Research Manager

Staff – Non Union

Job Category
M&P – AAPS

Job Profile
AAPS Salaried – Research and Facilitation, Level A

Job Title
Research Manager

Department
Scholes Department of Civil Engineering Faculty of Applied Science

Compensation Range
$4,688.67 – $6,754.00 CAD Monthly

The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.

Posting End Date
July 28, 2023

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the Posting End Date above.

Job End Date

Aug 31, 2024

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career. 

Job Summary

Research Manager for “Identifying and mitigating hot spots of salmon exposure to toxic road runoff”
Department of Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia.

The Sustainable Treatments for Organic Contaminant Remediation and Mitigation (STORM) lab at the University of British Columbia is currently seeking a Research Manager to work on a project entitled “Identifying and mitigating hot spots of salmon exposure to toxic road runoff”. The incumbent will provide leadership and management to the project team, exercising judgement in work methods and ensuring that the project is completed on-time and on-budget. They will need to interact with faculty PIs, graduate students, and project partners and stakeholders to support and participate in research activities, data analysis, research documentation, project administration, and reporting of results to project funders.

Project Description: The research manager will help lead a three-year effort to assess the prevalence of stormwater contaminants (particularly 6PPD-quinone, a compound that is acutely toxic to coho salmon) in salmon-bearing streams in B.C. The project further aims to identify opportunities for green infrastructure interventions to protect salmon populations from toxic road runoff contaminants. This project is led by an interdisciplinary group of researchers from the University of British Columbia in partnership with local municipalities (Vancouver, Surrey), researchers at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Salish Sea Indigenous Guardians Association, A Rocha, the Shared Waters Alliance, and Salmon Safe B.C. The research manager will develop and implement project work plans, communicate among project partners, and manage reporting. The research manager will also be an active collaborator on the project, with opportunities to mentor graduate students, contribute to scientific publications, give presentations at international conferences, and contribute to preparation of funding applications.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are essential to our team. We strive to create an inclusive working environment in which researchers from diverse backgrounds can thrive. This project will be conducted in collaboration with nonprofit, municipal, and Indigenous partners, and applicants with experience directing research with nonacademic partners and/or experience in community-based research are particularly encouraged to apply.

Organizational Status
The research manager will report directly to the Principal Investigator, Dr. Rachel Scholes, and will work in co-operation with student research assistants and project partners, including external collaborators.

Work Performed​

• Develop and implement project work plan. This will include:
  • Contributing to strategic planning of research activities and preparing funding applications, including identifying potential funding sources, to support further development of these and related research activities
  • Managing project personnel to ensure that tasks are completed on-time and within-budget
  • Managing and compiling reports to project stakeholders, including mandatory reporting to the project funder
• Develop and document scientific sampling and analysis methodologies, including sampling plans, with support from the research team
• Ensure project is completed on-time and on-budget, including developing schedules and agendas for progress meetings with PIs, project members, and external project partners and stakeholders, and determining and delegating action items
• Make decisions regarding equipment purchases, including identifying and procuring appropriate equipment
• Prepare scientific documentation for publication and/or presentation in journals and/or at conferences.
• Work may be conducted both in-person and remotely, with at least 2 in-person days per week.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

Exercises judgment in: coordination of sampling campaigns to reflect resource and personnel availability, and project objectives; maintaining pro-active project administration and budget oversight to ensure timely completions of deliverables and budget expenditures. Responsible for the completion of assigned work or project objectives.

Errors in project management activities may result in: delays in meeting research milestones, delays in graduate student graduation, over/under expenditure of research funding, reputational damage, and/or loss of funding. Errors in measurement campaign execution may additionally lead to: damage to or loss of UBC or partner equipment, or personnel injury.

Supervision Received
Works independently within tasks and must make independent task-specific decisions but is expected to coordinate with PI prior to final decisions affecting the full program; deliverables will be reviewed by supervisors prior to dissemination to funding agencies and/or partners.
Supervision Given

May assign and check work of technicians, support staff or students, as well as coordinating with staff from partner organizations. Supervision of student assistants may be required to support tasks listed in “work performed.”

Minimum Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum of two years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

– Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own

– Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

• At least 2 years of experience in an academic research environment
• Graduate degree (MSc, MASc or PhD) or equivalent experience outside of academia in science or engineering
• Expertise in stormwater contaminants or aquatic toxicology
• Experience in the following areas:
  • Management of research resources, including personnel, equipment, and budget
  • Direction of, or repeated participation in research collaborations between academic and non-academic partners and/or experience in community-based research
  • Preparation of reporting documents for funding agencies
  • Use of Microsoft Office Suite (esp. Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Excellent ability to communicate with stakeholders, organize project activities, solve problems, and pay attention to details
• Excellent oral and written communication
• Ability to prioritize and work effectively under pressure to meet deadlines
• A Canadian driver’s license, or ability to obtain one