Clinical Trials

At the Upstream Lab, our research is driven by the desire to promote health equity and address social determinants of health. Our research focuses on four streams: 1) integrating health and social care by addressing social needs of individuals in healthcare settings; 2) population health management; 3) using data to enable proactive care, and 4) conducting trials.

We are looking for a Cluster Facilitator to lead our Clinical Trials team made up of Research Assistants, Research Coordinators, and trainees. We encourage individuals to apply who have a strong interest in people management, and those who are interested in a management career path. The main focus of this role is to support and mentor our people to ensure they have the support and guidance they need to perform at their best, and achieve their professional goals along with the shared vision of the Upstream Lab. This role will also contribute to the various research projects ongoing in the Upstream Lab.

The Cluster Facilitator will be responsible for the day-to-day guidance, training and mentorship of small groups of research staff (Assistants, Coordinators etc.), facilitate project start up including vision/goal for small to medium scale projects, as well as conducting high-level / complex research tasks including building stakeholder relationships, proper maintenance of study records, quality assurance, and integrity of study data. The Cluster Facilitator will work closely with the Manager, Research Programs and other Cluster Facilitators to foster a supportive team environment, hiring of staff, performance management and support in decision making on allocation of lab resources. This is a hybrid position, with staff required to come on-site as needed.

Human Resources:

· Provides day to day guidance to the small team of Upstream Lab staff

· Implements appropriate systems to support the delivery of the day to day functional activities of the team;

· Works with the Research Program Manager to build and foster an effective team environment and a culture built on respect, trust, wellbeing and lifelong learning for staff;

· Ensuring appropriate systems/interim coverage are in place for the management of vacancies and short-term/long-term absences to provide continued full functioning of the department;

· Collaborates with the Research Program Manager on recruitment efforts for vacant positions, which may include resume screening, participating in interview panels and selecting candidates, to ensure the team possesses the required technical and other relevant skills to contribute to the success of the Upstream Lab

· Promotes a teamwork environment where staff from diverse multilingual and multicultural backgrounds can interact productively and efficiently;

· Assists the Research Program Manager in providing recognition, feedback and ways to motivate staff;

· In conjunction with the Research Program Manager, participates in the performance management of staff

· Assists the Research Program Manager in identifying & providing relevant training/in-service;

Project Management:

· Liaises with the Scientists, Research Program Manager and/or project team to facilitate project start up including vision/goal for small to medium scale projects; utilizes information received to support Research Assistants and Research Coordinators in respective Clusters to help defining project plans, protocols, deliverables, schedules/timelines to meet identified goals;

· Proactively develops and implements appropriate systems and processes, such as tools, and resources to support day to day delivery of project activities that help team members track and monitor project progress

· Identify and provide guidance on risk mitigation strategies to resolve challenges/concerns that arise that may hamper research project activities; engage Research Program Manager, as needed.

· Delegates tasks and implements strategies to build/foster an effective team environment and a culture built on respect/trust within individual Cluster and across Upstream Lab; collaborate with other Cluster Facilitators and Research Program Manager

· Act as a mentor to facilitate the provision of excellence in work activities

· Work closely and communicate with other Cluster Facilitators, Research Program Manager and other relevant stakeholders to set deadlines, prioritization of projects, assign responsibilities/allocate resources, monitor and summarize progress of projects

· Assists the Research Program Manager with the dissemination of relevant communications to staff through various means, e.g. huddles, email, one-on-one, etc.

Research Duties:

· Assists Principal Investigator in the initiation of new research, including grant writing, drafting initial research protocol, and identifying strategic opportunities

· Initiates and develops proposals (RFP), and grant application processes and protocols. Develops, and reviews content.

· Supports, and mentors team members within Cluster, including providing guidance in project activities, research methods/approaches and problem solving challenges

· Provides strategic guidance for proposals, grant applications, and protocols.

· Provides logistical support in collaboration with funding partners, confirms and maintains budgets, and arranges forms/liaisons between funder and finance; may guide RAs and RCs in completion of project progress reports

· Ongoing coordination of study activities; day-to-day project management/coordination of timelines, resources, deliverables, and study tasks.

· Chairs Cluster Meetings; may chair additional research group meetings

· Provide RA/RCs within Cluster with guidance on REB submissions, data collection tools/methods cleaning/coding data, analysis, manuscript writing

· Leads presentation of research related information: reports, proposals, publications, presentations, manuscripts, abstracts, newsletters, posters etc. Coordinates all the authors, adheres to each journals specific writing standards and communicates with reviewers and editors.

· Leads and conducts study assessments and reports; literature reviews, data analysis etc.

· Reviews and analyzes scientific data surrounding specific area of research.

· Develops, implements, and refines research protocols, processes, and documentation.

· May participate directly in the design, development, and inspection of technical projects, or in the theoretical or applied scientific work of the department.

· Interacts with multiple stakeholders from sponsoring agencies to research participants.

· Prepares presentations, and reports in consultation and negotiation with multiple stakeholders.

· Monitors, and controls research regulations, quality, and guidelines, including ethical (e.g. REB submissions), and safety protocols. Ensures proper forms/applications are complete and adhered to.

· Identifies and provides guidance for training opportunities.

· Prepares and presents research at conferences, and other meetings.

· Prepares grant letters of support.

· Represents Upstream Lab on committees (LKSI, UHT, REDI, CARESA, external).

Qualifications:

· Master degree with 3-5 years of relevant research experience with strong leadership skills; OR Demonstrable equivalent combination of specialized education and experience.

· Working knowledge of clinical research, clinical trials; CCRP certification / graduate certificate in Clinical Research an asset, but not required

· 1-2 years of informal or formal supervisory (people management) experience; experience with delegation of tasks and developmental conversations an asset

· Understanding of systemic power structures and their effect on individual and public health.

· Excellent training and guidance skills as well as experience with developing process, templates

· Excellent decision making/problem solving skills and interpersonal competencies;

· Proven success working as a part of a team;

· Excellent analytical skills with the ability to clearly articulate process flow;

· Strong leadership skills with the ability to effectively distribute work in order to meet objectives;

· Strong processes and procedures development skills;

· Comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty

· Well-developed organizational skills with the ability to work in a fast paced, constantly evolving environment and prioritize tasks appropriately;

· Demonstrated success building and maintaining effective working relationships with all levels of management and staff;

· Demonstrated ability to organize and conduct effective meetings;

· Demonstrated ability to work effectively both independently and in a team environment;

· Demonstrated ability to pay close attention to detail;

· Demonstrated ability to multi-task;

· Experience with budget development and financial reporting an asset

· Experience developing, and coordinating research ethics materials, processes and grant funding applications.

· Experience developing, translating, and disseminating knowledge to a variety of stakeholder groups.

· Experience developing and facilitating stakeholder meetings and learning opportunities.

· Experience working with a diversity of stakeholders is an asset

· Ability to write and speak in French would be considered an asset

· Commitment to issues including primary care, social determinants of health, social justice, health equity, and anti-racism