West Virginia University Health Science Center is currently accepting applications for (Hybrid) Assistant Director of Research Support for Health Affairs Institute

About the Opportunity

The Assistant Director for Research Support is a key participant in Health Affairs Institute leadership and in the State- University partnership between the West Virginia University Health Sciences Center and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. With office locations in both Morgantown and Charleston, Health Affairs employs over 100 full-time staff and engages numerous faculty and staff from other units of the university to fulfill its service mission to the state.

The primary purpose of this position is to assist the Director of Science in administrative duties and provide support to Health Affairs through the development of strategies, processes, and procedures to meet departmental goals. This position will report to the Director of Science for Health Affairs. Overarching responsibilities include leading the research support services for Health Affairs, working with the WV DHHR to conduct relevant policy and evaluation research, participating in interdisciplinary research and evaluation teams, and providing research support to data analysts and personnel embedded within the Department for Health and Human Resources.

What you’ll do:

Administration

• Works as part of Health Affairs Science leadership team to advance the partnership between the West Virginia University Health Sciences Center and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.
• May serve as second in command to the Director of Science when needed.
• Supervises research specialists within Health Affairs and ensures adherence to the Institute’s standardized procedures and processes for research support services.
• Conducts quality assurance activities for research support services across all Health Affairs contracts and ensures research support staff adhere to all PDMO and Health Affairs processes and procedures.
• Collaborates with Health Affairs PDMO leadership to develop and maintain research support services processes and procedures.
• Collaborates with Health Affairs instructional designer to identify, develop and conduct trainings for Health Affairs staff pertaining to research support.
• Supports Health Affairs leadership in the development of statements of work for agency partners, ensuring adequate research support is incorporated into all contracts.
• Special projects as assigned by the Director of Science, Executive Director of Operations, or Associate Vice President.

Program Director

• Works with the Portfolio Director to provide strategic oversight for and direct the work of large, high-risk, and complex state agency (DHHR) programs.
• Provides continuity with agencies at the state level, between state and local levels, and among local jurisdictions.
• Provides expert consultation to faculty and government partners regarding state agency initiatives including program development, implementation, and evaluation work.
• Facilitates collaboration between the WVU program team and program stakeholders by leveraging established contacts and partnerships throughout the state.
• Prepares reports for DHHR state and federal partners on the outcomes of program activities.
• Works closely with the Portfolio Director to develop program plans, scopes of work (SOW), and budgets for subsequent program phases. Plans programs from start to finish, including identifying high-level activities, critical deadlines, and milestones as outlined in the development and management of project work plans in collaboration with the Program Manager.
• Serves as the direct contact to all parties.
• Oversees the monitoring of program milestones and provides status reports in the selected format at the assigned interval ensuring HAI leadership and program stakeholders are kept informed of progress.
• Directs the work of the project team and fosters a productive and high-performing project team environment.
• Oversees developing and managing a comprehensive communication plan that seeks to create and nurture effective communication within the project team and with stakeholders.
• Leads large group discussions to facilitate decision-making, consensus building, and address stakeholder concerns, unless otherwise directed by the Portfolio Director.
• Develops and manages program budget in collaboration with the Portfolio Director to ensure that financial constraints are met, and budgetary concerns addressed.
• Presents analysis and recommendation to the Portfolio Director in an organized manner, including identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to evaluate program effectiveness.
• Determines the most efficient and cost-effective means for gathering and analyzing data needed to support development goals and achieve growth through the accomplishment of long-range goals and objectives.
• Drives strategic initiatives and manages internal and external relationships to ensure commitments are met, deadlines are realized, and expectations are managed appropriately. Manages multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Maintains knowledge of professional principles, legal and/or reporting requirements affecting the area of responsibility, and adheres to PDMO and HAI standards, processes, and procedures.
• Oversees the ongoing monitoring of project progress as performed by the Program Manager and consults with technical experts to ensure project progress is on schedule as planned and mitigates any project lag in the schedule by applying project management principles.
• Manages change to the project through a change management plan and resolves all change requests for the project in accordance with PDMO policies and procedures.
• Ensures all project documentation is complete and accurate and deliverables are produced and submitted to exceed partner expectations and in accordance with PDMO policies and procedures.

Research Support

• Supports Portfolio Directors and other research associates, as well as serves as a liaison to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources to contribute to the planning and performance of projects, programs, and activities involving health data analytics and program evaluation.
• Facilitates communication and efficient collaboration on projects between research partners at the West Virginia University Health Sciences Center and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources staff.
• Work collaboratively with Portfolio Director and project team members in identifying and using state data sources to answer research questions of interest to the state.
• Provide support to ensure that data analytic and research/evaluation activities are compliant with university- level policies for the responsible conduct of research as well as federal, and state policies.
• Work collaboratively with Health Affairs staff to identify opportunities for potential collaborations between the Health Sciences Center and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources and/or other prospective partners.
• Contribute to developing project deliverables through literature reviews, report writing, etc. as directed by the Portfolio Director, Program Director, and/or Program Manager.
• Prepare reports to support Portfolio Directors, Program Directors, and Research Associates as required by the University, the Health Sciences Center administration, and external agencies. Communicates results of analytic projects and program evaluations with relevant West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources staff.
• Assist with the publication of peer-reviewed manuscripts and the development of abstracts for conference presentation submissions.
  

• Master's degree in a health science-related field or equivalent amount of combined education and work experience.
• Two (2) years of experience:
  • Supervising experience
  • Public impact research experience
  • Program monitoring and evaluation
  • Ability to work collaboratively with state-level policy stakeholders’ desired
  • Demonstrated experience in a health-related research program
• Strong leadership abilities and experience supervising.
• Ability to prepare and present evaluation results and/or research findings in a manner that facilitate unitization and adoption by a diverse group of stakeholders.
• Knowledge and experience in utilizing health data for research, program development, and policy evaluation.
• Ability to project and maintain a positive and collaborative attitude.
• Strong ability to communicate research initiatives' goals, methods, and results with key stakeholders.
• Proficiency in presenting research results and findings to diverse groups of stakeholders
• Strong ability to present information and respond to questions from groups or individuals.
• Strong ability to work in a multidisciplinary team environment and to lead the participation of team members from various backgrounds.
• Demonstrated ability in health-sciences-related research and report writing

Desired skills and experience

• Ability to develop action plans and systems to facilitate and track implementation of evaluation findings and recommendations.
• Skill in using statistical and qualitative analysis software including SPSS, SAS, and NVivo desired
• Proficiency in quantitative and/or qualitative research design and methods preferred
  

The ability to travel to WVUs regional campuses and/or within the multi-state area is required.

At West Virginia University, we leverage our talents and resources to create a better future for our state and the world. As West Virginia's land-grant university, WVU has three campuses that touch each corner of the state. The WVU System includes 518 buildings on 15,880 acres, Extension Service offices in all 55 counties, ten experimental farms and four forests.

From the groundbreaking R1 research of our flagship campus in Morgantown to the career-oriented programs of WVU Potomac State in Keyser to the technology-intensive programs at WVU Tech in Beckley — the contributions of WVU employees directly impact the 1.8 million people of West Virginia every day, no matter their role or position.

Service, curiosity, respect, accountability, and appreciation are the core values that unite Mountaineers, inspiring one another to work tirelessly and support others as they seek to reach new heights. After all, when you're a Mountaineer, impossible is just another mountain to climb.

Creating an inclusive, engaged, and dynamic learning environment is core to WVU’s academic mission. We welcome candidates who can contribute a range of ideas, approaches and experiences.

To learn more about West Virginia University, visit go.wvu.edu. View current career opportunities at careers.wvu.edu.

West Virginia University is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer and is the recipient of an NSF ADVANCE award for gender equity. The University values diversity among its faculty, staff, and students, and invites applications from all qualified applicants regardless of race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, nationality, genetics, disability, or Veteran status.