PROGRAM MANAGER (CANADIAN NETWORK FOR STATISTICAL

Should the successful applicant be a Unifor Unit 1 bargaining unit member, who meets the eligibility conditions of Article 19.02 of the Unifor Unit 1 Collective Agreement, then the Limited Term Assignment will be defined as a Career Growth Opportunity in accordance with Article 19 of the Unifor Local 5555 Unit 1 Collective Agreement.

Ranked as one of the world’s Top 100 universities, McMaster University is devoted to the cultivation of human potential, realized through our innovative educational programs, cutting-edge research, and the diverse students, faculty, staff, and alumni who make up the McMaster family. Dedicated to creating a Brighter World, we recognize that our people are our most valuable resource.

The Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS), the largest Faculty within McMaster, has an unwavering commitment to collaboration, strategic partnerships, accountability, innovation, excellence, integrity, and optimism. Our pioneering approaches to education and our reputation for world-class research has consistently placed McMaster among the Top 40 universities in the world for health and medicine.  The Faculty enjoys close relationships with its academic hospital partners, as well as strong collaborations with researchers in Canada and around the world.

We are looking for a talented and passionate Program Manager, with a demonstrated background in developing experiential learning programs, to help shape and oversee the recently announced CANSTAT Platform.  

The Canadian Network for Statistical Training in Trials (CANSTAT) is a new, pan-Canadian, multi-institutional and multidisciplinary training platform that will provide participants with the technical skills and practical experience needed to become leaders in their field and ensure that clinical trials generate the highest-quality evidence to improve the health of Canadians.

This role will oversee and manage all aspects of the platform’s day-to-day operations, including program development & launch; financial management; recruitment and admissions; governance & committee management; and vendor engagement. Under the direction of the Program Director, the Program Manager will work alongside a Program Coordinator, who will provide administrative and communications support to the platform.

The objective of CANSTAT is to train and mentor biostatisticians in clinical trials through experiential learning, workshops and capacity building meetings. The platform will produce biostatistics professionals who are effective collaborators, communicators, scholars, and leaders, contributing to academic and industry clinical trials in Canada. 

Through a recent $2.5M investment by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), CANSTAT will launch in Spring 2023 and welcome its first cohort of trainees in Fall 2023. More details of this announcement can be found here: https://brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/mcmaster-researchers-receive-61-million-from-cihr-to-advance-health-research/

Job Summary:

Responsible for the operation, management, and implementation of a program within a unit or a department that has a provincial and national profile. Implements and manages program activities and facilitates ongoing program development and evaluation. Responsible for the overall quality of program services by interpreting and responding to evaluation data that leads to ongoing program improvements. Participates in critical appraisal of both qualitative and quantitative research evidence to determine effective and relevant approaches for addressing the needs of the program. Responsible for managing the program operations, budget, and forecasting projected resource needs. Engages with stakeholders, decision makers and participants at a local, provincial and national level.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Informs and facilitates the development and approval of the program strategy.
• Designs plans for program implementation which includes the development of pilots as well as determining appropriate metrics for assessing impact.
• Analyzes current program operations and identifies areas for process improvement.
• Oversees the marketing, research, training and evaluation components of the program.
• Coordinates training workshops that target participants both internal and external to the University.
• Represents the program in a variety of contexts with a diverse range of audiences.
• Provides detailed information and communicates regularly with various stakeholders such as staff, front-line workers, government officials, funding agencies, and members of the community.
• Acts as primary liaison with relevant provincial and federal Ministries.
• Develops and implements knowledge translation strategies which includes but is not limited to preparing a variety of materials such as newsletters, bulletins, and reports for electronic/digital dissemination.
• Proofreads and edits dissemination materials and data.
• Designs search strategies and conducts literature searches by performing keyword driven searches of electronic databases and manual searches of key journals. Critically appraises published research according to evidence based principles. Summarizes research findings by authoring research abstracts and sections of manuscripts. Creates poster presentations for national and international conferences.
• Participates in research and scholarly activities related to assessing the needs and conducting evaluations of the program through data collection, critical appraisal of current published literature and statistical analysis, and the dissemination of results to stakeholders and funding agencies.
• Stays abreast of new research, methodology and critical appraisal techniques, and software releases for data analysis software. Attends training sessions and collaborates with database consultants. Requests information and initiates inquiries with national organizations and stakeholders.
• Acts as a liaison between stakeholders locally, provincially and nationally by coordinating the activities of an advisory board or steering committee.
• Coordinates and facilitates workshops and organizes strategic planning sessions.
• Negotiates external services with suppliers and contractors by obtaining and collecting quotes from multiple suppliers, and then negotiates for the best combination of price and timeline.
• Develops project budgets by summarizing financial reports and monitors expenditures while meeting requirements that may be defined by funding agency or program sponsor.
• Manages budget to ensure cost for program is on track, adjusts budget forecasts to accommodate unforeseen expenses.
• Ensures ethical conduct of program activities and the confidentiality of program participants.
• Adapts to changes in funding availability or changing stipulation of granting agency or funder.
• Prepares reports for key stakeholders internal and external to the university on a regular basis.
• Manages the program to achieve required deliverables on time and on budget.

Supervision:

• Organizes and provides training and orientation to new program staff.
• Supervise and direct the activities of up to 4 continuing employees.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in in Health Sciences or related field.
• Requires 6 years of relevant experience.

Assets:

• Experience in an experiential learning environment and/or academic setting.
• Experience in program design and development.
• Superior project management skills with proven ability to manage and prioritize workload responsibilities and timelines.
• Excellent interpersonal, presentation oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated tact and diplomacy in dealing with sensitive information and conflict situations.
• Knowledge of accounting and financial best practices.
• Computer literacy with advanced skills in Office 365 and online meeting platforms
• Ability to work with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders at all levels of an organization.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and effectively across institutions.
• This role will be utilizing a hybrid model for work. Access to reliable home internet is required.