Executive Director, Ctr of Excellence for Health Aging (Limited Term)

PURPOSE:  

Cape Breton University’s Centre of Excellence for Healthy Aging (CEHA) is a collaborative research initiative to advance research in healthy aging and inform evidence-based healthy practices for rural, semi-rural, post-industrial, and Indigenous communities across Nova Scotia, Canada and around the world.

Reporting to the Associate Vice-President, Academic & Research, the Director will oversee the Centre’s goal to create collaborative networks of researchers, practitioners, students and strategic partners to engage in health research and innovative initiatives aimed to ensure excellent quality of life for Nova Scotians as they age, and innovative approaches to address frailty and dementia.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:  

• Manage clinical research program and research team, including the Accelerating Clinical Trials (ACT) Canada Consortium program.
• Manage CBU’s existing clinical health research and clinical trials infrastructure processes to ensure ongoing compliance, including standard operating procedures and training program.
• Lead and manage clinical trial professional development and training for researchers, students, research officer, administrators and community partners.
• Identify regional, national and international funding opportunities to advance the Centre’s research goals and create a forum for revenue-generating ideas through funding and investment, such as Public Health Agency of Canada. Lead/and or assist in the preparation of funding applications.
• Manage and support the creation of collaborative research teams that will advance and build capacity in research related to healthy aging, dementia and frailty care, including the Centre’s affiliated research network.
• Oversee the Centre’s affiliated researchers’ network.
• Oversee the Centre’s research projects budgets. Budget(s) may exceed one million dollars.
• Supervise and train Centre staff and student research assistants working on projects led by the Centre
• Be available when appropriate, to deliver presentations and guest lectures to CBU students, faculty, staff and executive as well external community members/organizations
• Identify and address staffing requirements for efficient operations and maintain a strong work culture that attracts and maintains people while driving the Centre’s mission and values.
• Serve as a member of the Centre’s Advisory committee and prepare and present an executive summary of analytical and operational results to the team at their regular meetings
• Work collaboratively with the Nova Scotia Health, Centre for Health, Wellness and Extended Learning, the Office of Research and Graduate Studies, and other CBU units and research teams to advance the university’s strategic healthcare initiative including fields beyond healthy aging.
• Participate in medical campus research hub hiring committee, when requested.
• Oversee daily operation of the Centre, providing direction for research strategies and efficiencies, compliance, and quality assurance
• Work with CBU’s legal counsel to ensure legal and regulatory compliance in all aspects of the centre operations.

• Other related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS and SKILLS:

• Master’s degree in a health science related field

• 3 years or more experience working in a clinical trial research setting required
• Experience with creation and management of standard operating procedures preferred
• Experience managing Health Canada regulated interventional clinical research trials considered an asset
• 5 years or more of experience conducting research and/or development in health sciences.
• 5 years of experience managing business processes, leading improvement initiatives and overseeing teams of analysts
• Leadership experience (such as in a business, organization or centre) an asset
• Proven analytical and organizational skills to meet deadlines in an environment of often-changing priorities and multiple projects - conceptual thinker comfortable with ambiguity
• Project management experience.
• Knowledge of industry-standard business software and data analysis tools considered and asset

• Experience working in a university setting and providing support to students and/or faculty an asset.
• Proven success working with a board
• Knowledge of research governance principles and managerial best practices
• Experience delivering and developing teaching/training/facilitation/coaching programming in either formal or informal educational contexts.
• Experience with sponsors in securing contracts, grants, budgets and set up of applicable research requirements including space, equipment and human resources
• Experience working successfully in a team environment.
• Demonstrated excellent writing skills. Experience grant writing.
• Demonstrated excellent interpersonal communication skills.
• Must be a team-player and work cross-functional with internal and external groups.
• Proficiency with all aspects of Office 365 and ability to master other software used by the team for training and repository building purposes.

• Flexibility to work outside normal office hours for special events and during grant application submission periods.

• Respect for the Requirement of a High Level of Confidentiality