Research Program Assistant I - Children's Learning Institute

About the role

The Children's Learning Institute (CLI) at UTHealth Houston is a nationally recognized leader in early childhood development, educational research, and large-scale program implementation. The Research Program Assistant I supports a grant-funded early childhood workforce initiative through primarily administrative and data-focused tasks.

Under general supervision, this role assists with participant intake process, data entry, record maintenance, and basic data organization to support program operations and reporting. This is an entry-level, external-facing role where participant support is key.

Responsibilities

• Provide reliability status on various objective and subjective coding analysis measures pertaining to projects within the department
• Perform cognitive/social/emotional assessments with children and additional interviews with teachers and families which include an extensive battery of psychological and educational based evaluations and manage appropriate research equipment and supplies
• Perform observational evaluations performed in schools and classrooms and focus on cognitive readiness activities by means of a complex live coding scheme
• Work on a range of data and information including but not limited to transferring, verifying, entering, processing, management and analysis
• Maintain accurate databases, tracking participant information, supporting workflow processes, and providing general customer service to program participants
• Attend relevant trainings and assist in recruiting subjects (teachers, students, families, and individuals) and obtaining informed consent from potential research study participants (often occurs in parent teacher meetings and sometimes in a family's home)
• May serve in an intervention or coaching role in home or school setting to training parents or teachers in parenting, including extensive trainings and regular meetings to maintain certification and reliability
• Performs other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, Human Development, Biology or relevant field required (Master's Degree preferred)
• May substitute required education with equivalent years of experience beyond the minimum experience requirement
• Experience in customer service, behavioral analysis or research experience is preferred
• Strong candidate may have experience tracking and following up on multiple requests, managing large datasets while working in early childhood education or behavioral health/pediatrics with human subjects research
• Bilingual skills in English/Spanish preferred
• Reliable personal transportation as some projects may require extensive out of town travel which will vary from Houston and surrounding areas to various sites across the state of Texas
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Human Subjects Research (HSR) by Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program) within five days of employment required
• Work may involve handling biohazardous, chemical, and radiological materials, as well as operating associated equipment; required safety training and appropriate engineering and administrative controls including the use of personal protective equipment must be followed

Schedule & travel

• In-office with a telework agreement
• Occasional statewide travel and potential weekend travel, contingent upon project need
• Mileage reimbursed
• Employees must permanently reside and work in the State of Texas

Benefits

• 100% paid medical premiums for full-time employees
• Generous time off (holidays, preventative leave day, both vacation and sick time – equates to around 37-38 days per year)
• Longevity Pay (monthly payments after two years of service)
• Retirement/pension plan
• Free financial and legal counseling
• Free mental health counseling services
• Gym membership discounts and access to wellness programs
• Employee discounts including entertainment, car rentals, cell phones, and more
• Resources for child and elder care

Physical requirements

Exerts up to 20 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 10 pounds frequently and/or a negligible amount constantly to move objects.