Research Specialist III, Research Support Field Interviewer

We are seeking an enthusiastic, communicative, and detail-oriented individual to work as a field interviewer for our Life Course/Cognitive Aging Research Group. This interviewer may work across any one of our active field studies but will likely specialize in the recruitment and retention of aging Black participants in the Oakland and the surrounding Bay Area for the Study of Healthy Aging in African Americans (STAR). The ideal candidate will be someone with experience working with this population and be committed to furthering research in aging populations. Our field studies seek to evaluate how lifecourse risk and protective factors affect cognitive decline later in life. The 3 field studies include: Study of Healthy Aging in African Americans (STAR), Kaiser Healthy Aging and Diverse Life Experiences (KHANDLE), and Life After 90 (LA90).

The RSIII will screen, recruit and schedule participants for clinic- and home-based in-person interviews. The RSIII will administer a structured interview including a detailed questionnaire about life experiences, a cognitive test battery, and the collection of physical measurements.  The RSIII will also assist with in-office administrative support for the team as needed in the Division of Research located in Pleasanton, CA. The interviewer should have excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Evening and weekend work required (as recruitment dictates) to accommodate working participants. This may require regular communication with participants in the early evening and the ability to complete study visits outside of regular working hours including Saturdays.

Assists with research support by implementing day-to-day operations of projects, monitoring resources for research studies, and following federal and local regulations, standard operating procedures, and Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved protocols. Contributes to the execution of research by independently conducting data gathering activities, preparing data reports for accuracy and identifying inconsistencies in data, and performing complex tasks related to the recruitment, enrollment, consenting, follow-up with participants, and answering participant questions. Contributes to the development of research materials and procedures by drafting study materials (e.g., recruitment, data collection, retention) in a variety of formats including online. Assists in the documentation and reporting of research study activities by assisting the development of tools, systems, and forms for project tracking and documentation, documenting study progress, and escalating issues to project managers or investigators.

• Pursues effective relationships with others by proactively providing resources, information, advice, and expertise with coworkers and members. Listens to, seeks, and addresses performance feedback; provides mentoring to team members. Pursues self-development; creates plans and takes action to capitalize on strengths and develop weaknesses; influences others through technical explanations and examples. Adapts to and learns from change, challenges, and feedback; demonstrates flexibility in approaches to work; helps others adapt to new tasks and processes. Supports and responds to the needs of others to support a business outcome.
• Completes work assignments autonomously by applying up-to-date expertise in subject area to generate creative solutions; ensures all procedures and policies are followed; leverages an understanding of data and resources to support projects or initiatives. Collaborates cross-functionally to solve business problems; escalates issues or risks as appropriate; communicates progress and information. Supports, identifies, and monitors priorities, deadlines, and expectations. Identifies, speaks up, and implements ways to address improvement opportunities for team.
• Contributes to the execution of research studies by: independently conducting research surveys, focus groups, qualitative interviews, or other data gathering activities for moderately complex projects; training others on project support activities (e.g., data collection, administering informed consent, conducting procedures); preparing open-ended/qualitative data for analysis and building analytical datasets; preparing data reports and identifying data quality issues; performing complex tasks related to the recruitment, enrollment, consenting, and follow-up with participants; and answering participant questions regarding basic and/or complex studies and escalating issues if necessary.
• Contributes to the development of research materials and procedures by: drafting study materials (e.g., recruitment, data collection, retention) in a variety of formats including online.
• Assists in the documentation and reporting of research study activities by: assisting the development of tools, systems, and forms for project tracking and documentation; and documenting the progress of study activities and escalating issues to project managers or investigators.
• Assists with research support operations by: implementing day-to-day operations of projects; monitoring resources for research studies; contributing to and/or assisting the management of project budgets; performing literature reviews and/or contributing to the development of grant proposals; contributing to drafts of Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocols, amendments, continuing reviews, and other documentation; contributing to drafts of Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocols, amendments, continuing reviews, and other documentation; and following federal and local regulations, standard operating procedures, and IRB approved protocols and maintaining compliance for handling research data.