Research Project Manager

The University of Michigan’s Department of Health Behavior & Health Equity advances health equity and well-being through research, education, partnerships, and practice. The Research Project Manager will coordinate a multisite randomized controlled trial on tobacco cessation interventions, overseeing field-site collaboration, protocol fidelity, data safety, regulatory compliance, reporting, and operational performance across urban and rural settings in a lower-middle-income country.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with research investigators, field teams, and community representatives to finalize study materials, methods, and protocols
• Coordinate with project managers at each field site to monitor study progress, troubleshoot challenges, and ensure consistent protocol implementation
• Review and consolidate recruitment, retention, and data collection reports from multiple sites
• Facilitate communication between field teams and research investigators regarding timelines, resource needs, and protocol implementation and deviations
• Implement and oversee data safety and monitoring protocols, including adverse event reporting, data quality checks, and compliance with data protection regulations
• Coordinate with the Data Safety Monitoring Board by preparing interim safety reports and ensuring timely escalation of serious adverse events
• Establish standardized data validation procedures across sites to identify missing, inconsistent, or anomalous data requiring correction
• Monitor participant safety metrics and ensure field teams follow established safety procedures for managing unexpected health events
• Ensure timely IRB reporting and submissions, and maintain regulatory compliance and documentation
• Monitor key study performance indicators (recruitment rate, enrollment rates, follow-up completion, data quality metrics, and safety) and escalate issues requiring intervention
• Prepare progress reports for research investigators, other stakeholders, and funding bodies
• Support field site managers in problem-solving related to participant recruitment and retention, high-quality study implementation, and logistics in resource-limited environments
• Conduct periodic virtual and in-person site visits to audit operations and provide technical guidance

Requirements:

• • Education and experience: Master's degree and 4+ years of related experience
• • Minimum 3 years of project management experience in clinical or public health research
• • Experience working in low- or middle-income countries and coordinating multi-site studies
• • Familiarity with RCT methodology, Good Clinical Practice standards, and data safety monitoring principles
• • Strong organizational, management, and communication skills
• • Ability to work independently with minimal supervision in a part-time capacity
• • Proficiency in remote collaboration tools and data management systems
• (Supervisory and financial management experience preferred)
• • Background in tobacco control or substance use research
• • Experience supervising or coordinating with field-based project managers
• • Knowledge of urban-rural health service differences
• • Experience managing adverse event reporting or safety data in clinical trials