What are the responsibilities and job description for the RESEARCH COMM& ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST III, DCRI position at Duke?
Clinical Research Engagement Specialist III
Seeking Highly Experienced Clinical Research Engagement Specialist with a Focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The DCRI’s Research Communications & Engagement (RC&E) team is seeking an experienced Clinical Research Engagement Specialist III to join our team. We encourage people from every race/ethnicity, belief, gender, sexual identity, background, and culture to join our team as we build a diverse and inclusive institute that represents the full diversity of the research communities we serve.
This team member is responsible for leading the development and implementation of engagement programs on DCRI-led clinical research projects. The DCRI’s engagement programs are designed to engage a broad range of collaborators in the clinical research process, ranging from national associations to community-based organizations, patients, caregivers, and people with lived experiences. The DCRI’s engagement programs ensure that these collaborator insights and preferences are integrated into the research process, from conception to the meaningful sharing of results with intended beneficiaries.
The ideal candidate will possess excellent interpersonal, project management, and communications skills with a strong attention to detail. The candidate must be able to work with and manage teams of people, without having direct supervisory responsibilities. This position requires a background including a strong understanding of patient or community engagement, and experience implementing innovative clinical research engagement and communication strategies. Other skills of interest include Spanish or other foreign language fluency, experience and expertise in engaging with underrepresented communities in clinical research, and competency in the use of a wide range of engagement strategies.
** NOTE: This position may have an opportunity to work remotely. All Duke University and Duke Health remote workers must reside in one of the following states or districts: Arizona; California; Florida; Georgia; Hawaii; Illinois; Maryland; Massachusetts; Montana; New Jersey; New York; North Carolina; Pennsylvania; South Carolina; Tennessee; Texas; Virginia or Washington, DC.
About DCRI Research Communications & Engagement (RC&E)
The DCRI’s RC&E team is a specialized health communications and engagement agency serving external research sponsors (e.g., NIH, FDA, biopharma industry). We are fully billable and accountable to our research sponsors. Recognizing that engagement and communications are inextricably linked, our team comprises clinical research communicators and engagement specialists with decades of experience developing compelling, informative, and strategic communications and engagement approaches in support of our research programs and studies. Our programs support research operations, including recruitment, retention, ongoing engagement, and translation of research into care.
The DCRI has a long history of engaging representative stakeholders at every step of the research process. Key to the success of the DCRI’s RC&E team is our Research Together program, which builds and sustains equitable, authentic, and collaborative relationships with key stakeholders in our research communities, including patients and their caregivers. This foundation supports the integration of stakeholder values and beliefs into the research development and dissemination process. The DCRI’s RC&E team uses a holistic, inclusive approach to develop culturally relevant engagement and dissemination strategies that promote meaningful collaborations between and among our researchers and research communities.
About the Position
The Clinical Research Engagement Specialist III serves as the primary project manager of our engagement programs, leading the development and implementation of systems to support value-driven, inclusive, person-centered engagement models; implementing community engagement strategies at a local and national level; documenting stakeholder preferences and beliefs; and incorporating them into research processes. This team member is supported and developed by the Clinical Research Engagement Manager on the project.
Key Responsibilities:
- Identify and pursue areas for personal and professional development to sharpen skill set and enhance contributions to our team and projects.
- Play an active role in the development and delivery of training/training tools to promote best practices in clinical research engagement.
- Provide input for the development of proposals for new work and project budgets.
- Project manage the entire engagement portfolio of work for a given sponsor or project, ensuring on-time, on-budget, and high-quality delivery.
- Lead the development of engagement plans for a given sponsor or project, and the execution of those plans.
- Demonstrate a commitment to professionalism, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Identify, plan, and develop strategies that embed health literacy and attention to cultural nuances in study processes and study informational materials.
- Review and provide input into research site and participant awareness, and recruitment and retention plans.
- Develop and implement innovative strategies to meet research participant diversity goals that address barriers and overcome recruitment and retention challenges.
- Build relationships with local and national community organizations and research advisors representing patients, caregivers, and people with lived experiences in order to optimize research engagement and participation.
- Manage documentation and processes around the payment of research advisors and community organizations.
- Manage the translation process of relevant materials to reach diverse populations.
- Act as the team liaison for relaying the input of external research advisors (patients, caregivers, people with lived experience) to the study team, sponsors, and partners.
- Manage timelines and ensure that all deliverables are completed to the satisfaction of the DCRI clinical operation teams, principal investigators, and sponsors and follow relevant regulations, standard processes, policies, and procedures.
- Collaborate with other functional groups within the organization to support project goals.
- Track and report feedback received on deliverables to identify areas of success and opportunities for improvement.
- Co-manage IRB submission and updates.
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Knowledge and experience in the coordination, planning, and implementation of engagement strategies.
- Comprehensive therapeutic knowledge, including medical terminology.
- Advanced working knowledge of, and skill in applying, applicable clinical research regulatory requirements, i.e., Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines.
- Ability to understand and interpret clinical protocols and associated study specifications.
- Expertise in translating scientific, medical, and complex concepts into more easily understood language for various audiences.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to take initiative and work independently.
- Strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
- Demonstrated ability to deliver quality results.
- Good teamwork and leadership skills.
- Excellent customer service skills.
- Ability to manage competing priorities.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, managers, and clients.
- Strong software and computer skills, including proficient use of MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Minimum Qualifications
Education
Work requires a bachelor's degree.
Preferred degree in life sciences, communications, public health, clinical research, or related field.
Experience
Five years of clinical research engagement experience OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE.
Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.
Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.
Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.
Minimum Qualifications
Education
Work requires a bachelor's degree in English, journalism, graphic design, or related field.
Experience
Five years of clinical trial communications experience. OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE
Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.
Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.
Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essentialjob functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.
