Research Program Director
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Job Info

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Department:

Epidemiology-463501

Career Area :

Research Professionals

Posting Open Date:

10/24/2024

Application Deadline:

11/14/2024

Open Until Filled:

No

Position Type:

Permanent Staff (EHRA NF)

Working Title:

Research Program Director

Appointment Type:

EHRA Non-Faculty

Position Number:

20067500

Vacancy ID:

NF0008602

Full Time/Part Time:

Full-Time Permanent

FTE:

1

Hours per week:

40

Position Location:

North Carolina, US

Hiring Range:

Dependent on Qualifications

Proposed Start Date:

11/18/2024

Be a Tar Heel!:

A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation's top public universities. Known for its beautiful campus, world-class medical care, commitment to the arts and top athletic programs, Carolina is an ideal place to teach, work and learn.One of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, Chapel Hill has diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.University employees can choose from a wide range of professional training opportunities for career growth, skill development and lifelong learning and enjoy exclusive perks for numerous retail, restaurant and performing arts discounts, savings on local child care centers and special rates on select campus events. UNC-Chapel Hill offers full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package, paid leave, and a variety of health, life and retirement plans and additional programs that support a healthy work/life balance.

Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit:

The Department of Epidemiology is one of the seven departments located in the Gillings School of Global Public Health. The department's primary focus is to the development and application of research methods to understand the patterns and causes of health and disease, and the application of that knowledge to improving the health of populations. We provide strong training in research methods and opportunities for the application of epidemiology to a wide range of health problems through our research. The achievements of our faculty, staff, students, and alumni have enabled us to become one of the leading academic departments of epidemiology in the world. The department has 30 Tenured-Tenure Track / 7 Joint Tenure-Track Faculty, 25 Fixed Term / 3 Joint Fixed Term Faculty, 120 Adjuncts, 19 EHRA Non-Faculty, 15 Postdocs, 34 SHRA (Staff), 44 SHRA Temporary and 202 Students. The department's operating budget is 27 million a year.

Position Summary:

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health has a cooperative agreement with the CDC to be a Center of Innovation and the Coordinating Center for the CDC Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics (CFA) Insight Net (Outbreak Analytics and Disease Modeling) Network. The goals of the OADM Network are to improve the speed, accuracy and use of data and analytics during infectious-disease-driven public health emergencies. Our center, the Atlantic Coast Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics and Analytics (ACCIDDA), is a collaboration between 5 research groups (UNC, Johns Hopkins, the Applied Physics Laboratory, the University of Pittsburg and the University of Florida). As a Center of Innovation, ACCIDDA is responsible for developing new methods and data streams for disease modeling and outbreak analytics, training a new generation of specialists in infectious disease dynamics, forging relationships that will allow effective use of outbreak analytics in public health departments and ensuring standing capacity to be deployed in the face of future public health emergencies. As the Coordinating Center for Insight Net, ACCIDDA is responsible for facilitating interactions within the network and between the network and the CFA through organizing meetings, facilitating technology transfer and working groups, and providing forums for cross network interactions.


The Program Director will provide strategic coordination of all aspects of ACCIDDA Innovation Team and Coordinating Center projects and serve as an ACCIDDA Senior Management team member. This role will collaborate with co-Directors in strategic scope-of-work planning including proposal development, resource allocation, and determining and tracking key project objectives and milestones. Additional responsibilities include developing research and response protocols and contributing to project deliverables, data collection and management, all aspects of project management, budgeting, tracking, and reporting, interactions with funding agencies' program officers and researchers for program and network management, organizing engagement and educational/outreach events, and human resource management. Project managers, project coordinators, and research/administrative assistants will report directly to the Program Director. The Program Director will be responsible for interacting with multiple collaborating groups, including the 5 ACCIDDA research groups, 13 Insight Net centers, and many state and local public health agencies. The Program Director will cultivate the network by facilitating partner collaborations in program activities and initiatives to ensure scope of work delivery and building relationships with public health institutions and state and tribal health partners.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:

Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required (or foreign degree equivalent); for candidates demonstrating comparable independent research productivity, will accept a relevant Bachelor's degree (or foreign degree equivalent) and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution. May require terminal degree and licensure.

Required Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience:

Degree in a field related to population health (e.g., genetic epidemiology, public health)

This position requires at least 7 years of experience in lab management and/or management of public health research studies. This person must be able to manage the overall workflow of numerous projects with a variety of investigative and collaborative teams. Strong skills in data management, coordination of scientific research, and project management are a must, as are experience with budgeting, questionnaire development, data collection, and IRB study protocol submission. Requires excellent communication skills, as this person will be responsible for working with multiple network partners and public health agencies. Requires strong attention to detail and the ability to work independently with minimal oversight from study investigators.

Preferred Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience:

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in laboratory or study management, preferably with experience working with state and local public health agencies. Supervisory experience is highly desired; this person will be recruiting, hiring, training, managing, and conducting performance reviews on program staff from diverse social, academic, and economic backgrounds. Experience with GitHub a plus.

Campus Security Authority Responsibilities:

Not Applicable.

Special Instructions:

All applications should be sent electronically to the attention of Justin Lessler at the following website: https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/290229. Applicants should provide a letter describing their qualifications, along with their curriculum vitae, and contact information for at least three professional references.

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