A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

We are seeking a dynamic and independent individual to act as a Research Area Specialist within the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. This is an opportunity to join a collaborative team and contribute to research studies with meaningful impacts on mental health in educational settings across the state of Michigan and beyond. This team is led by Dr. Shawna N. Smith, Associate Professor of Health Management and Policy, and Dr. Sara Abelson, Assistant Professor, Hope Center for Student Basic Needs and Lewis Katz Medical School at Temple University. This full-time position requires an experienced, highly organized, and motivated individual who has experience with project management and translational research, including community-partnered work. The individual in this role will report directly to initiative PIs and will oversee a research team of 5-10 that includes full time staff, temporary staff, and PhD, Master's and undergraduate-level students.

The Mental Health Improvement through Community Colleges (MHICC) initiative is  looking for a Research Area Specialist to manage a variety of community-partnered qualitative, quantitative, and general research activities for several projects focused on supporting delivery of evidence-based mental health services at community colleges across Michigan. This individual will also be responsible for high level project management tasks (IRB submissions, project timelines & execution, grant applications and oversight, etc.), as well as leading several MHICC initiatives, including community-partnered programming to increase capacity to serve student mental health needs at several community colleges statewide, a community partner advisory board, a statewide mental health landscape survey, and developing materials for policymakers. A successful candidate for this position will have a strong background managing multiple aspects of a complex, community-partnered research initiative, including development of technical assistance materials and collaborating with interdisciplinary community partners.

Primary job responsibilities will include:

• High level project management, including managing project timelines & workflows, supporting IRB and grant-related tasks, overseeing staff, and scheduling and facilitating team meetings. 
• Leading capacity-building programming with partner community colleges, including recruiting new sites, planning and conducting site visits and site needs assessments, providing ongoing technical assistance, including development and support for implementing college-specific mental health strategic plans and development of related deliverables, troubleshooting challenges, and ensuring progress toward stated goals. 
• Coordinating communication with community college partners, including the MHICC Community and Student Advisory Boards and capacity-building programming partners, to ensure alignment between project goals and partner input. 
• Co-leading the annual design and delivery of MHICC's annual Mental Health Landscape Survey fielded to partnering mental health higher education stakeholders and decision makers. 
• Leading regular policy scans at state and federal levels related to mental health in higher education. 
• Generating and contributing to various professional reports, technical assistance materials, and academic manuscripts. 
• Meeting regularly with community partners to facilitate input on MHICC programming and priorities.

Additional duties may include, but are not limited to:

• Contributing to the creation of professional research presentations. 
• Attending meetings with investigators and project staff. 
• Supervising other initiative staff, interns and part-time student research assistants (PhD, undergraduate and master's level).
• Generating policy briefs and/or communicating with policy makers on issues relevant to MHICC's work. 
• Organizing and maintaining study documents and databases. 
• Cleaning, interpreting, and maintaining quantitative and qualitative survey data. 
• Coding and analyzing qualitative data using relevant software (e.g., NVivo). 
• Performing basic quantitative analyses (e.g., descriptive analyses, data visualizations). 
• Performing additional research duties as assigned.

• Bachelor degree (Masters preferred) in public health, psychology, political science, social work, sociology, or related field. 
• 4+ years of experience developing and conducting mental health or related research. 
• Demonstrated project management experience.
• Experience working with higher educational settings in Michigan (community colleges preferred); experience and knowledge of Michigan's public behavioral health systems; experience with community-partnered research; and familiarity with higher education policy, particularly around student mental health.  
• Experience conducting organizational needs assessments.
• Experience developing and implementing strategic plans and overseeing progress toward strategic goals.
• Outstanding organizational skills associated with the ability to manage time and complete multiple competing tasks while meeting deadlines; demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively with diverse stakeholders
• Computer proficiency (i.e., Microsoft Apps; Google Suite); proficiency with visual design and associated software (e.g., Canva) and data visualization; well-developed writing, editing and formatting skills associated with academic publishing.

This position allows for a hybrid or remote work schedule.

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

This is a one-year, term-limited appointment, with the possibility of extension.

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.