Research Ethics Advisor

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Time Type:
Full time

Employee Group:
Staff

Job Category:
Governance

Employment Type:

Temporary

Department:
Office of the Vice-President, Research and International - Research Ethics II

Hiring Range: $73,695.42 - $92,119.28

Term: 14 months

The internal posting deadline for this position is October 29, 2026 at 11:59PM

This position is being offered as a secondment or temporary contract.

Primary Purpose The Research Ethics Advisor (REA) serves as the primary liaison between the Office of Research Ethics (ORE) and the researcher and his/her research team. The REA is responsible for facilitating the research ethics submission and review process and overseeing the effectiveness and efficiency of the online ethics review system. The REA ensures that the daily operations comply with internal and external requirements.

The REA roles support the four research ethics review committees and two advisory committees along with internal and external stakeholders (e.g., researchers, government agencies, accreditation committees/auditors, faculty/department and other administrative staff) regarding the requirements for and outcomes of the ethics review of proposed research. The REA is responsible for developing reports and tracking required information to establish performance metrics for the ORE.

• Facilitate and conduct ethical analysis of research
• Point persons for all inquiries and questions regarding research compliance obligations including the requirements and processes involved with obtaining and maintaining ethics clearance.
• Provides consultation to faculty, student and staff researchers regarding the ethics review process and the required ethical obligations according to institutional, national and provincial requirements and guidelines
• Conducts delegated review of specified minimal risk ethics applications
• Reviews revisions of designated research ethics applications to ensure the reviewers’ comments have been addressed, meet the required ethical requirements and guidelines, and recommend approval for the research to proceed
• Reviews amendments/modifications of protocols/ethics applications to assess risk level and recommend approval for the change to be made to the research
• Promptly and effectively respond to all telephone, mail, and email/web inquiries and questions from faculty, staff, students from any of the six faculties, affiliated Colleges or research institutes, including non-Waterloo researchers or partners regarding research compliance including the ethics review process and administrative requirements
• Provides advice and assistance about Waterloo’s research ethics process, guidelines, policies and other information as needed by relaying it clearly and accurately
• Interprets international, federal, provincial, and institutional policies and procedures as it related to Waterloo’s ethics review process and communicate these policies and procedures to researchers, staff, and students
• Maintains professionalism at all times in conflict situations; use interpersonal skills to handle sensitive and delicate situations and cases (e.g., where research grant support is conditional upon ethics clearance or when an application is time-sensitive or in need of review by multiple offices/levels (e.g., Safety Office))
• Develops and…