Senior Research Coordinator, California Project

University of Chicago

🇺🇸 United States

On-site

Senior

2 days ago

AI
FLSA

2 days ago

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Department

BSD SUR - OHNS: Thirty Million Words - R&D

About the Department

The TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health at the University of Chicago develops, tests, and implements evidence-based interventions designed to promote very young children’s cognitive and social-emotional development, with a priority placed on that of children living in poverty. TMW Center interventions are designed to be overlaid onto existing health, education, and social service systems working at scale in a given community in order to meet families where they already are. The TMW Center has a robust research and development strategy that includes further development and testing of TMW interventions; harnessing technology to support behavior change, intervention engagement, and analysis; and furthering strategies to engage adult caregivers (parents, early educators and others) in the TMW Center’s interventions across the health, early learning, and social service sectors.

Job Summary

The TMW Center develops, tests, and implements evidence-based interventions designed to promote very young children’s cognitive and social-emotional development, with a priority placed on that of children living in poverty. TMW Center interventions are designed to be overlaid onto existing health, education, and social service systems working at scale in a given community in order to meet families where they already are. The TMW Center has a robust research and development strategy that includes further development and testing of TMW interventions; harnessing technology to support behavior change, intervention engagement, and analysis; and furthering strategies to engage adult caregivers (parents, early educators and others) in the TMW Center’s interventions across the health, early learning, and social service sectors.

The TMW Center is partnering with a nonprofit child development agency to conduct field research and implementation in California infant/toddler child care and preschool settings. The project will use a novel technology and professional development model to support teachers and demonstrate how teachers’ language inputs in birth-to-3 child care settings lead to positive child outcomes. This work will generate learnings and inform a classroom implementation and professional development model.

This role will be based in California, with travel throughout the San Francisco Bay Area (with most work in the first year in Palo Alto) and potential occasional travel to other states (Illinois and Connecticut). The Senior Research Coordinator will report to the Senior Project Manager and shall provide on-the-ground management, implementation, and research support. The Senior Research Coordinator will work closely with California-based infant/toddler childcare and preschool providers as well as TMW Center research and curriculum staff. The Senior Research Coordinator will be responsible for managing the on-the-ground activities, including implementation and technical support for study participants, data collection (including administering assessments with children enrolled in the study), and operational and logistical coordination of various study activities.

As the primary on-the-ground point of contact for the partner organization, the Senior Research Coordinator will build positive relationships with childcare centers, classroom teachers, families and partner organization staff to ensure strong communication and a successful partnership with the TMW Center.

Significant field work consisting primarily of regular site visits to child care centers and study participants will be required. Typically, other work will be completed from home. At times almost 90% of time may be spent working in the field. Site visits will be required at varying times across child care center operating hours, approximately 7:30am to 5:30pm. Additionally, some evening or weekend hours will be required to facilitate assessments, participant consent sessions, or other activities.

This role may also support ongoing work on a related project in Connecticut, including potentially occasional travel to Connecticut to conduct child assessments.

Responsibilities

Partnership Building and Management of On-Site Activities:

Builds and nurtures relationships withchild care centers, classroom teachers, families,partner organizationstaff and other stakeholders to ensurestrong communication and ultimate success between the TMW Center and these individuals and groups.
Serves as an ambassador of the TMW Center’s mission and resources to partners, families/caregivers, and the public.
Manages all on-site activities to successfully implement project deliverables.
Ensures relevant partner organization staff membersareproperly trained forprojectimplementation.
Implements data collection and entry best practices, monitors fora high level of reliability, and ensures fidelity of implementation of assessments.
Participates in meetings and planning sessions to share implementation observations and provide updates to inform program and process improvement.

Participant Outreach and Recruitment:

Serves as a primary point of contact for participants. Maintains regular contact with participants, updating them onprogress and ensuring that their contact information is updated. Maintains records of all communication efforts.
Supports consent process for program participantsin accordance with IRB protocol and TMW research standards.Ensures ongoing and new research subjects are onboarded properly and promptly.
Regularlyreports updates on participant recruitment and project progress to relevant parties.
Supports other aspects of outreach, recruitment, consent, datacollection and support as requested.

Implementation and Participant Support:

Provides implementation support, coaching, and training to participants, ensuring that activities are delivered with fidelity and that technical support is available promptly.
Visitssites for routine and as-needed in-person observation activities and support.
Provides technicalassistance, troubleshooting and on-call technical and implementation support toparticipants, ensuring proper implementation and delivery of TMWtechnology andprogram.
Tracks data related to these processes and other aspects of implementation.
Supports TMWCurriculumand Trainingteam by coordinating and/orfacilitating training sessions and regular meetings for implementing staff.

Research Support:

Engages with participants and other partners to collect data and gather user feedback to inform device optimization, program refinement, professional developmentmodel and implementation model.
Implements data collectionat the direction of TMW Center staff. Ensuresquality of data collection and adherence to best practices. Facilitates and coordinates classroom-based research activities.
Distributes technology andassists with inventory management, coordination and deliverylogistics for technological devices and other materials provided to study sites.Stores some materials at a secure home office location. 
Issues payments and other incentives to study participants across TMW Center projects. Ensures all payments are issued correctly and tracked with fidelity.  Ensures full compliance with all University and funder obligations related to human subject payments and record-keeping.

Assessments:

Conducts 1:1 in-person child assessments.
Administers cognitive and non-cognitive assessments.
Communicates with school partners to set up the assessment schedule and procedures with each classroom and teacher.
Provides observations and assessment updates to the research team.
Provides other support as needed toaccomplish other related study goals.

Algorithm Validation Support:

Execute annotation and review workflows to support validation of data science algorithms.
Support with reviewing agreement between annotators; resolve disagreements by making judgment calls or assigning a third annotator when needed.

Other Responsibilities:

Applies research principles and relevant subject matter knowledge relevant toadminister a research project. With a moderate level of direction, manages lab and/or research-related duties and tasks. Helps develop, design and conduct research projects according to plan.
Supports data collection and analytical needs of research projects. Ensures project compliance with different policies, procedures, directives, and mandates.
Takes responsibility for the following non-laboratory duties: transcribing and coding data; developing data collection instruments; presenting research; and recruiting and scheduling research subjects.Acquires higher-level skills and knowledge in the process.
Takes responsibility for the following laboratory duties: recognizing abnormal results and varying conditions or procedures to correct problems; setting up and performing experiments. Analyze the meaning, significance, causes, and effects of the subject.
Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Experience:

Experience in early childhood research or early education.
Prior teaching and/or administrative experience within early childhood classroom settings (e.g., an accredited childcare center, Head Start Center, Pre-K, etc.).
Experience in a research lab or setting.

Licenses and Certifications:

Valid driver's license.

Preferred Competencies

Knowledge and skills developed through work experience or training in early education, early childhood systems, applied research, or related discipline.
Ability to multi-task and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Firm understanding of current best-practice pedagogy related to language development instruction, as well as some familiarity with quality improvement strategies, professional learningpractices and tools (such as Teaching Strategies Gold, CLASS, LENA etc.).
Has general awareness in research techniques, survey research methods or methods and relevant scientific knowledge.
Strong organizational and interpersonal skills, and high attention to detail.
Ability to work collaboratively and respectfully with colleagues, especially those of differing backgrounds.
Verbal and written ability to communicate in Spanish.
Previous work with childrendesirable.
Ability and comfort level with establishing rapport with childrenin infant/toddler and preschool classes.

Working Conditions

Significantfieldwork consisting of regular site visits tochild care providers and study participants required. Up to 90% of time may be spent working in the field. Must have access to reliable transportation.

Application Documents

Resume (required)
Cover letter (preferred)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.

When applying, the document(s)MUST be uploaded via theMy Experience page, in the section titledApplication Documents of the application.

Job Family

Research

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

Drug Test Required

Health Screen Required

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

Pay Rate Type

Salary

FLSA Status

Exempt

Pay Range

$60,000.00 - $80,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in theBenefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employerand does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see theUniversity's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call773-702-5800 or submit a request viaApplicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

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Senior Research Coordinator, California Project · University of Chicago

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