Staff - Non Union

Job Category

M&P - AAPS

Job Profile

AAPS Salaried - Research and Facilitation, Level B

Job Title

Research Manager

Department

Richardson Laboratory | BC Centre for Substance Use | Faculty of Medicine

Compensation Range

$6,747.50 - $9,701.42 CAD Monthly

The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.

Posting End Date

March 26, 2026

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

This position is subject to the satisfactory completion of required background checks

Job End Date

March 30, 2026

This position is expected to be filled by promotion/reassignment and is included here to inform you of its vacancy at the University.

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Summary
The Research Manager provides operational leadership for the Initiative for Work and Well-Being, a multi-study research portfolio led by Dr. Lindsey Richardson at the BC Centre on Substance Use. The Initiative examines poverty, employment, and occupational drivers of drug-related harm, with the objective of improving occupational and health trajectories of workers disproportionately impacted by drug-related harm. The portfolio includes multiple CIHR- and externally funded studies, as well as formal partnerships with community and health system stakeholders.

The Initiative encompasses several interconnected projects, including the Assessing Economic Transitions (ASSET) Study, a five-year longitudinal study of 400 participants for which this role oversees data management, analysis, and knowledge mobilization. It also includes the Substance Use, Work and Well-Being research program, which consists of three complementary empirical studies (qualitative, quantitative, and administrative data linkage-based) and formal partnerships with the Partnership for Work, Health and Safety at the UBC School of Population and Public Health, community organizations, and the Addiction Medicine Leads of regional health authorities across British Columbia. The program also has planned future expansion into the service industry and clinical front-line care settings.

Reporting to the Principal Investigator (PI), the Research Manager is responsible for the operational management and effective execution of the Initiative, ensuring research activities, staffing, and resources are coordinated to support successful program delivery while the PI retains academic leadership and research direction.

Organizational Status
The BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) is a provincially networked organization with a mandate to develop, help implement, and evaluate evidence-based approaches to substance use and addiction. BCCSU seeks to improve the integration of best practices and care across the continuum of substance use through the collaborative development of evidence-based policies, guidelines, and standards. With the support of the Province of BC, the BCCSU aims to transform substance use policies and care by translating research into education and care guidance, thereby serving all British Columbians.

At the heart of our endeavors lie three core functions: research and evaluation, education and training, and clinical care guidance. Through these integrated activities, we strive to achieve our goals and positively impact the lives of individuals affected by substance use.

For the most up-to-date information on our innovative work, we invite you to explore our

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Work Performed

• Accountable for the overall operational management and effective execution of the Initiative portfolio, including direction of multiple concurrent research studies.

• Acts as operational delegate to the Principal Investigator (PI) for day-to-day management of the Initiative, ensuring effective program delivery while the PI retains academic leadership and research direction.

• Develops and implements strategic and operational plans collaboratively with the PI for the Initiative, establishing program and analytic priorities, research governance activities, and knowledge mobilization objectives.

• Develops, manages, and exercises delegated authority over the Initiative’s operating budget collaboratively with the PI, including forecasting, discretionary allocation of funds, approval of expenditures, and financial monitoring.

• Manages full formal supervisory responsibilities for research personnel, including recruitment, performance evaluation, workload allocation, contract recommendations, and performance management.

• Ensures timely delivery of research outputs and grant deliverables across the Initiative portfolio, allocation staff resources and resolving operational issues as required.

• Provides strategic and operational leadership to research personnel in the design and implementation of data collection, recruitment, and analytic processes.

• Develops, implements, and monitors recruitment and retention strategies across studies, exercising delegated authority to adapt processes to ensure target achievement and participant safety.

• Provides methodological leadership and oversight across qualitative and quantitative research activities, including development of analytic plans, training and mentorship of research staff, and review and approval of research outputs to ensure quality and integrity.

• Oversees preparation and submission of ethics applications and regulatory documentation, ensuring compliance with institutional and external requirements.

• Leads research governance activities, including management of advisory groups and stakeholder engagement processes.

• Represents the Initiative in engagement activities with community partners, advisory bodies, and collaborators, acting as operational delegate to the PI as appropriate.

• Identifies and supports development of new funding opportunities and oversees preparation of grant applications in collaboration with the PI.

• Contributes direct research expertise as required to ensure continuity of operations.

• Performs other related duties as required.

Consequence of Error/Judgement
This position exercises a high level of professional judgment and initiative in the management of various training and research projects. The incumbent is accountable for the efficient and ethical management of research projects across a large program of research. Errors made could influence the ability of researchers to interpret data correctly, delay the timely completion of work, or otherwise compromise the objectives and results of research projects. This would impact the credibility of the PIs and other research team investigators.

Supervision Received
The Research Manager will receive primary direction from the PI, Dr. Richardson.

Supervision Given
The incumbent will assign and check the work of research coordinators and trainees to ensure that all project timelines across the research teams are met. The incumbent will provide guidance on administrative and research processes as required.

Minimum Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline, with a minimum of three years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including those that may differ from one’s own
• Demonstrated commitment to enhancing awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

• Post-graduate degree in public health, sociology, or a related social or health sciences discipline, with advanced training in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.

• Demonstrated experience leading or managing complex research programs or multi-project portfolios.

• Experience exercising formal supervisory authority, including recruitment, performance evaluation, workload allocation, and staff development.

• Demonstrated experience managing research budgets, forecasting resource requirements, and overseeing expenditures in accordance with institutional and funder guidelines.

• Experience providing strategic and operational leadership within multidisciplinary research teams and collaborative community-based research environments.

• Experience engaging and representing research initiatives with community partners, advisory groups, and external stakeholders.

• Advanced knowledge of research governance processes including predation and oversight of ethics applications and multi-site approvals.

• Strong strategic planning and organizational skills, with demonstrated ability to prioritizing competing demands and ensure timely delivery of research objectives

• Demonstrated ability to provide methodological leadership, mentorship, and training to research personnel.

• Knowledge of community health issues, including substance use, poverty, employment, and health behaviours.

• Familiarity with services supporting socioeconomically disadvantaged populations in British Columbia.

• Knowledge of Indigenous cultures, social issues, and community-based services.

• Advanced proficiency with research software (e.g., NVivo, Stata) and institutional financial systems.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with demonstrated ability to translate research findings into policy briefs, reports, and stakeholder presentations.

• Ability to travel as required to support research activities and community engagement.

About Us

The University of British Columbia is a global centre for research and teaching, consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities globally. A large part of what makes us unique is the community of engaged students, faculty, and staff who are collectively committed to shaping a better world.

Recognized as a leading employer in British Columbia and Canada, UBC supports inspired students, faculty and staff on their journey of discovery, and challenges them to realize their greatest potential. New ideas, changing infrastructure, innovative technology, and fresh approaches are opening up possibilities for the future of research, teaching, and work. Are you ready to embrace the future together?

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, and/or Indigenous person.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

If you have any accommodation or accessibility needs during the job application process, please contact the Centre for Workplace Accessibility at

workplace.accessibility@ubc.ca

.