Research Assistant (Outreach Fieldworker) - [Archived Advertisement]

PURPOSE
The purpose of this position is to conduct fieldwork involving interviews and blood sample collection from participants in studies of drug use currently being undertaken at the Burnet Institute. Examples of these studies include:
the Melbourne Injecting Drug User Cohort (MIX) study – a prospective study of people who inject drugs designed to understand long-term trajectories of injecting drug use
The Prison and Transition Health (PATH) study – a prospective study of prisoners with a history of injecting drug use designed to understand their use of health and other services after release.
The VicMeth study – a prospective cohort study of people who smoke methamphetamine in Melbourne and regional Victoria.
The position is funded for a period of 12 months during which time the Research Assistant will conduct interviews with, and possibly collect blood samples from, study participants, manage data collection and participate in the wider activities of the Alcohol and other Drug Research Group. Training will be provided in all aspects of the position (including phlebotomy if needed) and work will be undertaken under the supervision of the project investigators and senior members of the fieldwork team.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Your responsibilities will include working to a set of standard operating procedures related to:
Locating study participants through initial recruitment methods and follow-up using study databases
Interviewing study participants using computerised data collection forms
Collecting blood samples from participants (necessary training provided if required)
Uploading data and managing collected samples
Maintaining principles of ethical engagement with research participants
You will also be expected to participate in other research tasks.

CRITERIA
Essential:
Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to engage professionally with stakeholders and display empathy and understanding in dealing with marginalised people
Knowledge of basic computer packages
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Excellent organisational and time management skills
A driver’s license valid in the state of Victoria
It is also necessary that you will be comfortable in undertaking face-to-face data collection with participants who engage in licit and/or illicit drug use, including in prison settings.
Preferable:
Bachelor’s degree in public health, psychology, social work or related discipline
Advanced degree in public health, epidemiology or related discipline
Experience in the dissemination of research findings
Statistical analysis skills and experience in the use of statistical software such as Stata/SPSS

Burnet Institute is committed to providing our people with a supportive working environment. We value diversity and gender equity at the institute and provide flexible working arrangements for our staff. Burnet is participating in the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) Pilot of the Athena SWAN Charter in Australia.

APPLICATIONS
To apply for this position, please complete the details below and attach the following documents:
Detailed resume including the names and contact information of 3 referees
Written statement addressing the selection criteria as outlined in the attached position description
Applications close 26th March 2017 at midnight AEDT (GMT+11)
Burnet is a child safe organisation. The successful applicant may be required to apply for a Working with Children check and/or criminal record check from the Australian Federal Police.