ACADEMIC COORDINATOR II  (Working Title:  Deputy Director)

INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL, BEHAVIORAL AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH

 

Areas of Specialization:  Communication, Psychology, Public Health, Education

 

Position open until filled.

 

General Summary of duties/responsibilities:

 

This is a 65% time appointment at the Institute for Social, Behavioral and Economic Research.  The Academic Coordinator is responsible for serving as Deputy Director of the Health Games Research national program, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) Pioneer Portfolio.  (See http://www.healthgamesresearch.org for more project information.)  Responsible for serving as a liaison between UCSB and RWJF while coordinating administrative tasks associated with the grants program.  Will also work closely with the Director, RWJF, and the program’s national advisory committee to develop strategic plans to improve research in the health games field and disseminate research findings. 

 

The Deputy Director for the Health Games Research national program will work with the Director, assisting with program strategic planning, research, grant proposal writing, publication of program news, scientific and technical activities, outreach to colleagues and constituencies, office tasks, database management, budgeting, and reporting.  This work will contribute to the program’s goals to advance research focusing on interactive games designed to improve health behaviors and outcomes.  The project team will support researchers working in this field, participate in a grants program to review research grant proposals and then provide technical assistance to grantees, organize meetings that facilitate collaboration, build the field, and provide research evidence to decision-makers in related fields, such as medicine, health promotion, technology, game publishing, government, policy-making, and education.  The job is currently part-time and may reach as much as 100% time if additional external funding is obtained.  Funding for this position from RWJF is earmarked for four years.  However, if the team writes successful grant proposals and additional funding is obtained, the position could possibly continue longer than four years.

 

Essential Duties:

 

  1. Working with the Director, is responsible for coordinating all administrative aspects of the program’s financial activity, grant application process, and office management and maintenance, and is responsible for developing the program’s organizational procedures and systems.  Participate in discussions and decision-making concerning budget allocations and strategic planning.

 

2.       Maintain a variety of grant-related databases and spreadsheets. Develop databases and data entry forms and generate reports as requested. Enter data and import Excel data from on-line grant application website and other sources. Use databases for mail-merge to send out program information.

 

3.       Serve as a liaison between Health Games Research program staff, consultants, RWJF, grant applicants, grantees, and the general public, providing accurate information about the program and redirecting questions as needed.

 

4.       Work with ISBER staff and staff in other UCSB offices to make sure the Health Games Research program office operates according to university policies and procedures regarding grant proposal writing, budgeting, reporting, preparation of travel documentation, expense reimbursements, contracts and honoraria, and purchase orders for services, supplies and equipment.

 

5.       Contribute to the content, format, and maintenance of the Health Games Research web site and its online searchable database. These tasks include working closely with the program’s web-designer to develop and update its web site.

 

6.       Participate in outreach activities to universities, health care organizations, industry, government, education, and community groups. This will involve some travel to professional and academic conferences, and may involve giving professional presentations about current research in the health games field.  Since part of the program’s mission is to reach these multiple audiences directly and through national media sources, the program works to publicize its findings in a number of ways.  The Deputy Director will work with the Director and the RWJF Communications Office to develop and disseminate press releases, mailings, and other forms of publicity, and will respond to information requests from the press.

 

7.       Coordinate the production of correspondence, program materials, presentations and manuscripts (word-processing, formatting, editing/proofreading, producing tables and graphs, scanning).

 

8.       Contribute to and provide administrative support to the program’s research projects and to the development of grant proposals to RWJF and other funding sources. Identify new directions and potential sources of funding for the program’s education and public outreach. 

 

9.       Write comprehensive project reports that set the program in the national context.  Prepare data and reports as required; assist with report writing and record keeping; contribute to RWJF program evaluations.

 

10.   Coordinate with the Administrative Assistant to make conference arrangements, schedule meetings and conference calls, and arrange travel and accommodations for program staff and grant consultants.

 

11.   Travel to the program’s annual meeting every May and occasionally to site visits, meetings, and conferences, mostly in the U.S.

 

12.   Other duties and special projects as assigned, such as conducting internet searches, developing meeting agendas and writing meeting minutes; participating in training workshops.

 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:  

·         Masters or Ph.D. degree in Communication, Media Research, Psychology, Public Health, Education, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field

·         Knowledge of and work experience in health campaigns, interactive media learning, social science research, evaluation research, or a related field

·         Experience in the planning, development, administration, and implementation of national, multi-year research programs

·         Experience contributing to research projects, proposal writing and reviewing, or related activities

·         Experience writing for print or online publications and making professional presentations

·         Experience organizing meetings, developing budgets, and monitoring contracts.

 

 

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:  Preference will be given to candidates with:

·         Prior experience working at the University of California, Santa Barbara

·         Proficiency using office computer software applications; reference manager software (e.g., Endnote, RefWorks); web software (e.g., Dreamweaver, MostlyWeb, SurveyMonkey); and graphics/scanning software (e.g., Photoshop)

·         Knowledge of and experience with the general process of research grant review and selection

·         Experience developing and maintaining content for databases and web sites

·         A work history demonstrating strong motivation, initiative, enthusiasm, productivity, interpersonal and teamwork skills, management skills, and the ability to work independently

 

The Health Games Research program is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the university community. 

 

Salary will depend on the applicant’s qualifications and level of experience. 

 

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter highlighting relevant experience, a resume or CV, and a list of at least three references who are familiar with your academic and/or project management work to:

 

Health Games Research

2201 North Hall

Institute for Social, Behavioral and Economic Research

UC Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, CA  93106-2150

 

(No phone calls, please.). 

 

UCSB is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

 

Posted:  January 25, 2008