POSITION DETAILS:

POSITION TITLE / Research Assistant
SCHOOL / DEPARTMENT / Sydney School of Public Health, Prevention Research Collaboration
FACULTY / PSU / Medicine
REPORTS TO / Research Fellow
CLASSIFICATION LEVEL / HEO5 / POSITION NUMBER
CLASSIFICATION DATE / CLASSIFICATION CODE
PRIMARY POSITION ACTIVITY

PRIMARY FUNCTION:

Provide support to the research and evaluation activities of various projects at the Prevention Research Collaboration.
Responsible for the day-to-day, research support and administrative operations of the evaluation of various PRC research activities as required.

OVERVIEW OF THE SCHOOL / DEPARTMENT AND POSITION CONTEXT

The Prevention Research Collaboration (PRC) is a research group within the School of Public Health, at the University of Sydney and has specialised expertise in population-wide prevention research and translational research. In particular, PRC is engaged in generating and disseminating new knowledge about implementation of population-wide prevention. The PRC research portfolio includes public health priority topics, with major emphases on chronic disease prevention, especially public health nutrition, physical activity and obesity prevention; in addition PRC also carries out work in other areas of prevention, including tobacco control and sun protection and more generally, research in health promotion.
The position will support a range of research and evaluation activities relating to externally funded and PRC specific projects in chronic disease prevention and health promotion research and evaluation.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Frequency
1.  / Undergo training in the procedures of the specific studies and adhere strictly to the recruitment and measurement protocols of those studies. / As required
2.  / Support the day-to-day work of the Research Fellows involved in research evaluation. / Daily
3.  / Coordinate and conduct data collection; assist with developing databases, conduct data entry and quality control, and database management. / Daily
4.  / Make timely visits to the participating workplaces to collect data, ensure fidelity to research protocol and to be first point of contact for trouble shooting issues. / As required
5.  / Assist in the preparation of ethics submissions if required; assist in the preparation of evaluation and monitoring reports to health jurisdictions engaged in the delivery of the project. / As required
6.  / Liaise and proactively build relationships with clients and collaborators. / As required
7.  / Conduct literature searches and synthesise literature review. / As required
8.  / Assist in preparation of academic publications. / As required
9.  / Perform other duties appropriate for this classification. / As required
10.  / Participate in PRC general staff meetings and project-specific meetings. / As required

key relationships

INTERNAL – across/within the University

MAIN CONTACT / FREQUENCY / PURPOSE
PRC Director, Executive Officer, Senior Lecturer, Senior Researchers, Research Fellows, Biostatistician, IT Helpdesk, Office Manager, HR services as required / Daily / In the context of relevant Key Accountabilities
All PRC staff / As required

EXTERNAL – outside of the University

MAIN CONTACT / FREQUENCY / PURPOSE
Government bodies / As required / In the context of relevant Key Accountabilities
Non-government organisations / As required / In the context of relevant Key Accountabilities

DECISION MAKING AND DELEGATIONS OF AUTHORITY

Making independent decisions regarding the basic day to day running of research and evaluation activities relating to various projects. Any decisions that directly impact the PRC, School of Public Health, the Sydney Medical School or the University as a whole, or that require a higher level input must be discussed with the Director of PRC, Executive Officer, and Supervisors in PRC.

POSITION DIMENSIONS

STAFF DATA
DIRECT REPORTS:
number of direct reports to this position, their classification and number of incumbents / Nil
INDIRECT REPORTS:
number of reports via subordinates to this position / Nil
FACULTY / PSU SIZE / Faculty of Medicine – has at least 500 postgrad students enrolled
SCHOOL / DEPARTMENT SIZE / The PRC is within the Sydney School of Public Health; the PRC has 20-28FTE staff, of which around 6-8 are postgraduate students at any one time
FINANCIAL DATA
SALARY BUDGET / No
NON-SALARY BUDGET / No
GRANT AMOUNTS / BUDGET / Nil
OTHER AMOUNTS / Nil

EXPERIENCE, SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

CRITERIA / ESSENTIAL / DESIRABLE /
Skills
·  Excellent verbal and written communication skills; outstanding interpersonal skills
·  Good level of computer literacy specifically Microsoft Office applications
·  Good time management and organisational skills; high level of multi-tasking skills and prioritising skills to meet deadlines
·  Ability to work collaboratively in a team, and/or to work independently when required
·  Ability to exercise initiative and independently solve problems in a timely manner
·  Good attention to detail in all matters / 






Experience
·  Research experience in workplace health, physical activity and sedentary behaviour
·  Experience in drafting technical reports, with excellent attention to details
·  Experience in conducting qualitative research interviews with individuals, pairs, small groups
·  Experience in data entry, database management and quality control
·  Experience with database applications
·  Experience in conducting literature searches, and drafting literature reviews / 





·  Tertiary qualification in public health or related field and experience
·  Training in research methods /  / 

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY / AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

Demonstrated understanding of the incorporation into University life of the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action EOOnline; and ability to work positively with staff and students from a diverse range of backgrounds.

WORK HEALTH AND SAFETY (WHS)

Understand your WHS responsibilities and actively ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of yourself and others at work in accordance with the University’s WHS policy and procedures and as described in the role responsibilities on the WHS website.

ORGANISATIONAL CHART

SIGNATURE

LINE MANAGER / Lina Engelen / Josephine Chau / DELEGATED AUTHORITY / Adrian Bauman
SIGNATURE / SIGNATURE
DATE / April 2016 / DATE / April 2016

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