Research Data Tech II, Sanford School of Public Policy

Duke University:

Duke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan Duke. Today, Duke is regarded as one of America’s leading research universities. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the country to work and live. Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. With about 40,000 employees, Duke is the third largest private employer in North Carolina, and it now has international programs in more than 150 countries.

Job Description

Center for Child and Family Policy

Sanford School of Public Policy

Title:              Research Data Tech II (bilingual - Spanish and English)

Center for Child and Family Policy Mission:

The Center for Child and Family Policy is dedicated to improving the well-being of children and families through research, education, and engagement. We study factors that influence child outcomes, develop and test promising interventions, and advance evidence-based practices and policies that can inform change and unlock opportunities for all children and their families.

Occupational Summary:

This is a full-time position supporting two longitudinal evaluations of novel interventions designed to improve the health and well-being of children and families.
 

Community Navigation (75%)
During some of the most critical years of child development, prenatally through age three, families spend significant time and resources navigating a fragmented system of care. Some families can get needed resources for their children, while others cannot for a variety of reasons.  Community Navigation charts a new vision that will offer all families universal screening to connect them to the right resources at the right time through a series of universal, light-touch engagements beginning prenatally and continuing through age 5. The goal is to engage all pregnant persons, learn about their strengths and needs for support and, when needs are identified, connect families to matched community resources for longer term support.

In collaboration with colleagues in Guilford County, the Center for Child and Family Policy (CCFP) is overseeing a randomized control trial involving 800 Durham County families to assess the implementation and impact of prenatal and postnatal Community Navigation. This work includes supporting recruitment of study families; building an understanding of the existing programs and services available to families prenatally and postnatally space; implementing and evaluating universal approach, screening for individual needs of families, and referral to community resources; identifying questions or challenges to implementing this process and solutions to these challenges; and developing documentation for consent, data sharing, and follow-up contacts.

Fast Track (25%)

The Fast Track project evaluates how comprehensive treatments might prevent severe and chronic conduct problems in a sample of children selected as at high-risk when they first entered school.  Researchers have found that the Fast Track treatment has positive effects on child behavior in both middle and high school, reducing negative adolescent outcomes such as lowering involvement in illegal behaviors, school dropout, substance use, and teen pregnancy.  Researchers have also found that the treatment increased positive outcomes such as improving (1) relational competence with peers, romantic partners and parents, (2) education and employment opportunities, and (3) social and community integration.  The overall goal of Fast Track is to improve society’s understanding of how problems of violence, substance abuse, and risky sexual behavior develop across the life course and how each can be prevented.   

Responsibilities:

• Coordinate and participate in a variety of duties to assist investigators in the implementation of the research study.
• Screen, recruit, and obtain informed consent from families in English and Spanish to participate in the study at various time points.
• Participate in scheduling family interviews in English and Spanish via email, phone, text, as well as letter and/or in-person scheduling when required. This will require time in the field as well as the use of internet-based databases when family contact information is no longer valid.
• Organize and conduct phone, video, in-home, and/or web-based family interviews in English and Spanish. Duties will include scheduling visits, conducting interviews, administering standardized assessments, and recording interview responses when required.
• Complete interview data entry via tablet or computer and appropriately manage data transfer when required.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of families’ participation status and scheduling calendar.
• Document payment information for participants and process payments as needed.
• Assist with translation of study documents from English to Spanish.
• Contribute to the ongoing collection of administrative records and the writing of project technical reports, as needed.
• Help prepare Duke University Health System (DUHS) and Duke University Institutional Review Board (IRB) materials.
• Perform regulatory tasks required for study compliance with DUHS and Duke University guidelines.
• Create and edit surveys in Qualtrics and REDCap. Analyze and interpret collected data to support research activities and reporting requirements.
• Utilize secure, web-based systems (Epic, TransUnion) to obtain updated participant contact information and/or information about Potential Adverse Events.
• Attend and contribute to project meetings and other meetings held at CCFP as appropriate.
• Engage directly with project leadership regarding project deliverables, continuous quality improvement efforts, etc.
• Perform other related duties incidental to the work described herein.

The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this classification. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required of personnel so classified.

Duke University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual’s age, color, disability, genetic information, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

EDUCATION/TRAINING

Work requires knowledge of basic mathematics, data collection, and research principles normally acquired through a bachelor’s degree. 

Must be bilingual and speak fluent Spanish.

EXPERIENCE

Work requires one-year research or clerical experience to be familiar with the basic techniques and forms used to compile and store information in a manual or computerized research data file.

OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATON AND/OR EXPERIENCE

In addition the successful candidate will possess the following qualities/attributes:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in psychology, public health, public policy, health policy, or a related field is required.
• Spanish fluency required.
• Strong organizational, project management, and communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work well in a team.
• Strong interest in learning about best practices in early childhood development.
• Knowledge in SAS, SPSS, STATA or other statistical software preferred.
• Local travel possible and reliable transportation required.
• Must have a valid driver’s license.
• Must be available to work some nights and weekends.
• Must be comfortable working with parents and children.
• Must be willing to collaborate with other staff members and be readily accessible to communicate with other team members both during and outside of regular work hours.

The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this classification. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required of personnel so classified.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in psychology, public health, public policy, health policy, or a related field is required.
• Spanish fluency required.
• Strong organizational, project management, and communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work well in a team.
• Strong interest in learning about best practices in early childhood development.
• Knowledge in SAS, SPSS, STATA, R or other statistical software preferred.
• Local travel possible and reliable transportation required.
• Must have a valid driver’s license.
• Must be available to work some nights and weekends.
• Must be comfortable working with parents and children.
• Must be willing to collaborate with other staff members and be readily accessible to communicate with other team members both during and outside of regular work hours.

Overall:

It is the expectation that all Center staff members will demonstrate exceptional workplace behavior in the execution of their specific position responsibilities. These behaviors are customer focus, collaboration, creative problem solving, continuous learning, and a commitment to diversity.

Education/Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in psychology or a related discipline preferred. Must demonstrate strong organizational skills.

Application Process:

All applicants must apply through the Duke Human Resources system at http://www.hr.duke.edu/jobs/main.html.  See Req #.

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.