Research Assistant – University of British Columbia

Title of the Job: Research Assistant

Location: Canada

Job Description: Staff – Non UnionJob Category Non Union Technicians and Research AssistantsJob Profile Non Union Salaried – Research Assistant /Technician 2Job Title Research AssistantDepartment Partnership for Work, Health and Safety | School of Population and Public Health | Faculty of MedicineCompensation Range $4,333.86 – $5,155.61 CAD MonthlyPosting End Date October 22, 2024Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.Job End Date Apr 30, 2025This position is expected to be filled by promotion/reassignment and is included here to inform you of its vacancy at the University.At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.Job SummaryThis is a 1.0 FTE for 7.5 months term appointment with the possibility for an extension depending on availability of future funding. The Research Assistant is an integral member of the Partnership for Work, Health and Safety (The Partnership). The Partnership is seeking a Research Assistant to work within its research team and multidisciplinary, collaborative research teams on various mixed-methods studies that critically assess workers health and Safety experiences/ trajectories in various industries and under different circumstances Canada informing policy changes.The Research Assistant will undertake a variety of research-related activities with PWHS. Research activities will include participant recruitment, assessing subjects, data coding as well as assisting in the evaluation of health and safety management program research studies. Detailed training to undertake these activities will be provided, but this position requires a great deal of professionalism, organizational skills and problem-solving skills. Typical research activities will also include literature searches, policy scans, database management, data entry. In addition, the candidate will be required to write documentation and parts of protocol manuals.Organizational StatusThe Research Assistant will be located at the University of British Columbia. A shared workstation equipped with telephone, computer and furniture will be provided in PWHS research space.The Partnership for Work, Health and Safety (The Partnership), is a research program within the School of Population and Public Health (SPPH), Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. This innovative research program conducted in partnership with WorkSafeBC (the Workers’ Compensation Board of British Columbia) brings together policymakers, researchers and data resources from both organizations as well as external partners to address current and emerging issues of work-related health and workers’ compensation. The Partnership uses mixed methods, both qualitative and quantitative, to evaluate of the effectives of occupational health and workers’ compensation programs and policies. The Partnership takes the lead in work-related health research in BC and Canada by developing and promoting the use of routinely collected health and compensation data from multiple sources via our data partner, Population Data BC. Our research results inform the design of evidence-based policies and prevention programs to create safer and more secure workplaces, and help improve opportunities for recovery after injuries occur.The Research Assistant will work in a team environment with research coordinators, statisticians, analysts, programmers, researchers and faculty at SPPH, Population Data BC, as well as with external data providers and other key stakeholders. This position will be hybrid and while on site, will work on the 3rd floor of the SPPH building, within the space of the Partnership for Work, Health and Safety. There are no known environmental hazards in the space.Housed within the Faculty of Medicine, the School of Population and Public Health (SPPH) is an innovative unit that encompasses many of the health-related groupings at UBC as a collaborative venture. The School is structured around four divisions: Occupational and Environmental Health; Health Services and Policy; Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health Practice; and Health in Populations. The resulting mix of professions and disciplines is seen as a means of connecting individuals and learners to galvanize the relationship between health research, public health and health services and to enhance learning.Work PerformedThe Research Assistant will perform the following duties:Assist with participant recruitment, data collection and research coordination.Assists team on coding template design, and the modification and development of codes.Codes qualitative data in NVivo.Develops data documentation including coding book and synthesizes necessary. documentation for coding team.Conducts preliminary analyses of qualitative and quantitative data.Develops and maintains contact with relevant community stakeholders in studies’ regions.Perform literature searches, policy scans, data extraction and database maintenance .Troubleshoots and problem solves research and project issues, as necessary.Participates in team meetings.Other related duties as assigned.Consequence of Error/JudgementEmployees always work under strict confidentiality because of the nature of the data use in the Partnership’s projects. Core activities such as database documentation of maintenance and access, research and support for both internal and external researchers are all critically dependent on the security and privacy of information systems that have been developed and are maintained. Any privacy breach in data security or errors in judgment could lead to serious errors in data systems, affecting the reputation of SPPH, the Partnership and other data partners. Any breach in confidentiality or data security would place the future of the organization at risk. The Research Assistant must be able to exercise judgment regarding the validity of the analytic data, checking the quality of the data against expected values. Care must be exercised in designing and performing tasks to avoid inappropriate assumptions.Accuracy and Accountability: Errors in judgement may have significant negative impacts to the Partnership, the investigators of the projects, the project budget and the quality of reports. Incorrect statistical analysis can adversely impact the results of a study, resulting in rejection of manuscripts or damage to the reputation of the investigator(s) and the Partnership.Supervision Received
The Research Assistant will be primely under the direction of Director of Privacy and Operations and will also receive direction from the Principal Investigators of relevant studies. Errors made could influence the timely completion of work and compromise the results of research projects, impacting the credibility of the research team and future funding. Any procedures or data recorded as part of a study must be accurate. Strict confidentiality of all study participants must be adhered to. All activities involving participants are accountable to the Principal Investigator, the Department Head, and the candidate’s governing professional organization.Supervision Given
NoneMinimum Qualifications
High school graduation, some additional training in a related field and a minimum two years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.– Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own– Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusionPreferred QualificationsUndergraduate degree in population or public health, occupational and environmental hygiene, or political science preferred.Experience using evidence synthesis methodologies and research software/tools (e.g., Covidence, NVivo and other analytical software).Research experience related to participant recruitment, data collection and stakeholder engagement.Candidate must have strong communication skills, the ability to work alone and as a member of a team, a positive attitude, self-motivation and enthusiasm and experience with policy work.Ability to write in explanatory and procedural styles for multiple audiences.Ability to exercise initiative, judgment, and discretion.Ability to analyze and effectively resolve issues.Excellent Interpersonal skills including the ability to work effectively independently and in a team.

Company Name: University of British Columbia

Salary: $4333.86 – 5155.61 per month

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