Human Protections Specialist

Human Protections SpecialistWorking Title - Human Protections SpecialistPosition Grade - 13Position Summary - The University of New Mexico Cancer Center Clinical Research Office is seeking a Human Protections Specialist to join the Quality Assurance Department. This position plays an important role in supporting the ethical, compliant, and high-quality conduct of human subjects' research across the clinical research program. The Human Protections Specialist participates in planning, organizing, and conducting internal monitoring and quality assurance reviews of Oncology research studies to ensure compliance with applicable federal regulations, institutional policies, and sponsor requirements. These activities support ongoing audit readiness and help ensure research teams are prepared for external reviews by sponsors, cooperative groups, and regulatory authorities. Through monitoring activities, the position identifies trends, areas for improvement, and opportunities to strengthen research processes to protect human research participants and support high-quality clinical trial conduct. This role also supports the development and implementation of corrective and preventive action (CAPA) plans in response to audit findings, deviations, or compliance concerns. The position works collaboratively with investigators and research staff to provide guidance on regulatory requirements and best practices, promote continuous quality improvement, and strengthen adherence to federal regulations governing human subjects research. In addition, the Human Protections Specialist assists with the development and delivery of training and educational initiatives for faculty, staff, and research personnel. These efforts focus on topics such as Good Clinical Practice (GCP), human subjects' protections, regulatory compliance, and institutional quality improvement initiatives designed to enhance communication of audit findings, monitoring trends, and best practices across the research program.Minimum Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in Nursing, Biomedical Science, or closely related field; at least 3 years of experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified. Completed degree(s) from an accredited institution that are above the minimum education requirement may be substituted for experience on a year for year basis.Preferred Qualifications - a. Prior auditing experience, either in clinical research or health related field. Demonstrated ability and experiencing completing audits and quality improvement assessments. b. Knowledge of the mandates, operations, and organization of an Institutional Review Board. c. Knowledge of patient care charts, quality control practices and procedures within a hospital, patient care, registry environment, or strong knowledge of data collection techniques. d. Knowledge and understanding of FDA and other Federal and State laws, regulations, guidelines, for the conduct, documentation, and reporting of human subject research. e. Experience and understanding of federal regulations related to clinical research compliance and reporting. f. Excellent problem solving and critical thinking skills. g. Word processing and/or data entry skills. h. Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community. i. Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing. j. Ability to gather data, compile information, and prepare reports.Application Instructions - Only applications submitted through the official UNMJobs site will be accepted. If you are viewing this job advertisement on a 3rd party site, please visit UNMJobs to submit an application. APPLICANT: Please complete the official application; making sure to include all prior work experience and average hours worked per week. Attach your Current Resume; listing three Professional References. Attach your Cover Letter that details how your experience matches the position as described above; including any Preferred Qualifications.The University of New Mexico is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. University of New Mexico