Program Coordinator

You are applying for the position of Program Coordinator for South Australian Health Medical Research Institute. Please fill in your details below to submit an application for this position.

This position is located in: SAHMRI North Terrace

The SAHMRI Women and Kids (SWK) Theme aims to improve the health and wellbeing of women and families to enable children to reach their full potential by assisting access to quality health care. Within SWK, the Aboriginal Families and Communities Health Research Alliance (ACRA) brings together researchers, Aboriginal community members, policymakers, and service providers to facilitate community-driven, culturally respectful research to benefit the intergenerational health of Aboriginal families and communities.

We are seeking a motivated and experienced Program Coordinator to support the establishment and ongoing research, capacity-building, partnerships, and knowledge translation activities of a MRFF Indigenous Health Research grant. This research aims to bolster Aboriginal people during life transitions, including through adolescence and early parenting. The Care and Connect Pathways program will include a range of supportive activities, programs, and interventions that can improve health and wellbeing outcomes and reduce the impact of inequities for Aboriginal people. In this role, you will assist the study leadership by establishing and overseeing the ongoing success of this multi-disciplinary program across Adelaide (metro and regional), working with a range of services, community, and Aboriginal Community controlled organisations.

The ability to work closely and attentively to manage relationships with multiple stakeholders, including grant investigators, research teams, community groups, and study participants and families across South Australia will be key to success in this position.

The role is based in SA and will require some travel to regional areas to monitor and strengthen relationships and attend national network development meetings. The position will report directly to ACRA Leadership and is a fixed term, full-time appointment for up to 2 years.

Key responsibilities include:

• Establish, implement, and monitor the program streams via management of a skilled research team.
• Assist with the development of research protocol(s) and associated documentation (information sheets, agreements, pamphlets, etc.).
• Prepare submissions for all relevant ethics committees and ensure all reporting requirements are met throughout the life of the project.
• Day-to-day coordination of the research activities including at research sites, and during recruitment and data collection periods.
• Supervise, guide, and develop productive working relationships with staff and others working and supporting the program.
• Capacity building and guidance for staff and students, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and students.
• Assist Senior ACRA Leadership in the implementation of an 'ACRA Community Communication Strategy' to methodically engage and inform research findings to Community (newsletters, website, forums).
• Ensure the research is congruent with world best practice.
• Work with ACRA administration team to organise, facilitate, attend, and contribute to relevant meetings, including investigator and partner group meetings.
• Organise, facilitate and ensure publication plans are developed and executed within the research project.
• Report on publications to SWK executive team and SAHMRI Research Office.
• Contribute to the planning of research project phases in collaboration with others.
• Monitor the project's progress and individual sites as the project is underway.
• Establish timely and regular auditing of project activities and outputs.
• Provide progress reporting to investigators, ethics and governance committees, and stakeholders.

The successful candidate will possess the following key attributes:

• Higher degree in public health, psychology, or other appropriate discipline, and/or equivalent relevant experience in a research environment, preferably Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander maternal/infant or family health.
• Extensive experience working with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, preferably in the healthcare setting.
• Experience working in public health and/or health services research.
• Understanding of the social, cultural, and historical determinants of Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing.
• Experience with project planning/project management and management of research processes including ethics submissions, document creation, and governance.
• Practical experience in the conduct of qualitative and/or quantitative research methods.
• Takes responsibility in the context of the research protocol and ethical conduct of research.
• Knowledge of confidentiality and privacy laws and guidelines relevant to health and medical research.
• Demonstrates personal qualities of leadership, teamwork, innovation, and commitment to collaborative work practices.
• Self-motivated with demonstrated capacity to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment, establishing rapport efficiently and effectively with colleagues, research participants, collaborating organisations, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to engage with a wide variety of stakeholders to assist in the delivery of legal/ethical research agreements.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills, including experience presenting and writing research findings in a variety of formats, including research snapshots, community reports, and academic publications.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of social determinants of health and factors promoting cycles of intergenerational trauma, family violence, and social inequity.
• Experience in maternal and child health research.
• Experience using REDCap web-based electronic data capture system.
• Experience using software and social media tools to improve research productivity and visibility.
• Experience undertaking analysis of qualitative and/or quantitative data.

• Travelling to research sites is required for the conduct of the study and/or training local research support personnel. The successful applicant must be prepared to travel between SA sites and short trips away from home.
• The successful applicant will undergo DCSI Employment Screening and Police Checks in South Australia and Western Australia.
• A current driver's licence is required.
• SAHMRI is required to implement the Addressing vaccine preventable disease: Occupational assessment, screening and vaccination policy for SAHMRI employees carrying out work in any SA Health Facility. Immunisation Risk for this position is - Category A (direct contact with blood or body substances).

Everything we do is underpinned by our core values and our institute is dedicated to growing a culture that pursues, enables, and demands research excellence. We are proud of the work we do and work hard as a team to make a positive difference to the community. Our values of excellence, innovation, courage, integrity, and teamwork are what help us achieve our goals. If these are also your values and goals, apply today.

As a not-for-profit organisation, SAHMRI employees can access salary packaging options up to $15,900. Salary packaging lets you pay for things like the everyday costs of living with money from your salary before tax. This reduces your taxable income, meaning you could pay less tax and take home more of what you earn. For more information on salary packaging please see the Maxxia website.

Applications may close earlier than advertised if a suitable candidate is found prior to the close date.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are strongly encouraged to apply.