Career Center

Department: Kellogg GPRL
Salary/Grade: EXS/7

Job Summary:

Manages all activities associated with biomedical &/or social-behavioral research studies considered very complex by the inclusion of several of the following: multiple investigators, teams, sites, sub-contracts, participants, longitudinal assessments/ interventions; &/or multi-million dollar budgets.  Ensures completion of contract requirements & client specifications.  Oversees day-to-day operations including identifying & securing needed resources; creating, implementing, monitoring, & updating project plans; facilitating meetings with appropriate parties; tracking tasks/deliverables to ensure timelines, milestones &/or goals are attained; monitoring & reporting progress as appropriate; & resolving or escalating issues in a timely manner.   May co-author scientific papers for presentation & publication & coordinates writing, submission & administration of grants.  Ensures that all study activities are completed by strictly following Good Clinical Practices (GCP) & all current local, state, & federal laws, regulations, guidance, policy & procedure developed by the NU Institutional Review Board (IRB), Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), & the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH).

The Global Poverty Research Lab (GPRL) is a research center based at Northwestern University. GPRL uses empirical evidence to address the challenges of overcoming poverty and improving well-being in the developing world.

GPRL is looking to hire a full-time Research Manager with strong quantitative, analytical and programing skills to manage a team of research staff and work on several projects (including randomized evaluations) in collaboration with Principal Investigators (PIs). The research Manager will be supporting the technical work at GRPL by providing insight and knowledge in research methods and statistical tools and managing large-scale impact evaluation projects. This position offers an opportunity work on innovative research in the field of Development Economics.

The Research Manager will work closely with other Research Managers, Principal Investigators (PIs), and other research staff to perform a variety of tasks including (but not limited to):

Technical:

• Conduct and supervise analysis of data in projects that require advanced statistical tools
• Provide support to research staff on advanced technical topics such as statistics, econometrics, Machine Learning tools, etc.
• Develop and oversee the agenda for resource creation and capacity building at GPRL, in collaboration with other research staff

Project Management:

• Manage a team of Research Analysts and other Research Staff who conduct data analysis and provide project support for GPRL affiliated faculty
• Work with Principal Investigators at GPRL to design and manage a variety of research projects
• Manage relationship with IPA’s Global Research and Data Support team and GPRL
• Assist in writing and reviewing of research proposals, reports, and other documents as needed

The position is located at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois (Chicago area), and offers the opportunity to interact with economics undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty at Northwestern. The Research Manager will be a full-time employee of Northwestern University with full benefits (including the ability to take classes at a highly subsidized tuition rate). 

We are looking for a minimum of 4 years of experience conducting advanced statistical/econometric analysis, managing research projects and staff. An advanced degree in economics, public policy or related fields plus experience working in Randomized Evaluations is required.

Application Instructions

Candidates should submit a resume or CV and a cover letter. Given the volume of applications received, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Please note: The Research Manager will communicate with research staff based in the Philippines, Ghana, and other countries. They should be willing to travel to these countries as required and support research staff based in these countries.

Specific Responsibilities:

Technical

• Provides complex scientific & technical leadership in determining research priorities & the plan, design & execution of research projects ensuring that programs of investigation meet specified objectives. 
• Plans, develops & implements new processes & protocols to support research studies & maximize/extend study capabilities. 
• Oversees completion of study activities per protocol. 
• Ensures that study protocols are in compliance with appropriate rules & regulations & reviews study progress and recommends revisions, amendments, and/or other study changes as necessary to better meet needs of sponsors. 
• Reviews scientific literature & evaluates & recommends applicable techniques & procedures.  
  • Conduct and supervise analysis of data in projects that require advanced statistical tools
  • Provide support to research staff on advanced technical topics such as statistics, econometrics, Machine Learning tools, etc.
  • Develop and oversee the agenda for resource creation and capacity building at GPRL, in collaboration with other research staff

Administrative

• Analyzes, evaluates & interprets data to determine relevance to research. 
• Assists PI in developing statistical methods & models to analyze & report data based upon study requirements. 
• Prepares results & may co-author scientific papers for presentation & publication & disseminates information via seminars, lectures, etc. 
• Creates data for use in grant submission & develop new proposals for research including obtaining financial support. 
• Acts as liaison between sponsoring agencies, collaborating organizations &/or other research &/or educational institutions. 
• Ensures that all study documents associated with current local, state, & federal regulatory guidelines, requirements, laws & research protocols are completed in a timely manner.
  • Work with Principal Investigators at GPRL to design and manage a variety of research projects
  • Manage relationship with IPA’s Global Research and Data Support team and GPRL
  • Assist in writing and reviewing of research proposals, reports, and other documents as needed

Supervision

• Trains, directs, assigns duties to & may supervise lab EEs, students, residents &/or fellows. 
• Acts as a mentor in regard to education of junior coordinators. 
  • Manage a team of Research Analysts and other Research Staff who conduct data analysis and provide project support for GPRL affiliated faculty

Miscellaneous

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in economics, public policy, social science or related; OR appropriate combination of education and experience and 5 years' research study or other relevant experience required; OR
• Successful completion of a full course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a master's or higher degree in economics, public policy, social science, or related; OR appropriate combination of education and experience and 3 years' research study or other relevant experience.
• At least 4 years of related experience
• Experience supervising/managing teams.
• Field experience
• Project management experience
• Experience analyzing data from large randomized controlled trials
• Must complete NU's IRB CITI training before interacting with any participants & must re-certify every 3 years.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Extremely organized and self-directed, with attention to detail
• Able to work on multiple projects simultaneously
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal)
• Flexible, self-motivating with a team player attitude
• Strong analytic and quantitative skills using complex datasets
• Knowledge of research methods, statistics and econometrics
• Advanced knowledge of Stata
• Knowledge of R or Python

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong interest in international development work.
• Experience living and conducting field research in a developing country is a strong plus
• Experience with training people with strong technical abilities

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Knowledge of Machine Learning tools
• Knowledge of digital data collection platforms (such as SurveyCTO)
• Willingness to travel internationally

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:

Create a Job Alert for Similar Jobs

About Northwestern University

Northwestern University is a major private research university with 12 academic divisions located on three campuses in Evanston, Chicago, and Education City in Doha, Qatar. We have approximately 2,500 full-time faculty members, 17,000 graduate and undergraduate students, and over 5,700 full and part-time staff. Northwestern University combines innovative teaching and pioneering research in a highly collaborative environment. It provides students and faculty exceptional opportunities for intellectual, personal and professional growth.

Connections working at Northwestern University

More Jobs from This Employer

https://jobs.magazine.org/jobs/18355232/research-project-manager

Return to Search Results