Program Manager

**Schedule**
Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

**Education Level**
Master's Degree in Science, or a related field

**Career Level**
Requires 6 years of relevant experience

Should the successful applicant be a Unifor Unit 1 bargaining unit member, who meets the eligibility conditions of Article 19.02 of the Unifor Unit 1 Collective Agreement, then the Limited Term Assignment may be defined as a Career Growth Opportunity in accordance with Article 19 of the Unifor Local 5555 Unit 1 Collective Agreement.

**Unit Description**:
The Faculty of Science is the largest Faculty at McMaster with ~8000 undergraduate students and over 215 faculty members. The Faculty of Science is embarking on a new 3-year pilot project and will create an Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) to promote, enhance and coordinate undergraduate research activities. The mission of the OUR will be to promote excellence in undergraduate student, and faculty-led, collaborative research and scholarship in all disciplines. We aim to make research an integrated component of the undergraduate experience by breaking down the barriers to engagement, facilitating access and outcomes, creating communities of practice and thereby direct support students in key areas that increase graduation rates, enhance student experience, and ensure student success. As the first of its kind in Canada, it will be a model for our provincial and national counterparts.

**Job Summary**:
Responsible for the operation, management, and implementation of a program within a unit or a department that has a provincial and national profile. Implements and manages program activities and facilitates ongoing program development and evaluation. Responsible for the overall quality of program services by interpreting and responding to evaluation data that leads to ongoing program improvements. Participates in critical appraisal of both qualitative and quantitative research evidence to determine effective and relevant approaches for addressing the needs of the program. Responsible for managing the program operations, budget, and forecasting projected resource needs. Engages with stakeholders, decision makers and participants at a local, provincial and national level.
- Informs and facilitates the development and approval of the program strategy.
- Designs plans for program implementation which includes the development of pilots as well as determining appropriate metrics for assessing impact.
- Analyzes current program operations and identifies areas for process improvement.
- Oversees the marketing, research, training and evaluation components of the program.
- Coordinates training workshops that target participants both internal and external to the University.
- Represents the program in a variety of contexts with a diverse range of audiences.
- Provides detailed information and communicates regularly with various stakeholders such as staff, front-line workers, government officials, funding agencies, and members of the community.
- Acts as primary liaison with relevant provincial and federal Ministries.
- Develops and implements knowledge translation strategies which includes but is not limited to preparing a variety of materials such as newsletters, bulletins, and reports for electronic/digital dissemination.
- Proofreads and edits dissemination materials and data.
- Designs search strategies and conducts literature searches by performing keyword driven searches of electronic databases and manual searches of key journals. Critically appraises published research according to evidence based principles. Summarizes research findings by authoring research abstracts and sections of manuscripts. Creates poster presentations for national and international conferences.
- Participates in research and scholarly activities related to assessing the needs and conducting evaluations of the program through data collection, critical appraisal of current published literature and statistical analysis, and the dissemination of results to stakeholders and funding agencies.
- Stays abreast of new research, methodology and critical appraisal techniques, and software releases for data analysis software. Attends training sessions and collaborates with database consultants. Requests information and initiates inquiries with national organizations and stakeholders.
- Acts as a liaison between stakeholders locally, provincially and nationally by coordinating the activities of an advisory board or steering committee.
- Coordinates and facilitates workshops and organizes strategic planning sessions.
- Negotiates external services with suppliers and contractors by obtaining and collecting quotes from multiple suppliers, and then negotiates for the best combination of price and timeline.
- Develops project budgets by summarizing financial reports and monitors expenditures while meeting requirements that may be defined by funding agency or program sponsor.
- Manages budget to ensure cost for program is on track,