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Research Cohort Project Manager

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University of Notre Dame

Location: Notre Dame, Indiana
Category: Admin-Laboratory and Research
Application Deadline:

Job Description

Job Title

Research Cohort Project Manager

Job Description

The Research Cohort Project Manager is a member of LEO’s Research Operations team and reports to the Associate Director of Research Operations. The Research Operations team manages the day-to-day logistics of LEO’s growing portfolio of impact evaluations conducted in partnership with front-line service providers fighting to end poverty. LEO partners with organizations through a cohort process, which could include a number of organizations that all have high-level ideas of a project; they are paired with a LEO research team and then go on to design and launch a research study. The Research Cohort Project Manager provides project management support to the partner as well as to the research team.

The Research Cohort Project Manager is responsible for managing the partner experience through some of the most critical phases in the project life-cycle: research design and development. Research projects are most at risk of failure in these early stages as they transition from “proposal” to “design” to “launch.” The Research Cohort Project Manager will be responsible for coordinating with the Project Development team to “catch” organizations that have been approved to join a LEO cohort and facilitate their entry into the cohort process. They will increase project success by owning and executing LEO’s carefully designed cohort process. Finally, they will support the logistics and operations of the Research Operations team.

Who we are:

The Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) at the University of Notre Dame is a research center dedicated to reducing poverty and improving lives in the United States through evidence-based programs and policies. We are dedicated to…

Partnership - We thoughtfully engage with partners and commit to a collaborative process on this road to creating and using evidence. We believe the best solutions lie with those closest to the problem, and that our partners are the ones that know best the needs of the communities they serve. We embed that belief into every step of the evidence-to-impact journey.
Rigor - We believe service, philanthropy, and public policy must be aligned with what actually helps people the most. Our partisanship is to those in poverty. We produce rigorous research because we believe an accurate answer, whether inspiring or challenging, makes us all better.
Dignity - We prioritize the dignity of every person with a preferential option for those struggling in poverty and with awareness of the additional struggles facing marginalized communities. We approach our work with respect to those participating in research and structure our work in service to those individuals. Our research serves people, not the other way around.
Hope - The complexities of poverty can be overwhelming, but we don’t respond by believing that solving poverty is a hopeless endeavor. We respond by building evidence to uncover solutions that reflect an environment of opportunity for all people. We diligently pursue what works to reduce poverty with a hopeful confidence that evidence enlightening action will alter the path ahead.

Who we need:

We are looking for someone who wants to change the face of poverty in our country and believes that impacting poverty is possible. The Research Cohort Project Manager’s top priorities will be:

Project Management for Cohort Success: Lead the management of cohorts through the entire research design process, ensuring that partner organizations’ research projects are on track from inception to the launch phase. Oversee coordination between the research team and partner organizations, ensuring alignment and timely progression of tasks. Deliver project management support for research teams, focusing on effective scheduling, meeting management, and the administration of internal processes and checklist for the growing Research Operations team. Maintain oversight of project timelines, deliverables, and workflow, ensuring that all project milestones are met and that the research team operates efficiently.
Partner Support through Research Lifecycle: Act as the primary liaison between partner organizations and the marketing firm engaged to increase take-up and enrollment on research studies. Foster strong collaboration and communication through this partnership. Continuously enhance the partner experience by collecting, compiling, and analyzing feedback, and implementing improvements to the research process.
Equip Research Partners: Project manage team efforts to equip research partners to plan, design, launch, and disseminate details of their impact evaluation. Plan, evaluate, and manage the content of research study presentations, including key workshops and partner presentations. Manage all content presentation and execution for partner workshops to (1) train partners on impact evaluations and (2) present study designs to key stakeholders. Workshops include: Workshop 1 (In-person): Kick-off event for the 16-week research design process. Workshop 2 (Virtual): Culmination event of the 16-week research design process. WHAM Sessions (Virtual): Build excitement and ensure buy-in for the research process. Adapt to the increasing frequency of cohorts as the number expands, scaling operations effectively. Create and maintain clear lines of communication with all key stakeholders for each cohort; ensure that the core values of LEO’s work are present in the experience of all cohort participants.
Problem solving: Problems require research and gathering facts from various sources; solutions require specialized knowledge and the ability to conceptualize various possible solutions within a given framework.
Policy responsibility: Establishes operating policies and procedures for own work unit and interprets, executes, and recommends changes to department policy.

Please note: This is a five-year, limited-term position. Contingent on funding, the position may be extended.

About LEO:

Founded as a research center in the Department of Economics at the University of Notre Dame just over ten years ago, LEO has quickly risen to prominence as a leader in evidence-based interventions against poverty. Since our founding in 2012, LEO has:

Attracted over $50 million in endowed gifts in support of our mission.
Secured $16.8 million in research funding and support from private foundations and government sources.
Launched over 90 active and completed research projects, with dozens more in the project pipeline.
Published in leading peer-reviewed journals.
Grown to over 30 full-time faculty and staff.
Forged partnerships with innovative providers of services to people living in poverty across the country.
Developed an extensive nationwide network of faculty affiliates.

In the next few years, we plan to grow significantly: increasing our project portfolio and continuing to strengthen LEO’s reputation as the gold standard of research in this area.

Minimum Qualifications

The Research Cohort Project Manager manages the partner experience through some of the most critical phases in the project life-cycle: research design and development. The ideal candidate will have excellent interpersonal skills, project management experience, and strong organizational skills. Events planning experience is preferred.

Required:

A deep commitment to the mission of both LEO and the University
Bachelor’s degree with 3-4 years of related work experience (administrative, project management, events, etc.)
Ability to independently manage multiple complex projects
Excellent communication and relationship building skills
Self-directed with willingness to take initiative
Strong attention to detail

Preferred: