Senior Research Project Assistant, School of Public Health

UT Southwestern; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PPO medical plan

No copay for preventive care

Paid Time Off

Retirement Programs (TRS)

Paid Parental Leave

Wellness programs

Tuition Reimbursement

PSLF eligible employer

Job summary

UT Southwestern seeks a Sr. Population Research Project Assistant to support a NIH/NIAAA funded 5-year longitudinal study on alcohol use among Mexican Americans in North Texas. You will assist the PI and team with tasks, budgets, timelines, and staff supervision while maintaining protocol adherence.

The role offers growth in academic research, collaboration across departments, and opportunities to manage data, IRB processes, and participant recruitment in a dynamic university setting.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in a related field or Bachelor’s degree with relevant research experience.
• 1 year of research experience with a Master's degree or 3 years with a Bachelor's degree in behavioral, social science or public health.
• Bilingual English/Spanish is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop reports to assess study performance and recommend workflow improvements.
• Coordinate data collection, scheduling, and staff to meet timelines.
• Assist with grant proposals, budgets, and subcontractor arrangements as needed.
• Oversee IRB submissions, amendments, and regulatory compliance.
• Lead participant recruitment, retention efforts, and scheduling.

Skills

Project coordination

Grant management

IRB knowledge

Data collection

Communication

Team leadership

Education

Master's Degree in related field

Bachelor's Degree and relevant experience

Tools

Microsoft Office

EndNote

Zotero

Mendeley

REDCap

QuestionPro

SurveyMonkey

Job description

WHY UT SOUTHWESTERN?

With over 75 years of excellence in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, UT Southwestern is committed to excellence, innovation, teamwork, and compassion. As a world-renowned medical and research center, we strive to provide the best possible care, resources, and benefits for our valued employees. Ranked as the No. 1 hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth according to U.S. News & World Report, we invest in you with opportunities for career growth and development to align with your future goals. Our highly competitive benefits package offers healthcare, PTO and paid holidays, on-site childcare, wage, merit increases and so much more. We invite you to be a part of the UT Southwestern team where youll discover a culture of teamwork, professionalism, and a rewarding career!

JOB SUMMARY

The Sr. Population Research Project Assistant will assist the Principal Investigator (PI) and research team on a 5-year longitudinal mixed-methods study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) with research tasks and established protocols. This study will focus on social and cultural factors that influence alcohol use among Mexican and Mexican Americans living in North Texas.

Manage activities associated with large, complex research projects to include: grant expenditure adherence, meeting scheduling, project evaluation, staffing, supervision of personnel, timeline adherence, and control of equipment and supplies. This is an excellent opportunity for professional growth and development for the right candidate interested in pursuing an academic research career.

BENEFITS

UT Southwestern is proud to offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our benefits are designed to support your overall wellbeing, and include:

• PPO medical plan, available day one at no cost for full-time employee-only coverage
• 100% coverage for preventive healthcare-no copay
• Paid Time Off, available day one
• Retirement Programs through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
• Paid Parental Leave Benefit
• Wellness programs
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Qualified Employer
• Learn more about these and other UTSW employee benefits!

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

Required

• Education
  Master's Degree In related field or
  Bachelor's Degree and

• Experience
  1 year Research experience in behavioral, social science or public health with Master's Degree or
  3 years Research experience in behavioral, social science or public health with Bachelor's Degree

Preferred

• Education
  Bilingual fluency in English and Spanish

JOB DUTIES

• Develop reports to assess or monitor study performance and make recommendations for improvement in workflows; oversee all progress reports, continuing reviews and records for Internal Review Board (IRB) and funding agency.
• Meet regularly with other staff involved in data collection and data analysis to ensure timelines are being met; identify problems and formulate plans for resolution.
• Collaborate in the development and submission of grant proposals: create budgets and budget justifications, work with collaborators to ensure subcontractor agreements are complete and accurate, and acquire administrative authorization when needed.
• Serve as a liaison to other departments and/or outside entities.
• Devise work plans for research staff.
• Participate in the selection process of research staff.
• Supervise research project staff by orienting, training, and giving ongoing feedback.
• Travel to recruitment sites as needed.
• Interview participants for assigned research projects; interviews may be in person, in clinical setting, subject's residence, or by telephone.
• Initiate vendor contracts and oversee participant incentives/payouts.
• Manage IRB protocol submissions and modifications.
• Assist with recruiting study participants and monitoring enrollment quotas for study participants.
• Lead screening of participants to ensure they meet eligibility criteria for studies.
• Schedule and manage appointments between research staff and study participants.
• Create and implement strategies to maintain high participant retention rates throughout the study period.
• Maintain the NIH data archive.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Work requires the ability to be flexible and recognize "next steps" without coaching.
• Strong initiative to solve problems.
• Work requires the ability to multitask and work independently.
• Available to work evenings and weekends as necessary.
• Work requires the ability to work with a team.
• Work requires excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Must have a "customer service orientation" when communicating with study participants.
• Work requires project management skills, including staff, budgets, and grant management skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (e.g., Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Familiarity with reference management software (e.g., EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley).
• Must be detail-oriented, well-organized, and comfortable overseeing a field research team.
• Familiarity with software to design surveys/questionnaires (e.g., REDCap, QuestionPro, SurveyMonkey).
• Familiarity or willingness to learn assisting with focus groups,
• Familiarity or willingness to learn coding qualitative data and using