Reporting to RPCA’s Administrative Manager, the Administrative Assistant will perform administrative and research tasks for both Dr. Theresa S. Betancourt, the director of the RPCA, and the general RPCA lab, composed of both international and domestic personnel. The Administrative Assistant is responsible for processing the high volume of requests for the Faculty Director’s duties, responsibilities, external activities, and general tasks, and for managing a calendar that accurately reflects the Director’s priorities, schedule, travel, and all day-to-day operations. The Administrative Assistant is responsible for domestic and global travel planning and execution, including meeting support, expense reporting, and travel booking. The Administrative Assistant will prepare and copy edit documents, retrieve library articles, perform literature searches, and organize peer-reviewed articles for submission, as well as draft slide decks, abstracts, and any other necessary materials for all research presentations the Faculty Director is scheduled to give. Superior aptitude for working in a fast-paced environment, and managing multiple shifting priorities is required. Additional responsibilities include assisting with event coordination and managing materials for committees and other responsibilities of the Director.
Roles and responsibilities include:
Manage Faculty Director Activities (75%):
- Oversee Faculty Director’s schedule
- Provide domestic and global travel support to the Faculty Director. Makes travel arrangements including creation of itineraries, the preparation and organization of background and/or meeting material and completing travel expense reports as needed.
- Help Faculty Director in performing administrative and research tasks (including but not limited to document preparation and copyediting, retrieving library articles, performing literature searches, setting up conference calls; photocopying, filing, and mailing)
- Serve as point person for people who need to work with the Faculty Director and manage materials for committees and other constituencies with whom the Faculty director works.
- Manager Faculty Director’s external activities, including working as needed with the Harvard University Press team regarding the publication of her book, Shadows into Light, in January 2025.
- Must be able to deal with multiple time-sensitive interests requiring the Faculty Director's attention.
Coordinate General RPCA Administration (15%)
- Closely work with RPCA administrative team to support greater research administration, including reporting, invoicing, and other relevent needs.
- Take notes and meeting minutes for high level and regular meetings
- Coordinate all meetings in office conference room, including events or luncheons hosted by RPCA
Research Dissemination (10%):
- Support dissemination of research findings through administrative support for stakeholder events and conferences hosted by RPCA or attended by RPCA staff
- Develop slide decks and communications to effectively support the dissemination of research findings with greater RPCA staff and students
- Support student learning by working with interns as per the recomendation of the RPCA administrative manager
Requirements
- Bachelor's in Social Work, Child Development, Public Health, Psychology, Global Mental Health or other relevant fields required
- 2-3 years of experience required: combination of education and experience will be considered
- Must have the ability to work in a fast-paced environment and with competing deadlines requiring the Faculty Director’s attention.
- Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills.
- Superior organization and multi-tasking skills along with the ability to prioritize the workload.
- Possess a high degree of discretion, judgment, and diplomacy.
- Attention to detail and analytical skills.
- Proficient in the Microsoft Office, Google Suite, Asana, and BOX Drive
- Prior experience coordinating office events and special projects as well as higher education experience preferred
- Previous experience with coordinating high-level travel
- Excellent cultural sensitivity and respect for local partnerships required.
- Authorization to work in the USA (US Citizen or Green card holder) required.
Reporting to the Sierra Leone Program Manager, the Research Associate will provide oversight between partners to ensure they are executing program plans. The Research Associate will serve a vital role in overseeing research, evaluation, and data
management. This role will be responsible for programmatic reporting and preparing the study ethics and regulatory applications for the study. The role will work closely with
partner organization, Caritas Freetown, and will be based full-time in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The Research Associate supervises and trains a team of 5-10 research assistants at partner organization, Caritas Freetown, and 1-2 Boston College interns. The Research Associate will serve a vital role in overseeing research, evaluation, and data management. This role will be responsible for programmatic reporting and preparing the study ethics and regulatory applications for the study.
This research project links to the 20-year history of the intergenerational study of war affected youth in Sierra Leone. This study will allow us to look at early child development and the potential influence of parental trauma on family functioning among families with children. This study will contribute to a longitudinal study of war to further address exposures to trauma, and risk and protective factors across the social ecology.
Roles and Responsibilities:
Project Implementation (60%)
- Work closely with the Sierra Leone Program Manager and Caritas to plan,implement, and conduct research related activities for the intergenerational / longitudinal study of war, specifically supporting data collection and research deliverables as indicated by the sponsor
- Create project implementation plans, together with partners and Caritas Freetown, and oversee the ethical and appropriate research protocols related to the collection of data for the vulnerable population
- Support the recruitment of participants from prior waves of the longitudinal study alongside partners and research assistants
- Travel to the field as needed around Sierra Leone during data collection periods
- Support the research assistants on risk of harm management for all IRB reporting both in country and at Boston College.
Data Management (20%)
- Ensure data gathered is stored through secure systems as directed by the Data Analysis Manager of the RPCA and Data Manager at Caritas Freetown
- Develop data management plans for project deliverables
- Support the supervision of research assistant(s) at the RPCA on necessary data tasks, including analysis and presentation materials.
Research and Dissemination (20%)
- Collaborate with team members to complete deliverables, including participating in and developing a media outputs, dissemination reports, community advisory board content development, and grant reporting
- Support Sierra Leone Program Manager on federal reporting to ensure compliance with stakeholders
- Lead stakeholder development in Sierra Leone and coordinate meetings and events to advance the dissemination of research outputs at the RPCA.
Qualifications:
- Masters in Social Work, Early Childhood Development, Psychology, PublicHealth. Very strong bachelors’ degree applicants will be considered.
- Previous experience working and living internationally, preferably insub-Saharan Africa required.
- The Research Associate needs to be self-driven with strong interpersonal skills,flexibility, and cultural sensitivity.
- The Research Associate will need to operate on an independent level tocontribute to the deliverables of the research.
- The Research Associate will need to serve as a clinical liaison between Boston College and partnering agencies in Sierra Leone.
- The incumbent supports the team on complex issues related to data collection, risk of harm management, and dissemination of results.
- The incumbent will work with senior team members to address challenges that arise and make recommendations for processes in conjunction with the PI and other in-country investigators.
- Research experience in qualitative and quantitative research methods required.
- Experience with cross-cultural communications and interpersonal relations required.
- Authorization to work in the USA (US Citizen or Green card holder) required.
The Research Associate will live in Sierra Leone. Applicant should be aware of the following conditions in Sierra Leone: Hot, humid, tropical climate. Extremely limited medical facilities. Potentially contaminated water. High incidence of HIV/AIDS. Prevalence of common diseases that include Rabies, Lassa fever, water-borne diseases, malaria and other tropical diseases.
Thank you for your interest in supporting our research!
We have several opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to gain experience in program coordination, research, and outreach. Specific positions are available below, but we are always accepting applications for RAs on a rolling basis! Please email your resume, cover letter, and any additonal information here!
The RPCA accepts Research Assistant applicants on a rolling basis if there are no specific positions outlined. Students are encouraged to submit their resume and cover letter outlining their connection to a project, or projects, at the RPCA. Common skills and responsibilities of RAs are listed below (based on skill level).
Responsibilities:
- Manage and coordinate slide preparation for regional and national dissemination events
- Develop one-pagers and policy briefs to support the research outcomes
- Support analysis of data outputs
- Support project management activities
- Support data collection as needed
Qualifications include:
- Previous experience in research setting for 1 year
- Ability to work no less than 8 hours per week
- Strong communicator and strong organizational skills
- Cultural competence and cross-cultural communication skills
- Relevent course work in Public Health, Psychology, Social Work, or related fields required.
Paid positions at the RPCA are very competitive and not all RA applications will be paid. Please contact us with questions.