Director, Research Operations

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Base pay range

CA$87.94/hr - CA$103.47/hr

Director, Research Operations, Permanent Full-Time

Marotta Family Hospital, St. Catharines + Option of Remote Work

Hours of work: 75 hours per pay period

Union: Non-Union

Position Objective

The Niagara Health Knowledge Institute (NHKI) was established in May 2023 as a one-of-a-kind Research Institute affiliated with Niagara Health, a community hospital in Canada, integrating a strong applied health research and education hub with impactful clinical programs. The NHKI is led by Dr. Jennifer Tsang, the Executive Director and Chief Scientist.

The purpose of the NHKI is to improve patient care and experience by embedding research into clinical practice and the vision is to transform healthcare through leading community hospital-based research. The NHKI is a growing research entity and is at the forefront of community hospital research capacity building across Canada. To this end, we are seeking to fill the position of Director, Research Operations with an experienced research administrator who has a track-record of successful leadership in the field of clinical trials, health research methodology and leadership in an acute care setting. The successful candidate will have an established record of initiating, sustaining and growing clinical research programs in collaboration with clinician-researchers and academic researchers in a community hospital setting. Experience in research, advocacy and education in the field of community hospital research capacity building and participation in local and national research networks are desired qualities.

The successful candidate will be accountable to the Executive Director and Chief Scientist of the NHKI and will support the daily operations of the clinical trials and health services research teams. The candidate will also co-chair the NHKI Research Subcommittee of the NHKI, building strong internal collaborations and ensuring efficient, effective operations of research activities that are conducted rigorously and ethically in alignment with industry and organizational standards. Externally, the candidate will represent NHKI at provincial and national forums focused on health research administration and community hospital capacity building to continue growing NHKI's reputation as a leader in Canadian community hospital research.

Responsibilities

• Strategic oversight and assisting with planning and operational management of all research activities, liaising with internal and external partners from study start-up to study close-out
• Sustaining centralized program infrastructure founded on standards, guidelines, policies and procedures
• Optimizing financial health by effectively managing the program budget and optimizing resource allocation
• Overseeing the development, modification and uptake of research policies, procedures and workflows to ensure alignment with industry standards and organizational operations
• Ensuring adequate quality control in the conduct of research by setting standards, monitoring results and instituting appropriate steps in the research processes
• Optimizing internal relationships to ensure appropriate and sufficient supports for research studies
• Co-chairing NHKI Research Sub-Committee
• Chairing NHKI Research Impact Assessment Committee
• Planning and implementing strategies to achieve the strategic goals of the NHKI in conjunction with the Executive Director and Chief Scientist
• Cultivating networks and partnerships in research administration, locally, provincially and nationally to promote the NHKI and facilitate learning opportunities
• Providing leadership and mentorship to all research staff, enhancing team performance and personal and professional development
• Overseeing hiring, supervision and performance reviews
• Applying advanced knowledge of research methodologies, acting as the local principal investigators on locally driven projects with external collaborators as appropriate
• Other responsibilities as assigned by the Executive Director and Chief Scientist, NHKI

The responsibilities described above are representative and are not to be construed as all-inclusive.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in the healthcare sector
• Master of Health Administration, Master of Business Administration, Master of Health Policy, Master of Science, or equivalent required, PhD preferred
• Extensive experience in academic and industry research in a community hospital setting
• Knowledge of the Health Canada regulatory environment
• Experience with a broad range of research methodologies including quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods
• Experience collaborating with interprofessional teams and clinician-scientists to operationalize clinical and health services research
• Experience supervising and managing interprofessional teams and trainees
• Experience in establishing new clinical research programs
• Experience in overseeing operations of clinical research programs
• Experience with grant proposal and manuscript writing
• Highly skilled in strategic thinking, planning, and execution
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with both technical and lay-language
• Well-developed leadership, collaboration, and engagement skills with diverse partners and communities
• Demonstrated ability to adapt to rapidly changing situations, utilizing effective problem solving, critical thinking and organizational skills
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a multi-disciplinary team
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize tasks, working accurately and effectively with deadlines (including tight deadlines)
• Highly motivated and willing to independently learn new skills
• Experience working with and knowledge of local health system partners
• Demonstrates leadership in executing plans in partnership with various interested and affected parties

How to Apply

If you are interested in this position, please visit our careers page by 11:59pm September 15, 2025 and submit an application through eRecruit. (Reference Job Posting #41541) Please note - you will need to create an eRecruit profile to apply.

Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion

At Niagara Health, we value diversity, equity and inclusion, and welcome applications from all people. We are especially interested in hearing from you if you are excited about being part of a respectful and hard-working team in the beautiful Niagara Region, have a passion for service and excellence in healthcare, have a background or related expertise in the healthcare environment, supporting patient care and providing extraordinary customer-service.

In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the Ontario Human Rights Code, Niagara Health will provide accommodations through the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. If selected to participate in the recruitment and selection process, please inform Human Resources of the nature of any accommodation(s) that you may require in respect of any materials or processes used to ensure your equal participation.

At Niagara Health, we are committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion. As a part of this work, we collect information on Ontario Human Rights Code grounds and non-Code grounds in order to: hire and retain diverse talent, prevent and/or address systemic barriers to access and opportunity, improve service delivery and programs and advance diversity and inclusion overall. All identification questions are optional and include a "prefer not to answer" option.

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