RESEARCH PROJECT COORDINATOR
Research Project Coordinator
Life Span Institute, University of Kansas
JUNIPER GARDENS CHILDREN’S PROJECT
Position Description
The Juniper Gardens Children’s Project (JGCP: www.jgcp.ku.edu) is seeking to hire a Research Project Coordinator to manage early childhood research and development activities. The coordinator will monitor and support research and development activities, ensuring that projects achieve milestones on time. Activities to be coordinated include development of web and mobile applications, as well as research activities such as administration of child assessments in centers and/or families’ homes. The JGCP is a research center within the University of Kansas’ Institute for Life Span Studies. The JGCP has a mission of developing and validating evidence-based practices for teachers, parents, and caregivers in public schools, preschools, and childcare programs in the community. This work is funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Education, National Institutes of Health, the Health Resources and Services Administration, among others. The Project Coordinator will work with researchers, application developers, assessment staff, and sub-contractors to facilitate on-time delivery of high-quality applications for use by early childhood educators, and data collection activities to test the impact of those applications on early childhood practices. JGCP develops both web and mobile applications typically used by educators and parents to support children’s early childhood development and academic success. Offers of employment are contingent on a successful background check. Continued employment for this position is dependent on annual funding and satisfactory annual evaluations. The position is at JGCP, located in downtown Kansas City, Kansas in the Children’s Campus of Kansas City building, 444 Minnesota Ave, Suite 300, Kansas City, KS 66101.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- 45% - Using software development and project management tools, coordinate and monitor development and research activities based on scope of work, proposed timeline, and staff/resource allocation.
- 20% - Meet regularly with developers and research staff to review development progress, problem solve challenges, and re-allocate resources as needed depending on current project needs. Coordinate regular staff meetings and provide ongoing reporting of project performance.
- 10% - Coordinate research activities (e.g., assisting with recruitment and coordinating assessments in homes and schools) between families and educators and research staff.
- 15% - In collaboration with research staff and application developers, prioritize development tasks such that software requirements, specifications, and available resources are considered.
- 5% - In collaboration with principal investigators, produce reports and presentations to communicate findings and progress to funding agencies.
- 5% - Lead efforts to recruit and hire subcontractors and/or research staff to support research and development activities as needed.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in education or related field
- Two years’ minimum experience coordinating research or development projects that involve the use of project management software (e.g., Confluence, JIRA, etc.)
- Two years’ experience coordinating and participating in multi-site meetings using online video-conferencing tools such as Skype, Zoom, Polycom, Goto Meeting, etc.
- Fluent in the use of office productivity applications (e.g., Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint)
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Master’s degree with major education or related field
- At least two years of experience scheduling, administering, and scoring educational assessments with students in schools/centers or children in homes on a federally funded grant.
- At least one year of web development experience using content management systems such as Wordpress, Drupal, etc.
- At least one year of experience as an application developer or coordinating application development of a team of developers
- At least two years of experience as an educator/direct service provider in center-based or home visiting early childhood education programs
- Strong organizational skills and the ability to work independently or with limited supervision
- Demonstrated ability to prioritize across several simultaneous projects, communicating recommendations on a regular basis to individuals from various backgrounds
- Strong written communication skills as evidenced by application materials
- Strong oral communication skills as determined through interview process and reference checks
FTE: 100%
SALARY: $44,105 - $66,157 annually, commensurate with education and experience.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Review of applications will begin May 25, 2018 and continue as needed until position is filled.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: For more information and to apply go to https://employment.ku.edu/staff/11889BR. Please submit an online application, cover letter, vitae and contact information for three professional references. In the cover letter, please indicate how you see your particular skills set and prior experience contributing to the research at JGCP. If you have questions about the position, you may email Dr. Buzhardt at jaybuz@ku.edu If you have questions about the application process you may contact Diana Skill at 913-735-2612, dskill@ku.edu
Selected candidates must successfully pass a background check.
The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, retaliation, gender identity, gender expression and genetic information in the University’s programs and activities.