Program Coordinator II, Community Based Research Initiative (Community Engagement & Research Coordin

Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science seeks an INSPIRE Programs Coordinator to manage day-to-day operations of its INSPIRE Faith, INSPIRE CA, and INSPIRE USA programs.

This role serves as the primary operational contact across programs, merging research coordination with community engagement and oversight of digital engagement and data-capture platforms in partnership with the technology team. The coordinator will strengthen community trust, expand participation among communities of

Qualifications

• Four-year college degree in Health Sciences.
• 2+ years coordinating research programs.
• Experience with grant or program management.
• Experience with diverse partners and cultural sensitivity.
• Ability to build trusted relationships with communities.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day operations of INSPIRE programs across Faith, CA, and USA.
• Coordinate in-person activities for INSPIRE Faith and logistics of live sessions.
• Coordinate and support program staff, students, and volunteers.
• Support participant recruitment, retention, and outreach with culturally appropriate materials.
• Attend community meetings to represent INSPIRE programs and CDU.
• Oversee online engagement platforms and data-capture elements with the technology team.
• Monitor program metrics and feedback to inform improvements.
• Organize Faith Community Advisory Boards and recruit Navigators.
• Organize faith-based health festivals and build partnerships with faith institutions.
• Advance community-centered research by connecting partners to opportunities.

Skills

Community engagement

Grant management

Staff coordination

Stakeholder relationships

Data management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Health Sciences

Tools

PowerPoint

Job description

Under the general supervision of the Executive Director and Program Principal Investigator, the INSPIRE Programs Coordinator will manage the day-to-day operations of CDU’s growing portfolio of INSPIRE community-based research programs—INSPIRE Faith, INSPIRE CA, and INSPIRE USA. The Coordinator serves as the primary operational point of contact across these programs, combining research-program coordination, community relationship-building, and oversight of the digital engagement and data-capture platforms (in partnership with the technology team) that enable the programs to operate at scale. The role blends hands-on, place-based community partnership (primarily through INSPIRE Faith) with the coordination of predominantly online, largely automated statewide, and national programs. A central purpose of the role is to strengthen community trust in research and to broaden the participation of Black/African American/Hispanic communities and other communities of color in clinical research and trials, ensuring that community voice and priorities shape how the work is designed and carried out.

About the Center:

The Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU), a partner in the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) alongside UCLA and Cedars-Sinai, is building a community-centered clinical research enterprise through its Clinical and Translational Research Center (CTRC) in South Los Angeles. The INSPIRE programs are a family of community-based research initiatives advancing health and brain health across diverse populations. INSPIRE Faith is a deep, place-based partnership with faith institutions requiring regular in-person engagement with community partners; INSPIRE CA, and INSPIRE USA are digitally delivered, largely automated programs conducted primarily online, with select live sessions led by physicians and study staff. Together they build on CDU’s longstanding legacy of community engagement and health-equity research.

This work advances a national commitment to health equity: expanding access to healthcare in underserved communities, building lasting trust between communities of color and the healthcare system, and increasing the participation of Black/African American communities and other communities of color in research and clinical trials. As a historically Black graduate institution, CDU pursues these goals in partnership with peer institutions and community organizations, treating community relationships not as a means of recruitment but as the foundation of research that is shaped by, accountable to, and beneficial for the communities it serves. The INSPIRE Programs Coordinator is central to this mission, serving as the trusted community bridge that connects faith and community partners to research and trial opportunities and helps ensure that the science reflects the priorities of the community.

• Manage the day-to-day operations and coordination of the INSPIRE research programs (Faith, CA, and USA), ensuring each program runs smoothly, on schedule, and in alignment with study protocols and the Center’s mission
• Coordinate in-person activities for INSPIRE Faith—anticipated at approximately two days per week of on-site engagement with community partners—and support the logistics of live sessions conducted by physicians and study staff across all programs, including scheduling, participant coordination, and event execution.
• Coordinate and support program staff, students, and volunteers across the INSPIRE programs, including onboarding, task coordination, and training
• Support participant recruitment, retention, and outreach across programs, including coordinating culturally appropriate promotional and educational materials (in collaboration with the communications team)
• Attend community meetings, faith-partner gatherings, health events, and program activities as needed to represent the INSPIRE programs and CDU
• Oversee the online engagement platform, participant communications, scheduled calls, and data-capture elements for the digitally delivered programs (INSPIRE CA, and USA), coordinating closely with the technology team to ensure the platforms function reliably and participant data is captured accurately and securely.
• Monitor program metrics, participant engagement, and feedback to assess effectiveness, support quality improvement, and inform recommendations to program leadership
• Establish and support Faith Community Advisory Boards across Los Angeles, coordinating the formation of one board in 2026 and several additional boards by 2028. Each board is a governance body of no more than 11 faith leaders drawn from partnering faith institutions, guiding program direction, protocol input, and community voice at the faith-partner level.
  • The Coordinator organizes board recruitment, scheduling, meeting logistics, and ongoing stewardship.
• Recruit, onboard, and support Community Navigators from partnering faith institutions, growing the Navigator corps to 50 by the end of 2026 and more than 500 by the end of 2028. Navigators are community members who support the conduct of the studies from the faith-community side, including participant recruitment, guidance in navigating different community and clinical spaces, and support at program events.
  • Navigators are distinct from advisory board members and are not study participants themselves.
• Organize and help lead faith-based health festivals, coordinating planning, faith-partner engagement, logistics, staffing, and execution to advance community health and program visibility across partnering faith institutions.
• Build trusted partnerships with community and faith-based organizations, serving as the primary liaison and fostering ongoing engagement across INSPIRE programs.
• Advance community-centered research by connecting partners to clinical research opportunities, promoting diverse participation, and ensuring community voices inform program and study design through transparent and culturally responsive engagement.
• Perform administrative tasks related to community engagement program management, such as creating reports, PowerPoint, and maintaining records
• Support grant management and reporting for the programs—including tracking deliverables, timelines, and compliance, and coordinating with dedicated grant writers who lead proposal writing (this role is not responsible for writing grants)

Required Qualifications

EDUCATION:

• Four-year college degree (B.A., B.S.) in Health Sciences. Experience in Business Administration, Public Administration, or Public Health is an advantage.

EXPERIENCE:

• At least 2 or more years of experience coordinating research programs, studies, or educational/community programs, preferably in an academic, clinical research, or healthcare setting and activities.
• Experience with grant or program management, including tracking deliverables, timelines, budgets, and reporting requirements for federal, local, or private funders (proposal writing is handled by dedicated grant writers and is not required for this role).
• Experience in coordination of staff and students, including experience working in conjunction with HR. Also strongly prefer experience working with diverse partners and cultural sensitivity.
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain trusted relationships with community members, faith-based or community organizations, and diverse partners; experience with community-engaged or community-based work strongly preferred.
• Understanding of, and commitment to, expanding access to healthcare and increasing