Research Program Coordinator Full-time

Research Program Coordinator

The University of Texas at Austin is one of the largest employers in the great city of Austin, offering thousands of career opportunities in a wide variety of fields. Deeply committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and talented workforce, the university offers competitive salaries, full benefits, an extensive support network, and above all, an enriching and highly collaborative working community that is deeply passionate about our vision for higher education and public service.

This position is funded through June 30, 2030. Renewal of this position is based on renewal of funding, job performance, and department needs.

To perform advanced research program administration and coordination for a multi-site NIH-funded study, including day-to-day project operations, participant recruitment, research staff supervision, regulatory coordination, data management, and collaboration with clinical and community partners.

Our research team, led by Dr. Jung Kwak, is conducting an NIH-funded study developing a framework to match transitional care services to the needs of persons living with dementia and their family caregivers, using longitudinal data collection, stakeholder interviews, and toolkit co-design across three Texas hospital sites. We are seeking a highly organized and detail-oriented project manager with strong experience recruiting research participants and managing research staff. The project manager will oversee day-to-day study operations at the UT Austin site, including IRB submissions and regulatory reporting, participant recruitment, staff supervision, and data management, and will serve as the primary point of coordination with the Baylor Houston site.

This role requires regular in-person coordination with hospital partners: the project manager will travel routinely to Dell Seton Medical Center Austin and Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin to support participant recruitment and maintain working relationships with clinical staff.

Project Coordination and Site Management

• Lead day-to-day project management and coordination for the study at the UT Austin site, working closely with the Baylor Houston site coordinator
• Travel routinely to Dell Seton Medical Center Austin and Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin to support recruitment and coordinate with hospital staff
• Serve as the primary liaison with hospital partners, skilled nursing facilities, and community organizations in the Austin area
• Coordinate Community Advisory Board (CAB) activities, including member recruitment and quarterly meeting logistics

Recruitment and Staff Supervision

• Oversee the recruitment process: identify, screen, recruit, and enroll hospitalized patients and family caregivers, and coordinate recruitment from skilled nursing facilities and community organizations in the Austin area
• Coordinate participant follow-up and retention activities, including tracking completion of 1- and 3-month assessments
• Supervise graduate research assistants at the Austin sites
• Coordinate with the Baylor Houston site coordinator and support cross-site training and consistent implementation of study procedures

Regulatory and Data Management

• Manage IRB applications, protocol amendments, and IRB/sponsor reporting requirements
• Oversee data collection and manage data integrity across study databases (REDCap, Excel)
• Prepare data, figures, and references to support manuscripts and presentations

Administrative and Budget Management

• Track day-to-day project expenditures, purchasing, participant payments, and research supplies in coordination with the PI and School of Nursing post-award staff
• Complete and maintain required research compliance training and certifications, including CITI and HIPAA training, for the duration of the award

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a field related to the work to be performed and 3 years of responsible-level experience in program administration or coordination; OR Master's degree in a related field with at least 1 year of responsible-level experience
• Research experience in psychology, healthcare, social work, nursing, or a related field
• Demonstrated experience recruiting research participants
• Working proficiency in spoken and written Spanish, sufficient to communicate directly with Spanish-speaking participants and family caregivers
• Strong organizational skills with careful attention to detail and follow-through
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent tasks, deadlines, and priorities
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Reliable transportation and ability to travel regularly between Austin sites

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in nursing, public health, social work, or a related field
• Prior experience as a research coordinator or project manager recruiting participants in a clinical, hospital, or community-based health services study
• Experience working with older adults, persons living with dementia, or family caregivers
• Experience supervising research staff or student workers
• Independent, self-motivated, and effective with limited supervision
• Proactive, solution-oriented approach to problem-solving

Salary Range $60,000 – $75,000 depending on qualifications

Working Conditions Standard office environment; regular travel to hospital sites in Austin

Work Shift Monday-Friday, flexible between 7:00 am-6:00 pm

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest