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This position is located in Des Moines, IA. This requires in person work in the Des Moines, IA schools and community or in a physical project office. 

The University of Michigan School of Social Work in the Interpersonal Violence Lab (IVRL) is seeking a Research Technician to supervise implementation of a randomized control trial among high school students in Des Moines, IA. This role will report directly to the Project Director and assist with various tasks related to organization, scheduling, planning, and operations. 
 

Project LIVE is a partnership with IVRL, Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS), University of Nebraska-Lincoln, The Set Me Free Project, and community partners in Des Moines. 

The purpose is to use evidence-based research to prevent interpersonal violence and support survivors. IVRL uses community-based participatory action research to answer two questions: 
How do we prevent sexual and related forms of violence? How do we most effectively support survivors in the aftermath of violent victimization? Much of our work focuses on minoritized populations, specifically Native American/Indigenous youth and families as well as LGBTQ+ youth. In the IVRL, we highly value community leadership in developing and evaluating strengths-focused, culturally grounded initiatives to prevent and respond to sexual and related forms of violence. 
 

Background 
Using a five-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), researchers and community partners will collaborate to deliver the READY to Stand Curriculum to high school students and school personnel in Des Moines, Iowa. The project aims to prevent sex trafficking in Des Moines Public Schools. This will be achieved, in part, by increasing students' skills for healthy relationships, and by helping students identify personal safeguards to enable them to act if they feel unsafe. The curriculum, developed by The Set Me Free Project, was implemented in Des Moines high schools beginning in 2023, and in 2025 will expand to a randomized control trial to reach students in six additional high schools to evaluate the effectiveness of the READY to Stand Curriculum. 

Research on this project broadly focuses on the development, implementation, and evaluation of violence prevention and response initiatives among high school students. Responsibilities of the research technician include supporting research efforts in close coordination with project management team, including general assistance with conducting literature reviews; editing and adapting research protocols/materials; programming Qualtrics surveys; assisting with participant recruitment and community engagement, enrollment, and retention; data entry and basic data management; formulating data dissemination and use plans, and other duties as assigned. 
 

A Research Technician is needed to prepare, supervise, and lead the recruitment, planning, and implementation of Project LIVE. 
 

• Develop and execute community, media, and participant recruitment engagement strategies.
• Attend community meetings, events in the Des Moines metro area, and other opportunities to engage with communities, parents, and other people to share about Project LIVE. 
• Lead the development and implementation of the youth and adult advisory boards, set meetings, recruit new members, develop agendas, and facilitate the meetings to engage members and build trust in the community. 
• Recruit, train, and supervise temporary local data collectors for study preparation and implementation. 
• Engage with Des Moines Public School representatives, principals, and other school personnel in a professional manner. 
• Meet regularly with team members to identify challenges and brainstorm solutions.
• Carry-out decisions made by the research team. Some autonomy is required to problem-solve when interacting with research participants. 
• Edit and adapting research protocols/materials, ensure compliance by research team. 
• Program Qualtrics surveys, Mail Chimp materials, and other applications to support research planning and implementation. 
• Assist with data entry and basic data management. 
• Conduct cost tracking on study expenditures for budgets and manuscript development.
   

• Bachelor's degree in psychology, education, social sciences or related field plus one year of experience working in a research laboratory; or equivalent combination of education/experience considered. 
• Knowledge of basic social sciences/behavioral research. 
• Must have experience with Microsoft Office products, Qualtrics, Mail Chimp, and Canva
• Must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills. 
• Must be highly organized and conscientious. 
• Excellent communication and time management skills. 
• Able to problem-solve and work collaboratively with the research team while also having the ability to work independently on tasks. 
• Ability to be based in Des Moines and attend community engagement functions. 
   

• Master's degree in psychology, public health, education, social sciences or related field 
• Two years experience working on interpersonal violence research or programming and/or research focused on program development and evaluation. Experience programming online surveys is also a plus. 
• Experience and knowledge of Des Moines Public School system.
   

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.

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Hybrid arrangements are only considered for those in Des Moines area. 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.

• Possible evening and weekend hours. 
• Candidates must be currently eligible to work in the United States, as we are currently unable to sponsor visas for this job opening.

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.