Manager, Operations for Health Research & Evaluation

Position Title: Manager of Operations for Health Research & Evaluation

Location: Washington, DC (Hybrid, 2 days a week in the office)

Department: Health

Reports to: Vice President, Health Research & Evaluation

DC-based salary range: $61,625 - $65,250

FLSA Status: Exempt

Organizational Summary:

Founded in 1968, Special Olympics is a global movement to end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities. We foster acceptance of all people through the power of sport and programming in education, health, and leadership. With nearly four million athletes and Unified Sports® partners and one million coaches and volunteers in more than 170 countries, Special Olympics delivers more than 30 Olympic-type sports and nearly 50,000 games and competitions every year. Learn more at SpecialOlympics.org. 

Position Summary: 

Special Olympics Inc. (SOI) is an international NGO serving almost 4 million people with intellectual disabilities (ID) in 207 countries. While best known for its sports opportunities, SOI offers a variety of health activities and has the largest database on the health of people with intellectual disabilities. Health activities include Healthy Athletes (health screenings), Healthy Communities (focus on increasing access to both healthcare and prevention opportunities in local communities), Young Athletes (motor-play program for children younger than 8 years old), Health Messengers (training and activating people with intellectual disabilities to be health advocates), training of health professionals (reach of more than 130,000 since 2016) and more. Special Olympics’ research and evaluation (R&E) department plays a critical role supporting Special Olympics’ global health strategy by leading the measurement of health outcomes resulting from Special Olympics health programming and providing monitoring and evaluation technical assistance to country and state Special Olympics Programs. This position will play a key role in the department by supporting Research and Evaluation in project management of evaluation across our health strategy.

Primary responsibilities for this position include:

Project Management & Support:

• Develop and oversee organizational processes to streamline project operations, including:
  • Utilize organizational tools to maintain projects, budgets, and timelines (e.g., SharePoint, Smartsheet).
  • Organize SharePoint folders for efficient document management.
  • Facilitate development of meeting agendas and documentation.
• Support administrative processes to maintain budget and contracts, including:
  • Review and track ongoing research and evaluation income and expenses.
  • Develop organizational and project budgets in collaboration with R&E and Special Olympics Health and Finance teams.
• Support Special Olympics state and national Programs in their performance of evaluation activities, including:
  • Follow up with Programs on project recruitment and adherence.
  • Share data back to Programs during and after projects.
  • Manage data requests and inquiries from SO Programs.
• Coordinate the procurement and distribution of necessary equipment and supplies for evaluation activities, including:
  • Managing invoicing and expense reporting.
  • Maintaining records of vendors and purchases.
  • Preparing and shipping equipment to Programs for evaluation activities.
• Coordinate and manage software licenses and users for Special Olympics research and evaluation activities (e.g., Qualtrics, Fitbit, Ilumivu, REDCap)
• Manage Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocol submissions, including:
  • Keep track of renewals, organize modifications, etc.
  • Maintain records of research training requirements.
  • Work with university partners and their IRB requirements for co-sponsored research projects.
• Manage external grant activities and documentation, including:
  • Maintain files and organization of grant documents.
  • Coordinate grant and manuscript submissions, reviews, and correspondence with editors, project officers, etc.
  • Maintain conference presentation files to ensure effective coordination and preparation.
  • Maintain manuscript development files and support journal submissions and communication with reviewers and editors.
  • Support the R&E team in preparation for events and meetings, including preparation of presentation materials, background research, and dissemination materials.

Vendor/Consultant Contracts:

• Set up new vendors in Finance systems.
• Submit contract requests, monitor request progress, and route completed contracts for signature.
• Maintain excellent vendor and consultant records and regularly monitor contract end dates, contract balances, deliverable progress, etc.
• Verify deliverable completion; submit and track invoices and payment requests for the Research & Evaluation team.
• Maintain a working knowledge of SOI procurement and expense policies.
• Ensure all SOI policies are adhered to for individual, university, organization, and SO program contracts and awards.

Required Qualifications:

• A bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience plus Three or more years of relevant work experience. Experience and/or coursework in the area of health research project management or monitoring and evaluation is a plus.

• Superior organizational skills with strong attention to detail.
• Exceptional time management skills and ability to complete tasks in a timely, efficient, and independent manner.
• Ability to manage competing demands including the judgement necessary to prioritize tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work well in a team environment.
• Fluency with current workplace technology, including latest developments in remote collaborative technology.
• Resourceful, tenacious, and proactive, demonstrating ability to think ahead.
• Superb writing skills including drafting and writing letters as well as editing and proof-reading documents.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Passionate about sports, health and working with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Strong personal time management and prioritization skills: ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience working on research and evaluation projects.
• Experience using planning and productivity software packages (e.g., Smartsheet, Miro, Microsoft Planner, etc.)
• Experience in event management, such as research workshops or training sessions in-person and remote.
• Experience managing project budgets.
• Experience managing NIH or foundation grants.

*For USA based staff: Special Olympics offers full-time employees a generous and comprehensive benefits package, which includes: medical, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life insurance, disability, retirement, legal resources, and PTO. 

Special Olympics provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

**Special Olympics is an E-Verify Employer** 

Salary : $61,625 - $65,250