Research Assistant - Lab Coordinator

Research Assistant - Lab Coordinator

Job Category

Non Union Technicians and Research Assistants

Job Profile

Non Union Salaried - Research Assistant /Technician 3

Department

Clinical Research Unit | Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute | Faculty of Medicine

Compensation Range

$4,567.04 - $5,385.67 CAD Monthly

Posting End Date

February 14, 2025

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

Aug 1, 2026

This is a fixed term position to cover maternity leave (18 month)

The Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) Clinical Research Unit (CRU) assists VCH/UBC investigators to conduct human clinical trials of biomedical or health-related research that follows a pre-defined protocol. Trials can be industry funded, grant funded, or investigator initiated. The VCHRI CRU is operated by the VCHRI which is affiliated with the University of British Columbia.

The successful candidate will join our Clinical Research Unit and primarily focus on maintaining the daily operational functions of the laboratory, ensuring the delivery of consistent and reliable lab services. In addition to lab duties, the candidate will assist with the recruitment and enrolment of ongoing industry, grant funded and Investigator-initiated clinical trials. The candidate will be working with confidential information and adhering to strict study protocols. Positions in this classification perform routine clinical and laboratory tasks and assist the VCHRI CRU to recruit participants, perform study visits, prepare materials for testing and other various tasks as required.

Organizational Status

This position reports directly to the Director, VCHRI CRU who will oversee and guide the research assistant in all research activities. The research assistant will interact with other members of the VCHRI CRU/research teams as well as other hospital groups & health care professionals including clinicians/researchers, coordinators, students, sponsors, auditors, volunteers, and study participants. The Research Assistant will work independently on a day-to-day basis while also collaborating as part of a team. They will work closely with and also take direction from the Research Facilitator.

Work Performed

1. Maintains research stock supplies, monitors/updates inventory. Logs and monitors the usage of services and supplies, ensuring accurate records are maintained for all clinical trial activities.
2. Performs quality assurance monitoring of equipment and space.
3. Performs clinical and laboratory clean up tasks. Assists in basic maintenance of research equipment.
4. Prepares sample collection kits for study visits, performs blood collection, centrifuges blood samples, aliquots plasma/ serum/urine and other simple laboratory processing tasks.
5. Prepares documents, samples and other materials for proper handling and shipping.
6. Operates a variety of equipment such as centrifuges, incubators, and monitors fridges and freezers.
7. Provides clerical assistance, including answering phones, booking appointments, scheduling meeting, scheduling tests, and participant reimbursements.
8. Assists with logistics and procedures for study participant visits.
9. Responsible for data collection, data entry, documentation of process, ongoing monitoring of data quality.
10. Assists with recruitment activities, development of recruitment materials.
11. Assists with ethics submissions using UBC RISe (Research Information Systems).
12. Actively participates in team meetings, provides regular updates on research activities.
13. Works collaboratively with members of the VCH research community.
14. Participates in departmental training programs.
15. Performs other research tasks as assigned.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

The Research Assistant should understand the importance of maintaining professional behavior and respect for study participants and team members. Lack of careful attention to regulatory guidelines and approvals can lead to significant consequences.

Supervision Received

Directly supervised by the VCHRI CRU Director, from oral/written instructions and to established procedures.

Minimum Qualifications

Completion of a relevant technical program or a university degree in a relevant discipline and a minimum three years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives.
• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Preferred Qualifications

Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline or Graduation from a technical college or institute. Experience as a Medical Laboratory Assistant/Technician is an asset.