Org Dev Specialist, Research & Education

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $80,000-$90,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Position Summary

The Specialist leads optimization and improvement initiatives designed to support VP&S and other CUIMC schools and departments in reaching their strategic goals. Under the supervision of the Sr. Director, the Optimization Specialist will provide research support to the People and Organization Development team in executing and leading projects.

The ideal candidate will be experienced in Organization Development principles and continuous improvement methodologies and strategies with specific expertise in research or research administration.

Responsibilities

Optimization

• Manages optimization projects in the areas of research and education by establishing priorities and goals; developing action plans; obtaining and allocating resources; monitoring progress toward project milestones; organizing, facilitating, engaging sponsors, clients and stakeholders; directing cross-functional meetings to share information, evaluate progress, and implement changes; developing, implementing, and analyzing metrics to measure project success; summarizing and evaluating project results; and communicating project status with key stakeholders and cross-functional partners and presenting information within and across the organization to gain strategic alignment.

• Implement process improvement methodologies such as Lean Six Sigma to drive continuous improvement across the organization.

• Conduct data analysis and performance metrics tracking to measure the effectiveness of improvement initiatives and identify areas for further optimization across the research cycle, including grants, trials, contracts, consent and biobanking

• Applies subject matter expertise in: research, clinical trials, medical education curriculum, student resources and regulatory compliance trends to evaluate workflows, identify gaps and propose solutions to clients.
• Leverages technology solutions to solve key inefficiencies and create opportunities to streamline and improve existing processes.

• Demonstrate expertise in research administration (pre and post award) and related challenges in the solicitation, award, and interdepartmental collaboration in research projects
• Develop instructive content and resources for the research and education communities to support the mission, in alignment with updated processes, ensuring alignment with internal and external offices.
• Delivers training content to end-users related to the recommended workflow and process changes. Provides ongoing client support and coordinates with the training team to ensure end-user proficiency needs are met.
• Travels to locations throughout the tri-state metropolitan area to interact with clients by providing onsite training and support, conduct observations, and perform additional tasks as needed.

Strategy

• Builds and maintains relationships with stakeholders at all levels to assess, adopt, improve and support implementation of optimization strategies to help the organization achieve its performance strategy.
• Collaborates closely with People and Organization Development teams to coordinate comprehensive and holistic approaches to optimization and implementation of change.
• Contributes to and develops business cases that clearly demonstrate project ROI and alignment with organization and department goals.
• Provides support on reporting ROI and progress of each business case in the research portfolio.
• Contributes to and supports the development of an organizational culture of accountability, inclusivity and proactivity.

People

• Collaborates, and builds strong relationships with People and Organization Development team members, and with peers in VP&S and other schools and departments across CUIMC.

Other

• Stays up to date on all organizational, regulatory compliance and patient privacy training and policies

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in healthcare/business administration, organization development, research administration, public health or related field.
• A minimum of three (3) years' experience in research, education or healthcare setting required.
• Strong understanding of operational, clinical, or research workflows.
• Strong conceptual understanding of methodologies and models to execute on process redesign and continuous improvement/optimization.
• Experience delivering transformational and optimization projects and understanding of change management methodology, discipline and/or strategies.
• Strong proficiency and/or understanding of qualitative and quantitative data analysis.
• Strong proficiency and/or understanding of project management including executing technical and operational project activities with cross-functional teams.
• Strong sense of teamwork and collaboration.
• Strong interpersonal skills; ability to interact effectively with multiple disciplines within the research setting including Principal Investigators, research coordinators, research administration, and other members of the healthcare team etc.
  • Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal
  • Excellent active listening skills
  • Ability to clearly articulate messages to a variety of audiences
  • Ability to establish and maintain strong relationships
  • Ability to influence others and move toward a common vision or goal
• Ability to successfully prioritize multiple responsibilities and projects.
• Excellent investigative skills.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent time management skills.
• Proficient in the following: Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Excel, and Word; proficiency with PowerPoint, Project; and Lucid Chart/Visio.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's Degree in healthcare/business administration, organization development, public health or related field.
• Additional certification or training in research administration a plus
• Certification as TAGME (Training Administrators of Graduate Medical Education) a plus
• Experience with clinical trials, outpatient studies, grants (pre- and post-award) and research administration.
• Experience with related proposal development, grant writing experience, or contract experience.
• Familiarity with Columbia University Research systems and protocols or with Columbia University Medical Education systems and protocols a strong plus.
• Strong understanding of research protocols and regulatory or governing bodies, which include HIPAA and FDA regulations, Institutional Review Board requirements, and Good Clinical Practices a plus.
• Experience working collaboratively varied groups, including PIs within a complex organization and rapidly changing team environment.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.

Commitment to Diversity

Columbia University is dedicated to increasing diversity in its workforce, its student body, and its educational programs. Achieving continued academic excellence and creating a vibrant university community require nothing less. In fulfilling its mission to advance diversity at the University, Columbia seeks to hire, retain, and promote exceptionally talented individuals from diverse backgrounds.