Manager, Ethics and Compliance, Office of Research Services, VP Research

Position Overview

The Office of Research Services within VP Research is currently seeking a Full-time Regular Manager, Ethics and Compliance.

The Research Services Office (RSO) works with the University of Calgary's research community to advance the research enterprise. RSO aims to increase sponsored research revenue, reduce financial, reputational, and market risk, and manage policy and regulatory compliance for the University. Within RSO, the Research Ethics and Compliance Division has a mandate to provide centralized research ethics administrative services that support the administration of research ethics, the research ethics board (REB) activities of the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board (CHREB) and Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board (CFREB), and compliance services.
 
Reporting to the Director, Grants, Awards and Ethics, the Manager, Research Ethics and Compliance provides leadership, management expertise, and expert knowledge of issues related to the ethical conduct of research, for the RSO Research Ethics and Compliance Division.
 
The Manager role involves a consistently high volume of work with competing priorities, deadlines, and resourcing implications. The Manager is responsible for ensuring the effective management of the ethics certification process: intake, review, approval, renewal, modification, closure, reporting, and suspension. The Manager ensures that University's research community maintains the highest level of research ethics compliance with university policies and procedures, government regulations and laws, and international guidelines.
 

Position Description

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

• Facilitate the intake, review, approval, renewal, modification, and closure of human ethics protocols for the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board (CHREB) and Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board (CFREB);
• Ensure the University and its researchers comply with all obligations related to the ethical conduct of research;
• Work closely with the Chairs of the CHREB and CFREB to facilitate the review of ethics applications and ensure compliance activities satisfy REB decisions and meet all applicable laws, policies, and other obligations;
• Maintain an in-depth understanding of various complex and nuanced local, provincial, national, and international regulations, laws, and guidelines concerning the ethical conduct of research involving human participants, including the Health Canada Federal Drug Agency US (HC FDA) Division 5 Regulations, the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP) Guidelines, the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS2), and the Health Information Act of Alberta;
• Apply knowledge of applicable regulations, laws, guidelines, and best practices to ensuring the ethical conduct of research at the University of Calgary;
• Develop and recommend innovative new procedures, processes, and guidelines to improve the ethical conduct of research, compliance with approved protocols, and the ethics application process;
• Liaise with the university research community to promote awareness of changing requirements for ethics certifications and the accompanying submission and review processes;
• Build and maintain productive and supportive relationships within and without the Research Ethics and Compliance Division and REBs;
• Liaise with external stakeholders, including other universities and regulatory bodies;
• Provide ongoing operational leadership in the customization, training, and change management processes related to the Institutional Research Information Services Solution (IRISS) system;
• Use manual and automated tools to ensure effective management and reporting of the ethical conduct of research with human subjects and to collect compliance-related data;
• Support internal and external audit activities as they relate to research ethics and related research compliance;
• Lead and manage staff, including hiring, delegating work, training and mentoring, managing performance, and taking disciplinary action, up to and including termination;
• Train staff to develop collegial, positive, and trustful working relationships with each other and with researchers, REB Chairs, REB members, administrative staff, students and external stakeholders;
• Adjust work schedule to meet multiple demands and pressures; and
• Prioritize and manage staffing resources to maintain a high level of service for the research community, especially during critical or high-volume periods.

Qualifications / Requirements:

• Graduate degree and at least two years of related experience is required. An equivalent combination of education, training and experience will be considered (i.e., an undergraduate degree and several years of progressively responsible experience in a senior role related to the administration of research ethics policies and procedures, including experience managing staff in a unionized environment);
• Sound understanding of the University of Calgary's mission, academic plan, and strategic research plan;
• Strong knowledge of university policies and procedures relating to research;
• Strong knowledge of, and experience applying, international, federal, and provincial policies, regulations, and laws related to the ethical conduct of research;
• Experience working with human REBs in an academic or clinical research environment;
• Demonstrated success working in an environment that is fast-paced, service-oriented, and sensitive to details;
• Direct experience conducting research with human participants is an asset;
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with REB Chairs, REB members, RSO managers, senior leadership, and researchers across the University;
• Superior skills in time management and prioritization;
• Familiarity with the University's core business systems (IRISS, PeopleSoft, Research Management System, Enterprise Reporting tools); 
• Proficiency with office software (Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).

Application Deadline:  May 26, 2021

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.

Additional Information

This position is classified in the Management Career Band, Level 2 of the Management and Professional Staff Career Framework.

To find out more about management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary and all we have to offer, view our Management and Staff Careers website.

About the University of Calgary

The University of Calgary is Canada’s leading next-generation university – a living, growing and youthful institution that embraces change and opportunity with a can-do attitude. Located in the nation’s most enterprising city, the university is making tremendous progress on its Eyes High journey to be recognized as one of Canada’s top five research universities, grounded in innovative learning and teaching and fully integrated with the community it both serves and leads. The University of Calgary inspires and supports discovery, creativity and innovation across all disciplines. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy in line with the foundational goals of Eyes High, 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.

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 professional success while they are here. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.