Research Assistant

Research Assistant - Clinical & Social Research

• Full Time - 1-year contract
• Located in Richmond (close to the city, close to public transport)
• Monthly Day off and 5 weeks annual leave
• Up to $58,442.80 (paid pro rata) + super + salary packaging to increase your take-home pay

Turning Point & Eastern Health

Turning Point is a national treatment, research and education centre that provides leadership in the alcohol and drug, gambling and mental health sectors in Victoria and beyond. Combining innovative research in the clinical, population health and policy fields, with service innovation, surveillance, system enhancements, capacity building and specialist support, Turning Point assists services, communities and the Victorian government to respond to current and emerging alcohol and drug and gambling issues.

Turning Point is part of Eastern Health, the largest public health provider in the eastern suburbs, providing a comprehensive range of high quality acute, sub-acute, palliative care, mental health, drug and alcohol, residential care and community health services.

About the role

We have an exciting opportunity for a Research Assistant to join our Clinical and Social Research Team at Turning Point, Australia’s leading national addiction treatment, research and training centre based in Richmond, Melbourne. The successful candidate will work as part of this dynamic, collaborative team and, in particular, will contribute to the timely completion of two new projects:

i)     The Health4Her effectiveness-implementation trial (a collaboration between Turning Point, Monash University, BreastScreen Victoria, Lifepool, and Shades of Pink, to increase women’s awareness that alcohol causes breast cancer, and promote alcohol behaviour change); and

ii)   The evaluation of a new Driver Support Service for people in Victoria who have been detected drink or drug driving (a collaboration between Turning Point, the Department of Transport and Planning, and Victoria Police, to address substance use problems leading to drink/drug driving recidivism).

In this role, you will be responsible for coordinating quantitative (e.g. surveys) and qualitative (e.g. interviews, focus groups) data collection and management, and you will ensure participants are treated with the highest level of care during their research participation. To be successful in this role, you will need to have experience in quantitative and/or qualitative research, with knowledge of the NHMRC National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research, and the ability to manage research data with a high level of attention to detail. You will need to have strong organisational skills, and strong interpersonal and written communication skills.

The successful candidate will contribute to other research activities undertaken by the team (e.g. research into experiences of e-cigarette use and dependence), work directly with senior researchers/clinicians who will provide guidance and mentoring, and have opportunities to co-author peer-reviewed publications and present at national conferences. Ongoing training and professional development opportunities will be available. Flexible hybrid working arrangements and a staff wellbeing program are also available.

If you are a motivated individual looking for an opportunity to make a difference in the field of addictions research, we encourage you to apply for this position! 

About you 

To be successful in this role you will possess:

• A strong interest in working in addictions research; previous experience working with people with complex needs (e.g. addictions, mental health) is desired
• Experience in the collection, management and analyses of quantitative and/or qualitative data
• Experience in writing literature reviews and ethics applications
• An understanding of confidentiality, privacy and information handling principles
• Strong organisational skills, and the ability to meet competing deadlines
• A high level of attention to detail
• Strong interpersonal and written communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to work independently with minimal supervision, and as part of a team
• Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office programs, statistical analysis software packages (e.g. SPSS, Stata), and the Endnote referencing system