Asst Dir, Clin Res Solutions

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week:
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $125,000-$150,000

Position Summary

The Assistant Director for Clinical Research Solutions will oversee CUIMC’s Epic Research features including their evaluation, implementation, demonstration/testing, maintenance, and dissemination with the CUIMC research community (end-users).

The Assistant Director will serve as the central intake and navigator for research questions involving Epic, CUIMC’s Electronic Health Record (EHR), coordinate virtual office hours, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to standardize workflows for projects or processes involving Epic. The Assistant Director will work with institutional partners to codify approval and request workflows for Epic research integrations; maintain a prioritized implementation roadmap; identify institutional and end-user needs, gap areas, and solutions to support the clinical research ecosystem.  

Reporting to the Director, Clinical Research Initiatives in the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, the Assistant Director operates with a high degree of independence and accountability, translating strategic priorities into executable plans while ensuring regulatory-compliant, high-quality operational workflows and solutions in support of research. The role may also support expanded training programs and sustainable service model proposals for Epic research support.

Responsibilities

Epic Research Program & Project Management (50%)

• Develop, execute, and monitor Epic research initiatives and project plans, including scope, timelines, and quality improvement, and refine related Epic request workflows with CUIMC IT PMO and operational partners.
• Maintain a prioritized implementation roadmap and inventory of Epic research tools, updated based on leadership priorities, advisory committee feedback, and research community needs.
• Coordinate with cross-departmental and external stakeholders to support clinical research solutions that interface with Epic, such as EDC systems, REDCap, and Clinical Trial Management Systems, and manage full project execution—including planning, stakeholder engagement, and risk management—in partnership with Irving Institute leadership and investigators.
• Evaluate the governance ecosystem for Epic research activities and work with leadership to develop a governance model with executive oversight, a user advisory committee, and cross-functional facilitators to support communication and issue escalation.
• Work with data leads, research administration, CUIMC IT, and executive leadership to codify the approval workflow for Epic research integrations, including intake, review, prioritization, and implementation pathways. 

  Stakeholder Engagement and Communications (20%)

• Apply critical thinking and solutions-oriented approaches to help end-users reach their goals and connect with the right research systems or offices.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for faculty, staff, and leadership on research questions related to Epic, and manage intake, triage, and virtual office hours for researchers needing navigation or troubleshooting support.
• Establish and facilitate a User Advisory Committee of Epic super users across the CUIMC research community to guide implementation of products and services and serve as a forum for feedback.
• Facilitate communication between research teams and administrative offices to support process improvement, and maintain clear, consistent user communications, SOPs, and shared resources.

• Strategic Leadership & Reporting (20%)

  • Represent research leadership at relevant Shared Services meetings and work with Shared Services counterparts to operationalize research priorities.
  • Keep research leadership apprised of Epic research best practices and monitor the Epic Research Roadmap to identify optimization opportunities, and establish a regular review cadence to evaluate impact, reassess priorities, and update the implementation roadmap.
  • Develop and maintain project metrics and reporting on intake volume, resolution time, user satisfaction, and adoption of Epic research features, and report key performance indicators to senior leadership to drive continuous improvement.
  • Collaborate with the TRAC Manager, EVPR, CUIMC IT, and Shared Services to identify and implement process improvements that optimize EMR use for research, and help develop proposals for sustainable service models, including fee-for-service options for Epic research support and training.

  Continuous Improvement (5%)

  • Seek out additional training to improve skills in the team’s technologies and new technologies, and to improve soft skills for better client and team relations

  Other duties as assigned (5%)

  Performs other tasks as required and assigned within scope of work

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of five years of experience in clinical research systems, health systems analytics, or project management, preferably in an academic medical center environment
• Epic Research certifications (existing, or to be completed within 6 months of hire)
• Demonstrated strong project management skills including executing technical and operational project activities with cross-functional teams.
• Excellent organizational skills, time management and the ability to set priorities among multiple competing objectives, tasks and initiatives is required.
• Demonstrated proficiency in problem assessment, and resolution and collaborative problem solving in complex, and interdisciplinary settings.
• Ability to work with a variety of individuals and groups in a constructive and respectful manner while appreciating the unique contributions of an inclusive workforce that brings together the talents of people across multiple identities.
• Ability to communicate effectively in both oral and written forms. 
• Ability to work independently and follow-through and handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Working proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word & Excel) or similar software is required and an ability and willingness to learn new systems and programs.
• Must be a motivated individual with a positive mindset and exceptional work ethic.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Analytics, Information Systems, Statistics, or a related field; or equivalent relevant experience.
• Additional Epic certifications in any application.
• Knowledge of the clinical research life-cycle at a large academic medical center,
• Experience and knowledge of medical terminology specifically related to research domains,
• Experience with Columbia health and research systems. Familiarity of research and health system data platforms such as Snowflake, REDCap, and/or CTMS software such as Velos, OnCore, and others.
• Demonstrated skills in developing and/or facilitating trainings.
• Familiarity of clinical data standards (e.g., ICD, CPT, LOINC, RxNorm) and workflows; experience with relational databases and writing SQL queries.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.