The Institute for Work & Health is an independent, not-for-profit research organization in Ontario whose activities strive to reduce injury, illness and disability in the Ontario workforce.

The Institute for Work & Health is committed to excellent working conditions and a cooperative, team environment for its employees. The Institute is seeking an individual for the position of:

Research Associate – Qualitative Methods
10-month contract (30 hours per week)

OVERVIEW OF POSITION

Working under the supervision of study investigators, the Research Associate will play a key role in the co-ordination, methods development, data collection, data analysis and support of a project exploring breakthrough improvement in workplace health and safety performance. Firms of interest will be identified through their improvement in workers’ compensation claim statistics and initially contacted by others involved in the project.

It will be the role of the Research Associate to do the following: make contact with selected firms; conduct brief interviews over the phone to ascertain eligibility; recruit firms of interest for more in-depth study; and assist with interviews and observations in workplaces chosen for in-depth study. The successful candidate will be experienced in the methods of qualitative data collection and analysis, have excellent communication skills, and will likely hold a master’s degree.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Participate in the development of research protocols for recruiting firms and interviewing key contacts
• Conduct brief telephone interviews with firm contacts
• Recruit firms for in-depth study
• Visit four workplaces - some involving travel - to conduct interviews, observations, and collect official documents
• Record interviews using a digital audio recorder
• Review interview transcripts against audio recordings, to correct errors in the transcripts and remove personal identifiers
• Analyze qualitative data in collaboration with team members (i.e. coding documents, extracting themes)
• Prepare data summaries for meetings and the final report
• Support the coordination of the project by documenting project activities, tracking activities against plan, planning meetings, producing meeting notes, and communicating with the research team, external partners and participants
• Adhere to the research ethics procedures, for example, those concerning privacy of information.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND ABILITY REQUIREMENTS

• University degree, likely at the master's level
• Academic training in a relevant area, such as occupational health and safety, organizational psychology, organizational sociology, anthropology, management
• Three to five years of work experience using qualitative methods for collecting and analyzing data
• Experience conducting semi-structured interviews
• Experience with qualitative data management software, e.g. NVivo, is an asset
• Experience working in a Windows MS Office environment, especially Word and Excel
• Flexibility to participate in data gathering in out-of-town sites (up to four) involving travel of a few days
• Ability to manage competing demands of the project, independently coordinating and prioritizing tasks and responsibilities
• Experience and comfort with team-based project work
• Excellent organizational, interpersonal and communication skills

SALARY RANGE

Salary range of $25.00 to $30.00 per hour, based on experience. This position, as planned, involves 30 hours per week over 10 months, starting May 3, 2010, but there is some flexibility in these arrangements.

If you are interested in this position, please submit your application no later than Friday, April 9, 2010 by mail or e-mail to:

M. Cicinelli
Director, Human Resources & Corporate Services
Institute for Work & Health
481 University Avenue, Suite 800
Toronto, ON M5G 2E9
E-mail: mcicinelli@iwh.on.ca

The Institute, guided by a Board of Directors and an international Scientific Advisory Committee, conducts research in two areas: the primary prevention of work-related injury and illness and the prevention and management of work disability. The Institute also has an active knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) program, which implements interactive strategies to transfer research findings to key decision-makers. The Institute for Work & Health operates with the support of the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

The Institute is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates. We thank all applicants, but only those considered for the position will be contacted. For more information about our organization, visit our web site at www.iwh.on.ca.