Project Assistant – (Los Angeles, California, United States)

Mission Statement

The mission of the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work is to improve the well-being of vulnerable individuals and communities, advance social and economic justice, and eradicate pressing societal problems in complex and culturally diverse urban environments throughout Southern California, the nation, and the world. Our mission is achieved by providing students with experiential, practice, and competency-based learning, and culturally responsive training that is informed by evidence and best practices.

The USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging has an immediate opening for a Project Assistant to assist the principal investigator in the day-to-day operations of the Outreach, Recruitment and Engagement Core (ORE Core)—the community outreach unit of the USC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC). The ORE Core recruits and retains participants in USC ADRC research studies, provides information and education about memory/brain health, cognitive aging, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias to diverse groups such as lay persons, students, healthcare and social service providers, government and non-profit sector professionals, scientists, among others.

Under the supervision of the principal investigator, the Project Assistant will coordinate and implement outreach, education, information, and research participation and retention efforts for USC ADRC. This position requires outreach, recruitment, screening, and consenting of research participants, and coordinating/scheduling participant appointments, and follow-up. Other duties will include developing, implementing, and evaluating informational and educational activities and events in the community, managing data bases, developing presentations and outreach materials, assisting with data collection and ongoing technical reports, assisting with writing grant proposals, publications, and other dissemination products, assisting with developing a Community Advisory Board, drafting settlements for project-related expenses, overseeing the completion of project-specific progress reports and regulatory documents, and working with members of scientific teams to meet the goals of the ORE core.

Job Accountabilities include:

1. Conduct innovative outreach and education activities to share knowledge on memory/brain health, cognitive aging, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias;

2.  Conduct engagement and recruitment activities to promote USC ADRC studies, and recruit and retain study participants;

3. Establish and maintain close partnerships with diverse community and participant stakeholders including a Community Advisory Board to meet ORE Core goals and objectives;

4.  Conduct participant follow-up activities to ensure continuity of study referrals and problem-solving of potential study participation barriers;

5.  Manage Microsoft Office programs, data management systems (REDCap), and citation/referencing applications (EndNote), among others, to monitor the reach and yield of outreach strategies, events, referrals, etc.;

6.  Create and implement new and diverse formats, methods, and tools to identify and meet outreach and education needs and preferences for scientific information and study participation opportunities;

7.  Assist with cultural and linguistic adaptations to public-facing materials and activities;

8.  Contribute to—and manage website and social media postings on behalf of ORE Core goals and objectives

9.  Perform other related duties as assigned or requested

Minimum Education/Experience:

• High School or equivalent
• 1 year minimum
• Knowledge of data collection procedures and some experience with proposal preparation and production of technical documents

Preferred Education/Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree, or combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education
• Experience with project administration experience in specialized field represented by the project.
• Experience working directly with diverse racial and ethnic communities, socioeconomic and underrepresented groups; including limited English-speakers.
• Experience in developing health-related materials (oral, written, visual, etc.) for people with differing levels of education and health literacy.
• Experience developing online materials and communications for large audiences related to the study objectives and related content areas.
• Experience working in a high-paced environment with multiple deadlines, high attention to data accuracy and quality, and quick pivoting in goal setting.

Bilingual/bicultural competencies preferred.

Compensation: The hourly rate range for this position is up to $31.25/Hr. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

This position is full-time, fixed-term, grant-funded appointment through 02/28/25 (non-renewable).

This is not a hybrid or remote position. Incumbent is expected to report daily to the study office(s).

Required Documents

• Cover letter
• Resume or CV

USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety. Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying.