Safeguarding Research Specialist

Safeguarding Research Specialist

This competition is open to all applicants however; internal candidates and applicants who were former employees of the University of Alberta will be given priority consideration before external candidates. Please log in to verify your internal candidate status.

This position has a term length of 2 years.

Location – This role is hybrid with a mix of remote and in-person. Work primarily takes place at North Campus, Edmonton.

Reporting to the Manager, Safeguarding Research the Safeguarding Research Specialist supports the overall mandate of the Safeguarding Research Office (SRO) within the Vice-President (Research) by supporting researchers in identifying, assessment and mitigating risk, understanding research security requirements, conducting advanced Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) analysis to provide due diligence information and briefings. The position also provides support to U of A research security governance committees. The duties of this position are diverse and complex and require significant independent work and decision-making in a high-volume and fast-paced work environment. The Safeguarding Research Specialist must maintain an in-depth and detailed understanding of research security policies, directives and guidance. The Specialist must have strong knowledge of research security, in addition to a broad knowledge of technical procedures and terminology commonly used in open source intelligence gathering and safeguarding research activities. The Specialist must have strong knowledge of research security, privacy and open-source due diligence techniques and methods and respect for confidentiality.

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (verbal and written) are required. This role requires significant capacity to work independently, to take initiative, and to exercise excellent judgement. This position carries significant responsibility due to the requirement to work directly and effectively with researchers and staff across a range of disciplines. The actions and decisions of the incumbent will reflect directly on the Safeguarding Research Office and the OVPR portfolio as a whole.

Responsibilities

Support compliance with research security requirements (50%)

• Support researchers and their teams in understanding and complying with all applicable research security requirements.
• Provide advice and guidance on the identification and assessment of risk and development of risk mitigation plans and strategies.
• Maintain ongoing awareness and understanding of the evolving research security landscape and related requirements at the institutional, provincial, national and international level.
• Support the tracking and reporting of relevant performance/evaluation indicators.
• Identify training and learning requirements based on interactions with research teams, sharing these with the Education and Engagement leads within SRO.
• Consider and apply equity, diversity and inclusion as well as access, community and belonging principles in undertaking responsibilities.
• Liaise routinely with counterparts at other postsecondary institutions in Canada on the development of risk mitigation plans and compliance strategies.

Conduct Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) Analysis (Due Diligence) (30%)

• This position applies advanced OSINT techniques and methods to provide comprehensive advice to decision-makers. Users of the Safeguarding Research Office's due diligence include members of the research community, administrative staff and senior leadership.
• Due diligence activities are undertaken with strict adherence to the Responsible Open-Source Due Diligence Framework developed by the SRO and supporting internal procedures and processes.
• This position is required to understand relevant policies, regulations, legislation and guidance applicable to research funding and to the various categories of due diligence conducted by the SRO (e.g. for risk identification, screening, compliance, disciplinary, conflicts of commitment and other purposes).
• As requested, the specialist provides and shares expertise and knowledge on OSINT methods, techniques, data analysis and visualization, tools and resources, and best practices.
• The incumbent stays abreast of the latest tools, techniques and information sources relevant to the provision of reliable open source due diligence results. The officer proactively incorporates the latest updates into the SRO process, in consultation with SRO management.

Provide briefings and overall support for SRO (20%)

• In addition to conducting open source due diligence, this position is responsible for collating, compiling and presenting the information clearly and effectively to support informed decision-making.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (verbal and written) are required to support the team's provision of timely, clear and comprehensive open source due diligence information and related advice.
• Briefings to individuals and groups on research security requirements and due diligence results, requires the specialist to have excellent oral briefing and facilitation skills enabling them to provide impactful presentations with confidence and clarity.
• The Specialist participates in and supports SRO involvement in engagement and awareness-raising activities.
• The Specialist contributes to the development and process of written procedures and processes for the work of the SRO.
• The Specialist participates in local, provincial and national organizations and communities of practice associated with research security and due diligence.

Qualifications

• University degree required, specialization in data analytics, library and information sciences, or computer science preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of related, progressively responsible experience, preferably in the conduct of data analysis/visualization, research, intelligence analysis or equivalent field.
• Excellent written and especially oral communications skills – ideally to a variety of audiences and in a briefing format.
• Knowledge of, and experience in applying, successful stakeholder engagement principles.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to effectively communicate complex or technical issues to non-practitioners.
• Ability to work with minimum supervision on a wide variety of tasks with competing priorities.
• Ability to be responsive to multiple internal stakeholders and capably prioritize projects and communicate prioritization and timelines to all stakeholders.
• High level of critical thinking and analytical problem-solving skills required.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills.
• Excellent communication (oral and written) skills.
• Ability to work diplomatically with a broad range of individuals and groups, including at executive levels.
• Ability to work with sensitive and confidential materials.
• Experience in the development and implementation of strategies.
• Familiarity with national security or geopolitical issues.
• Computer proficiency using Microsoft Office and Google applications.
• Experience in implementing ACB or GBA+ considerations is an asset.
• Knowledge of research security, export controls, sanctions and supply-chain integrity is an asset.
• Familiarity with the University of Alberta or experience in another post-secondary institution is an asset.

Tagged as: Life Sciences