Housed within the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Michigan School of Public Health (rated the top biostatistics program by the National Academies), Statistical Analysis of Biomedical and Educational Research (SABER) is known for its strong statistical expertise and partnership with investigators in a wide range of disciplines to tackle new challenges in clinical research. We are seeking an Associate Director with expertise in designing and leading large, multi-center clinical research network projects involving clinical trials, cohort studies, or registries.

Reporting to and working closely with the Director, you’ll manage 8 direct reports and work with a team of 45 statisticians, database administrators, data managers, software developers, project managers, clinical monitors, and research administrators. You will also collaborate with biostatistics faculty, integrating their expertise and specialized statistical insights into SABER projects, or acting as the DCC for their studies. You will contribute to the success of SABER’s program by ensuring successful grant awards, participating in study design and overseeing data analyses, providing mentorship in your field of study to foster a culture of excellence and continuous learning, and developing a record of substantive and sustained contributions to interdisciplinary applied collaborative research or methodological research.

Begun in 1999, SABER is the data coordinating center (DCC) for several NIH-funded networks and multi-center trials and cohort studies. Areas of application include pulmonology, diabetes, hepatology, cardiovascular disease, neurology, nephrology, rheumatology, autism, and emergency medicine.

How You’ll Make an Impact: Key Focus Areas

• Center Operations. Work closely with the SABER Director to effectively run the unit by streamlining operations and budgets, managing and supervising staff, communicating with stakeholders, and implementing new ideas for processes and workflows while meeting University expectations.
• Pre-Award Grant Work. Collaborate with clinician-scientists to identify ideas for sponsored research and on the preparation and submission of funding applications. Ensure grant proposals are well-written, persuasive, and meet the funding agency's requirements.
• Study Design and Planning. Serve as senior statistician on select studies (advancing to principal investigator over time). Take part in designing trials, overseeing data collection and management, analyzing and interpreting results, and providing statistical support for regulatory submissions. Lead cross-functional study teams.
• Teaching. Participate in substantial non-didactic teaching and mentoring of postdoctoral fellows, junior research colleagues, or students at any level within the context of your field of research and possibly as a member or co-chair of dissertation committees.
• Independent Research. Perform methodological or applied research in an area of considerable complexity, with responsibility for identifying and selecting the problems to be studied, the approach to solving them, and the organization and presentation of results obtained. We will provide discretionary/start-up funds.

Work Environment and Benefits

• This role is hybrid, reporting to the office 2-3 days per week in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ann Arbor is a progressive city of about 120,000 year-round residents and approximately 44,000 students, with excellent schools and a wide variety of sporting and musical activities. It is rated very highly in national surveys for its quality of life and has the amenities of a city many times its size.
• We offer an excellent compensation package, including generous PTO, medical, dental, and vision insurance, a flexible spending account, life and disability insurance, a 403(b) or 457(b) retirement plan with up to 10% employer match, and more.

Qualifications

• A PhD is required, plus 5-10 years of experience in designing and leading large, multi-center clinical trials, cohort studies, or registries.
• Experience working on cross-functional study teams, including those functions necessary for successful and innovative data coordinating centers, such as data management systems and operations, reporting for data monitoring committees, clinical research coordination and clinical monitoring, and quality control procedures.
• A robust record of awarded sponsored research in an area related to clinical trials or cohort studies, such as adaptive designs, methods for missing data, analytical procedures for causal inference, and statistical monitoring approaches.
• Excellent communication skills, administrative acumen, and the ability to work effectively in a clinical and academic environment. Demonstrated experience working with various stakeholders to solve problems with a professional demeanor.

About Us

The Department of Biostatistics has 43 primary faculty members and 230 full-time PhD and master’s students. The Department is involved in cutting-edge methodological research and scientific investigation in many areas of public health and biomedical research. The Department has close ties with the Department of Statistics, the Institute for Social Research, the Medical School, the Michigan Institute for Data Science, The Institute of Health Policy and Innovation, the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, and other research groups across campus.

Approximately 80% of SABER’s portfolio is in collaboration with University of Michigan Medical School faculty.

Staffing Advisors is committed to reducing bias in every aspect of the hiring process. We have long recommended a competency-driven approach to hiring. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. We encourage you to apply even if your experience is not a 100% match with the position description; we will consider people from a variety of backgrounds and career experiences.