Research Interviewer

Overview

Department
Summary: At the VCU Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation, our mission is to foster transformative research, discovery, and innovation at Virginia Commonwealth University through excellence in service. We partner with faculty in all schools and departments as they seek funding, plan studies, establish collaborations, calculate budgets, submit grant applications, negotiate industry contracts, and secure patents and licensing agreements.

Our commitment to supporting and elevating the research community at VCU has resulted in record levels of sponsored research and has placed VCU among the nation’s premier public research universities. Through our passion for discovery and willingness to take on challenges, we continue to advance the work that matters most and position the university as a national leader in research, innovation, creativity, and scholarship.

• The VCU Cohort and Registry Administration (CARA) Core houses some of the largest and most prominent research registries in the country -- the Mid-Atlantic Twin Registry (MATR) and Spit for Science (S4S). These registries conduct research functions for internal and external investigators and support VCU’s national prominence in research.
• CARA Core services include data and sample collection via mail, email, phone, and in-person methods as well as providing access to secondary data for qualified investigators.
• Interviewers are trained on studies covering a wide range of health and behavioral related topics, for which maintaining privacy and confidentiality is of utmost importance. These topics can include asking interview questions that are sensitive in nature and may be distressing or uncomfortable to discuss with the participant (such as sad or depressed times in their life, past and current trauma, drug use, etc.).
  
  After training, Interviewers will be able to expertly navigate these conversations while collecting data from participants, all while adhering to human research subjects’ protections and confidentiality policies that protect a participants’ right to privacy. These regulations will need to be upheld at all times when conducting research or contacting participants.
• Research Interviewers ensure a thorough and smooth process for all aspects of participant contact, from phone calls, voice messages and emails. They serve as the primary form of direct contact between participants and the CARA Core and may support ‘special projects’ (e.g., in-person data collection events, letter preparation for recruitment, sample collection kit mailings, data entry tasks, etc.) on an as-needed basis.
• This position may require some evening and/or weekend hours and involves working in a secure research environment with confidential data. Currently, this position has opportunity for in-office placement as well as potential for telecommuting following onboarding and training.

Only applicants who do not require current or future sponsorship for employment will be considered

Minimum Qualifications

Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Only applicants who do not require current or future sponsorship for employment will be considered

• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent of education and experience required.
• Candidate should be reliable, responsible and proactive.
• Ability to work in a professional, academic environment, follow protocols and closely and adhere to confidentiality and privacy practices as well as ethical research standards.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, Google (gmail/calendar), and video platforms like Zoom, multi-line phone systems.
• Prior experience with customer-based support, including excellent phone etiquette and client support skills.
• Ability to discuss sensitive topics including but not limited to depression, trauma, mental health, substance use, etc., while ensuring privacy, confidentiality, and ethical conduct.
• Manage emotionally distressing conversations with empathy and…