Manager, Ethics and Compliance, Office of Research Services, VP Research – University of Calgary

Position Overview

The Office of Research Services within VP Research is currently seeking a Full-time Regular Manager, Ethics and Compliance.

The Research Services Office (RSO) works with the University of Calgary’s research community to advance the research enterprise. RSO aims to increase sponsored research revenue, reduce financial, reputational, and market risk, and manage policy and regulatory compliance for the University. Within RSO, the Research Ethics and Compliance Division has a mandate to provide centralized research ethics administrative services that support the administration of research ethics, the research ethics board (REB) activities of the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board (CHREB) and Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board (CFREB), and compliance services.
 
Reporting to the Director, Grants, Awards and Ethics, the Manager, Research Ethics and Compliance provides leadership, management expertise, and expert knowledge of issues related to the ethical conduct of research, for the RSO Research Ethics and Compliance Division.
 
The Manager role involves a consistently high volume of work with competing priorities, deadlines, and resourcing implications. The Manager is responsible for ensuring the effective management of the ethics certification process: intake, review, approval, renewal, modification, closure, reporting, and suspension. The Manager ensures that University’s research community maintains the highest level of research ethics compliance with university policies and procedures, government regulations and laws, and international guidelines.

Position Description

Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):

  • Facilitate the intake, review, approval, renewal, modification, and closure of human ethics protocols for the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board (CHREB) and Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board (CFREB);
  • Ensure the University and its researchers comply with all obligations related to the ethical conduct of research;
  • Work closely with the Chairs of the CHREB and CFREB to facilitate the review of ethics applications and ensure compliance activities satisfy REB decisions and meet all applicable laws, policies, and other obligations;
  • Maintain an in-depth understanding of various complex and nuanced local, provincial, national, and international regulations, laws, and guidelines concerning the ethical conduct of research involving human participants, including the Health Canada Federal Drug Agency US (HC FDA) Division 5 Regulations, the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP) Guidelines, the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS2), and the Health Information Act of Alberta;
  • Apply knowledge of applicable regulations, laws, guidelines, and best practices to ensuring the ethical conduct of research at the University of Calgary;
  • Develop and recommend innovative new procedures, processes, and guidelines to improve the ethical conduct of research, compliance with approved protocols, and the ethics application process;
  • Liaise with the university research community to promote awareness of changing requirements for ethics certifications and the accompanying submission and review processes;
  • Build and maintain productive and supportive relationships within and without the Research Ethics and Compliance Division and REBs;
  • Liaise with external stakeholders, including other universities and regulatory bodies;
  • Provide ongoing operational leadership in the customization, training, and change management processes related to the Institutional Research Information Services Solution (IRISS) system;
  • Use manual and automated tools to ensure effective management and reporting of the ethical conduct of research with human subjects and to collect compliance-related data;
  • Support internal and external audit activities as they relate to research ethics and related research compliance;
  • Lead and manage staff, including hiring, delegating work, training and mentoring, managing performance, and taking disciplinary action, up to and including termination;
  • Train staff to develop collegial, positive, and trustful working relationships with each other and with researchers, REB Chairs, REB members, administrative staff, students and external stakeholders;
  • Adjust work schedule to meet multiple demands and pressures; and
  • Prioritize and manage staffing resources to maintain a high level of service for the research community, especially during critical or high-volume periods.

Application Deadline:  May 26, 2021

For more information and to apply, go to: https://careers.ucalgary.ca/jobs/6777382-manager-ethics-and-compliance-office-of-research-services-vp-research