Job Abstract

Job Summary

The Center for Firefighter Injury Research & Safety Trends (FIRST) is a research, education, and practice enterprise at the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA, comprised of data scientists, epidemiologists, organizational scientists, and psychologists. FIRST supports the fire and rescue service through objective data collection and analysis on safety culture, stress, mental health, and injury. FIRST's research and practice responds to the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives and is inclusive of all fire departments: career, combination, volunteer, urban, and rural. FIRST developed two tools currently in use: the Firefighter Organizational Culture of Safety (FOCUS) survey and the Stress and Violence against fire-based EMS Responders (SAVER) Systems-Level Checklist. FIRST was founded by Dr. Jennifer Taylor, the Arthur L. and Joanne B. Frank Professor of Environmental & Occupational Health, and the Center’s Director.

The FIRST Center Associate Director reports to Dr. Taylor. As the Center's chief of staff, this individual must have strong leadership abilities in research, education, and practice. They must be a self-starter, and have the ability to work closely with faculty, staff, and students as an administrator, manager, and fiduciary.

Essential Functions

• Scientific and Programmatic Responsibilities
  • Contribute to Execution of the First Center’s mission and vision by taking a leadership role in the Center and assisting the Director by overseeing its day-to-day operations (as requested by Director).
  • Represent the Center Director internally and externally as needed at academic and fire service conferences, with potential funders, and with media outlets.
  • Cultivate a deep institutional knowledge of issues related to the fire service, the FIRST Center’s fire service partners, and understand their most salient research needs.
  • Write grants and contacts to diversify FIRST funding streams and garner additional funds to expand the research, education and practice mission inclusive of staff, students, and a collaborative group of scientists nationally and internationally.
  • Coordinate a large research team with external investigators to collaborate on data analysis, grant writing, and manuscript preparation.
  • Conduct quality assurance and quality improvement analyses of all research, education, and practice programs.
  • Manage multiple projects simultaneously with limited resources and compressed deadlines.
  • Develop benchmarks and oversight of progress for all staff, projects, and strategic goals.
  • Make unique contributions to science through direct collaboration with FIRST and scientific collaborators regarding study design, methods, analysis, and dissemination.
  • Write as primary or supporting author, manuscripts for peer-reviewed publication, making sure to drive the progression of manuscripts by meeting regularly with collaborators, ensuring deadlines are met, preparing manuscripts for review, and responding to journal requests.
  • Write as primary or supporting author, abstracts to both fire service and scientific professional conferences and present study findings, ensuring that the Senior Project Manager gains exposure as the contact person for our research and as an asset to the work of FIRST.
  • Perform dissemination and implementation (D&I) evaluation of all research programs including communications to funders and advisory board.
  • Assist Center Director to assure that all research moves to practice (R2P) using NIOSH guidelines.
• Financial Responsibilities
  • Work with the Director on annual fiscal planning, ongoing financial tracking and projections, and other activities that can support the FIRST Center’s strategic planning and financial goals.
  • Interface with the Associate Dean of Finance and Administration for the Dornsife School of Public Health and the EOH Business Manager to effectuate budgets, contracts, and fee-for-service operations.
  • Select, negotiate, and oversee all vendor contracts and data sharing agreements in collaboration with Center Director and EOH Business Manager.
  • In conjunction with the Drexel Office of General Counsel, Office of Research Administration, and Office of University Communications, oversee and negotiate FIRST Center intellectual property, copyrights, and data sharing agreements.
  • Oversee the new fee-for-service and consulting operation, inclusive of marketing, billing, and accounting.
  • Manage all purchasing for the Center as well as monthly reconciliation of P-Card statements.
  • Work with EOH Business Manager and Drexel Grants Administrator on post-award grant monitoring, including submitting EPAFS, labor redistributions, etc. to ensure grants and contracts are appropriately charged.
  • Oversight of all Center financial transactions.
  • Analyze past, present, and expected operations in order to identify development opportunities and areas for improvement.
• Personnel Responsibilities
  • Serve as the manager of record for the Education and Training Coordinator, Outreach and Communications Coordinator, Research assistants, and summer FIRE Fellows. Supervise the day-to-day activities of FIRST Center staff and students.
  • Provide onboarding of new staff, collaborators, and students.
  • Administer staff and student training on data privacy, protections, and practices.
  • Oversee all IRB applications, amendments, and protocol closings for FIRST Center staff, students, faculty, and external collaborators.
  • Conduct staff meetings.
  • Approve timesheets.
• Educational Responsibilities (undergraduate to post-doctoral)
  • Mentor students/trainees working on FIRST Center projects at all educational levels.
  • Serve as lead managing staff member to the summer FIRE Fellowship, advising, teaching and directing research projects and instilling the three tenets of the value set.
  • Model appropriate professional comportment for all students/trainees.
  • Serve as lead qualitative instructor for all students/trainees.
  • Support the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health as it engages and connects with current students through participation in department events and professional development engagements.
• Administrative Responsibilities
  • Work with the Director to design and implement systems for effectively managing multiple grants, contracts, fee-for-service activities, faculty, collaborators, staff, and students.
  • Serve as primary budget/administrative contact for the FIRST Center to central offices, including IRB, General Counsel, Procurement, Human Resources, Payroll, etc.
  • Maintain Center records.
  • Handle day-to-day operations, developing and implementing procedures in compliance with university policy, federal regulations, and contractual requirements.
  • Assist the Director with space planning, cubicle/office assignments, and staff/student on-boarding.
  • Plan and participate in annual advisory board meetings, presenting work to fire service stakeholders, training students to engage in meetings, working with administrative staff on meeting logistics, developing meeting agendas, creating meeting presentations and session material.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree or the equivalent combination of education and work experience.
  • Please review the Equivalency Chart for additional information.
• At least 5-10 years of relevant experience
• Advanced proficiency in quantitative and qualitative public health research methods required.
• MS Office, SharePoint, OneDrive, IRB, HIPAA, CITI, advanced competencies required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to plan, manage, lead, and follow-up with all internal and external meetings; inclusive of documentation, archiving, and plans of action.
• Demonstrated ability to recruit and retain first responder organizations in research, education, and practice.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
• Exemplary project management and time management skills are expected.
• Ability to handle confidential material with accuracy and care, following all necessary rules related to human subjects, University policies and procedures, and the standards of the School.
• Previous experience with first responder industries and/or injury prevention research is strongly recommended.
• A robust publication record is preferred.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, team-driven environment.
• NBPHE Certified in Public Health (CPH) credential is preferred.
• Master’s degree in public health field (MPH) preferred.

Physical Requirements

• Typically sitting at a desk/table

Location

• University City – Philadelphia, PA

Additional Information

This position is classified as exempt, grade M. Compensation for this grade ranges from $75,200 to $112,790 per year. Please note that the offered rate for this position typically aligns with the minimum to midrange of this grade, but it can vary based on the successful candidate’s qualifications and experience, department budget, and an internal equity review.

We encourage you to explore Drexel's Professional Staff salary structure and Compensation Guidelines & Policies for more details on our compensation framework.

You can also find valuable information about our benefits in the Benefits Brochure.

Special Instructions to the Applicant

Please make sure you upload your CV/resume and cover letter when submitting your application.

A review of applicants will begin once a suitable candidate pool is identified.

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