabilities, 2) providing public health services in counseling patients, providers and education to the public about pregnancy and lactation exposures and their impact on child development and health, 3) a teaching program that includes undergraduate students, graduate students in epidemiology, medical students, and post‑doctoral students, pediatrics, epidemiology, health behavior, global health, pharmacy, and other specialties; and 4) conducting clinical research to better understand the causes, prevention and treatment of birth defects and developmental disabilities. Research programs and projects within the Division involve federal, state and industry sponsored grants and contracts totaling over $60 million. These encompass national and international studies that require complex interrelated infrastructure and shared resources both within the Division and with collaborators and subcontractors outside the Division.

Under the general supervision of the project manager, incumbent will act as a Healthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study SRA Team Lead. The HBCD study is a long‑term longitudinal study recruiting pregnant persons and following their infant through early childhood. The Team Lead applies complex neuroimaging techniques including conducting magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on the offspring beginning in infancy as a certified 3T MRI scan operator and conducting EEG on offspring beginning in infancy. They will also perform infant and child developmental testing and collection of biospecimen. Working together with the study Project Manager, they will lead in training staff on all protocol aspects as well as lead in maintaining protocol adherence and optimal scan results for the team. The team lead is under the direction of the PI and Project Manager of the study and will lead and train other SRA staff, undergraduate students, graduate students, and post‑doctoral fellows in the ongoing protocol and any protocol changes. The team lead will perform QC on study variables and visit completeness. They will assist in oversight of biological specimen shipping and dry ice pick up as well as well as shipping and receipt of biosensors. The team lead will interact with IT support in order to ensure the studies specific IT needs are met. In addition to these scientific responsibilities around the design, implementation and completion of studies, the team lead will provide support on personnel matters, study navigation, community advisory board meetings, lab supplies and purchasing, processing reimbursement requests, and provide support and ensure grant deadlines are met.

Minimum Qualifications

• Theoretical and practical background and experience in neuroimaging and/or neuroscience, psychology, or other similar fields as typically attained with an advanced degree, or an equivent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated ability to oversee the daily operations of a research study. Experience planning and coordinating the work of subordinate staff. Ability to coach and train junior staff; willingness to share information and serve as a mentor.
• Demonstrated leadership skills sufficient to handle all aspects of day to day study oversight, including providing work direction to lab staff, undergraduates, graduates and postdocs; confidentiality; successful collaborator; inventory; organizational methods; maintaining SOP adherence.
• Demonstrated ability to make independent decisions, analyze situations, solve problems, and initiate actions to be an effective project lead. Strong analytical and critical thinking skills to identify problems and develop innovative solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to perform neuroimaging (MRI and EEG) on a children under the age of 4 as well as to train staff in performing complex neuroimaging tasks. Capability to be near a 3T MRI scanner and meet safety requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to use and assist in updating complex databases, and to keep meticulous, accurate and well‑organized records of experiments.
• Excellent interpersonal, as well as written and verbal communication skills (using grammatically correct written English and accurate typing) to interact with a variety of personalities at all levels of the organization, exercising tact, mature judgment, diplomacy, and flexibility to promote positive working relationships and job effectiveness. Skill at negotiating with various personalities and developing internal and external network of contacts. Proven ability to interact effectively with diverse groups, including professional and non‑professional staff and research subjects.
• Excellent writing skills with demonstrated experience contributing to scientific research proposals and writing papers for publication. Knowledge of proper formats, grammar, and spelling in English and proofreading ability sufficient to compose, edit, and publish professional correspondence and information without errors.
• Demonstrated experience providing work direction to others including performance evaluation and working knowledge of dealing with personnel matters of others.
• Experience in working with IT support to maintain required study systems.
• Knowledge and ability to oversee and maintain UCSD safety guidelines/procedures/policies. Knowledge of University and lab safety policies and procedures including potentially hazardous biomaterials procurement, use, storage and disposal. Knowledge of policies regarding safe handling of biohazards, and regulations for record keeping regarding same.
• Working knowledge related to child development.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to properly store, handle and use biospecimen samples.
• Knowledge and skill with UCSD purchasing procedures.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS

• Employment is subject to a criminal background check and pre‑employment physical.
• Must be flexible and willing to work some evenings and weekends.
• Willing to work in several locations (e.g., Main Campus, 7910 Frost Street, UCSD MRI facilities) including driving to scanner locations.
• Must have access to reliable transportation.
• Must meet criteria for eligibility to participate in MRI scanning on high field strength magnets, as determined by the MR facility safety and operator training requirements.
• Bilingual with fluency in both English and Spanish highly preferred.
• Phlebotomy license preferred.
• Must be willing to work with hazardous materials.

Pay Transparency Act

Annual Full Pay Range: $75,449 - $121,324 (will be prorated if the appointment percentage is less than 100%)

Hourly Equivalent: $36.13 - $58.11

Factors in determining the appropriate compensation for a role include experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. The Hiring Pay Scale referenced in the job posting is the budgeted salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position. The Annual Full Pay Range may be broader than what the University anticipates to pay for this position, based on internal equity, budget, and collective bargaining agreements (when applicable).

If employed by the University of California, you will be required to comply with our Policy on Vaccination Programs, which may be amended or revised from time to time. Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.

If applicable, life-support certifications (BLS, NRP, ACLS, etc.) must include hands‑on practice and in‑person skills assessment; online‑only certification is not acceptable.

UC San Diego Health Sciences is comprised of our School of Medicine, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, and our Student Health and Well‑Being Department. We have long been at the forefront of translational - or "bench-to-bedside" - research, transforming patient care through discovery and innovation leading to new drugs and technologies. Translational research is carried out every day in the hundreds of clinical trials of promising new therapies offered through UC San Diego Health, and in the drive of our researchers and clinician‑scientists who are committed to having a significant impact on patient care. We invite you to join our team!

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The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

For the University of California’s Anti‑Discrimination Policy, please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti‑Discrimination

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Misconduct Disclosure Requirement

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts an offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of substantiated misconduct with a previous employer.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies governing employee conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, or discrimination, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC’s policies addressing some forms of misconduct:
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti‑Discrimination Policy
• Abusive Conduct in the Workplace