CIVIC Research Assistant

• Starting salary: $43,892 (GS-5) to $54,370 (GS-7) + benefits, depending on education and experience.
• Full-time, in person at Portland VA Medical Center
• Interested candidates should send a COVER LETTER and RESUME/CV to Beau Edwards Beau.
  
  Edwards with the subject line ‘CIVIC Research Assistant’.
• Applications due no later than March 13th, 2026

This position is located at the VA Portland Health Care System’s Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care (CIVIC) (https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).). CIVIC’s mission is to support high quality research on patient-centered approaches that promote Veteran engagement and active participation in VA and non-VA healthcare and other resources to improve Veteran health and well-being. Under the supervision of the CIVIC Director, Dr. Steven Dobscha, the Research Assistant provides support to multiple research teams on a variety of projects intended to advance the scientific understanding of issues related to common and important health care problems and conditions that affect Veterans.

The Research Assistant will perform a variety of tasks for CIVIC investigators. The employee’s primary responsibilities will be to support project objectives. There will also be opportunities available for professional development (e.g., trainings, participating in conferences). Tasks will be commensurate with training and experience and may include any/or all the following:

• Mail and phone recruitment for research studies
• Utilizing participant databases to track recruitment contacts and study enrollment
• Communicating with research participants about study procedures and requirements
• Collecting data (e.g., screening questionnaires, qualitative interviews) from study participants
• Facilitating participant payments
• Assisting with Institutional Review Board submissions for regulatory approval and submissions for research data access
• Assisting with grant submission preparation
• Completing additional administrative and study coordination tasks (e.g., scheduling meetings, maintaining ongoing documentation) as needed to support projects
• Assisting team with data analysis and dissemination (e.g., presentations, reports, manuscripts)

Required Skills (address these in your Cover Letter or discuss transferable skills)

• Bachelor’s degree
• Experience with research as an undergraduate or in a research setting or similar work experience, but in your Cover Letter, please address how your skills are transferrable
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral)
• Strong organizational and time management skills to navigate multiple tasks effectively
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• Strong computer skills and experience with Microsoft Office Suite software such as Word, Outlook, and Excel
• Commitment to contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment
• Consider addressing in your Cover Letter any experience working with diverse populations
• Must be a US citizen (US Federal Government-funded position)

Additional Skills (preferred, but not required to apply):

• Knowledge of medical or mental health terminology
• Experience using data management systems and/or electronic health records
• Experience in human participants research or health settings. Can include in your Cover Letter how prior work in a health care setting is transferrable in a research setting
• Basic project management skills
• Experience coordinating regulatory paperwork for human subjects research
• Experience writing and preparing reports

Please do your best to be comprehensive with your experience and education. See the following for more guidance on writing a federal resume: -include

This position is eligible for early, late, or compressed work schedules, a transit pass if applicable, as well as paid vacation, sick leave, and a range of healthcare and retirement benefits.

Note that this position requires working on site at the Portland VA full time.

CIVIC is committed to developing and sustaining a workforce that supports the inclusion and professional growth of all people regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, Veteran status, familial status, disability status, or genetic information.

CIVIC values individuals at all points in their career trajectories, and CIVIC is committed to fostering the professional growth of its staff. Within CIVIC and the broader VA and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) communities, there are many opportunities for continuing education, didactic and training related to a broad variety of topics. Such opportunities include OHSU Departmental Grand Rounds or larger events, research in progress meetings, CIVIC conferences, analyst drop-in sessions, qualitative forums, and more.