Research Associate, Health Policy, OCEC

Description

The School of Public Policy invites applications for a Research Associate position. This Full-time Fixed Term position is for approximately 1 year (based on length of grant funding), with the possibility of extension.

This position normally involves working Monday to Friday at the School of Public Policy Office (downtown campus), with a hybrid work program as an option.

Reporting to the Principal Investigators, this position entails undertaking analysis and research independently and within a team in a fast moving and changing environment and is embedded within One Child Every Child (OCEC).This research program has extensive connections to local community partners and national research networks. Presentation and communication of research and research results to a variety of audiences and in different venues is also involved (i.e. presentations at conferences, workshops, team meetings as well as in various written publications). Peak times will occur near deadlines for reporting analysis and results to project stakeholders.

The primary purpose of the research associate position is to assist in co-design and conducting research activities under the supervision of the Principal Investigators. This includes designing and conducting a systematic consensus process and collaboratively identifying evidence-based policies and prevention strategies to improve child health and well-being.  

This work will have an important role in supporting researchers, community partners and government to work together and build capacity to integrate indicators of child and youth health and well-being into measurement and monitoring of service delivery. 

Children can experience vulnerabilities and resiliency factors (biologic or environmental) in their developmental trajectory that impact their well-being. Cross-ministry policy and services have an important role in improving health and well-being outcomes; however, the current Alberta child and youth services sector lacks strategy and links between development trajectories, environmental factors and child health and well-being. Indicators can help simplify the complex information by identifying modifiable factors that impact child health and wellness and turn population data into relevant information for decision-makers and the public. Currently, Alberta does not have cross-sectoral indicators of child health and well-being. The research group has carried out an environmental scan and scoping review to gather and synthesize relevant domains, concepts and indicators in the literature. 

In 2023, the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) invested $125 million in University of Calgary's One Child Every Child: A Transformational Child Health Research Initiative. This ground-breaking initiative will transform child health research in Canada, promote Indigenous-led knowledge creation and self-determination, and drive discovery and innovation. It will bring together researchers, community partners, health-care providers, equity deserving groups, educators, trainees, stakeholders and Indigenous communities to build the foundation for global excellence and leadership in research to enable every child and community to thrive.
 

One Child Every Child is a Parallel Paths project that has Indigenous and non-Indigenous Paths.  All members of the program will perform training on work with Indigenous people, communities and data. Experience with Indigenous community-based work is an asset for members of the OCEC research team.

Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):

• Under guidance of the Principal Investigators, lead the design and implementation of a systematic consensus process and identify evidence-based policies and prevention strategies to improve child health and well-being.
• Refine research questions and methods in relation to implementing a stakeholder consensus process to identify key indicators on child health and well-being in Alberta.
• Actively contribute to the development of peer-reviewed publications, public and policy communication materials related to the studies undertaken.
• Provide leadership on knowledge translation activities.
• Explain complex information to stakeholders through presentations, meetings or one-on-one consultations.
• Coordinate research staff, including the delegation of tasks and duties.
• Collaboratively generate and monitor project timelines, deadlines and milestones, and monitor project resources.
• Utilize project management skills to organize time effectively to ensure research results are produced by set deadlines that support overall project timelines.
• Lead data consensus, analysis and policy evaluation projects.
• Collaborate regularly and closely with team members (i.e., participation in project meetings and brainstorming sessions) as required or to conduct research, obtain and verify results.
• Conduct results assessments through careful and insightful evaluation and interpretation of all results.
• Assess and interpret results in the context of existing literature in child and youth health and well-being.
• Develop and communicate policy implications and recommendations; Provide an evaluation of all policy implications of the results and develop carefully considered recommendations for practical and effective policy responses based on data analysis.

Qualifications / Requirements:

• Graduate degree and related experience in health sciences, social sciences, health services research, or a related field.
• Minimum three years of experience is preferred.
• High level of effective organizational, time management and personal initiative skills.
• Proven ability to design and complete research studies of complex issues.
• Experience in qualitative methods (interviews, focus groups) and carrying out stakeholder consensus processes, ideally, experience with the Delphi processes.
• Experience with research software (NVivo preferred) as well as Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).
• Strong team player.
• Experience working with external community partners is preferred.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, especially in scientific writing.
• Proven ability to deliver high quality publications, presentations and knowledge mobilization outputs.
• Understanding of experimental design and scientific process and evaluative and qualitative methodologies.
• Track record of scholarly activities including publication of research findings in reputable peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations and knowledge mobilization.
• Experience in applying for external grants and awards would be an asset.
• Previous experience in the study of child health or disability or medical/psychosocial complexity would be an asset.
• Previous experience in working with rapid or scoping reviews, measurement and evaluation and mixed methods approaches would be an asset.
• Experience with public policy is an asset.

Application Deadline:  August 21, 2024; Resume review will begin August 14, 2024

We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.

This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the Technical Job Family, Phase 2.

For a listing of all management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our Management and Staff Careers website. 

About the University of Calgary

UCalgary is Canada's entrepreneurial university, located in Canada's most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 36,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada's leader in the creation of start-ups. Start something today at the University of Calgary. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion ([email protected]) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources ([email protected]).

Do you have most but not all the qualifications? Research show that women, racialized and visible minorities, and persons with disabilities are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At UCalgary we are committed to achieving equitable, diverse, inclusive and accessible employment practices and workplaces and encourage you to apply if you believe you are right for this role. 

We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.