Research Area Specialist Associate (Term Limited)

About the Role

We are seeking an organized, motivated, and collaborative Research Area Specialist Associate to join our team and support projects focused on substance use prevention among young adults, digital health interventions, and related behavioral health research. This position will support day-to-day research operations, intervention material development, and clinical trial activities. This is a great opportunity for candidates with prior human subjects or clinical research experience who are interested in further developing their skills in substance use and behavioral health intervention research.

Responsibilities

• Support participant recruitment, screening, enrollment, communications, follow-up, and distribution of participation incentives across one or more research projects (may require routine travel to/around Ann Arbor, Michigan)
• Collect, enter, review, and assist with cleaning and basic analysis of research data from study assessments (e.g., online surveys, digital health data, qualitative interviews)
• Assist with preparation and maintenance of regulatory and study materials, including IRB applications, amendments, renewals, standard operating procedures, study protocols, participant-facing materials, and tracking systems
• Assist with creating, organizing and refining intervention materials for study use, including reviewing content for clarity, accuracy, and relevance to the study population
• Support digital health study/intervention activities, including monitoring or moderating peer messaging components
• Contribute to clinical trial planning, start-up, and coordination as projects progress
• Assist with literature reviews and preparation of project reports, manuscripts, presentations, and other study-related materials
• Work a flexible schedule that may include occasional evenings and weekends during active study periods, including shared coverage for risk assessments (with training provided)

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in psychology, public health, social work, health sciences, or a related field
• 1-3 years of experience in human subjects research, behavioral health research, or clinical research settings
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational, written, and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work independently, follow study protocols, and maintain regular communication with the study team while working in a remote or hybrid environment
• Availability for occasional evening and weekend shifts during active study periods to meet participant needs

Desired Qualifications

• Master's degree in psychology, public health, social work, health sciences, or a related field
• Prior work on clinical trials or substance use/behavioral intervention studies
• Hands-on experience with participant recruitment, enrollment, and retention in research studies
• Familiarity with IRB processes, survey platforms (e.g., Qualtrics), or data management systems
• Proficiency in R for data cleaning, analysis, and visualization
• Training, coursework, or applied experience in clinical, health, or behavioral sciences relevant to substance use and behavioral health intervention content development
• Experience training or mentoring research staff or students

Benefits

• Excellent medical, dental and vision coverage effective on your very first day
• 2:1 Match on retirement savings

Schedule

This is a full-time position with regular hours as discussed with the supervisor. Active recruitment, intervention, and follow-up periods require flexibility to accommodate participant needs on occasional evenings and weekends.

Additional Information

• This is a two-year, term-limited appointment, with the possibility of extension depending on performance and availability of funding.
• This will be a hybrid position. Some responsibilities require travel to/around Ann Arbor (e.g., collecting/distributing incentives, obtaining equipment for work duties, participant recruitment).