Research Coordinator

Role Overview

The Research Coordinator will be responsible for managing daily operations of assigned research projects, ensuring adherence to approved protocols, schedules, and budgets. This role involves maintaining various project documentation, translating study protocols into practical procedures, and monitoring progress to mitigate risks.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee the implementation of research projects in accordance with established protocols, timelines, and budgets.
• Maintain and update study workplans, trackers, meeting minutes, action logs, and critical documentation.
• Convert study protocols into actionable workflows, operational procedures, SOPs, manuals, and implementation plans.
• Track progress against project milestones, identify potential risks, and support corrective measures.
• Coordinate activities related to study start-up, site readiness, team training, participant recruitment, retention, and engagement.
• Ensure research activities comply with protocols, ICH-GCP guidelines, ethical approvals, and national regulatory standards.
• Facilitate coordination among multiple study sites to ensure consistent delivery and quality.
• Manage ethics and regulatory submissions, including amendments, correspondence, and informed consent documentation.
• Identify and document protocol deviations, adverse events, and other reportable incidents, escalating and supporting their resolution as needed.
• Organize monitoring visits, audits, and inspections, with emphasis on participant safety, confidentiality, and research integrity.
• Supervise data collection processes, ensuring data completeness, accuracy, confidentiality, consistency, and timely submission.
• Maintain data collection tools, validation parameters, data dictionaries, and data management workflows.
• Coordinate the development, testing, and use of electronic data collection platforms such as REDCap and similar study systems.
• Conduct routine data quality assessments, resolve queries, and assist in data cleaning for analysis.
• Lead site monitoring activities and promote continuous quality improvement.
• Provide ongoing guidance and support to research assistants, nurses, data personnel, and other study staff.
• Manage communication, meeting coordination, deliverables, and follow-up actions across internal teams and external collaborators.
• Prepare diverse reports including progress updates, data quality, funder reports, ethics and regulatory submissions, and project documentation.
• Coordinate budgeting tasks, procurement, resource planning, and administrative responsibilities.
• Contribute to scientific outputs such as abstracts, manuscripts, presentations, conference entries, concept notes, and grant applications.
• Develop capacity-building initiatives for Friendship Bench personnel and delivery agents.
• Deliver training on data collection, handling, entry procedures, quality assurance, confidentiality, and the use of electronic data systems like REDCap and Kobo Toolbox.
• Mentor staff in data interpretation, scientific reporting, manuscript writing, and presentation preparation.
• Enhance staff competency in research documentation, study protocols, SOP compliance, research ethics, Good Clinical Practice (GCP), and data protection standards.
• Identify gaps in research capacity and coordinate appropriate training and professional development opportunities.

Qualifications and Experience

• A Master’s degree is mandatory.
• Educational background in public health, epidemiology, monitoring and evaluation, health informatics, biostatistics, data science, social science, research, or related disciplines is preferred.
• Minimum 2 to 3 years of relevant experience in research, community health, NGO program coordination, mental health implementation, monitoring and evaluation, clinical trial support, or related project coordination fields.
• Experience engaging with lay health workers, community participants, individuals with lived experience, digital tools, or multi-partner studies is advantageous.
• Strong organizational, communication, research coordination, and documentation skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, including SharePoint or OneDrive, as well as email and online conferencing tools.
• Basic knowledge of Excel, REDCap, Kobo Toolbox, ODK, or other comparable platforms.
• Understanding of confidentiality principles, research ethics, and respectful collaboration with research participants and lived-experience contributors.
• Familiarity with GCP guidelines, research documentation, SOPs, and data protection requirements is desirable.
• Keen attention to detail, analytical problem-solving capabilities, and ability to work effectively under pressure managing multiple active projects.