Research Assistant, Data & Impact — Mental Health

3x Full-time, 12-month fixed-term opportunity

An excellent opportunity to work with the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use on an Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing-funded project with the aim of building the capacity of the alcohol and other drug workforce to respond to mental health conditions

Base Salary $89,755 + 17% superannuation

About the opportunity

The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use provides a world-first synergy of leading prevention, early intervention, treatment research and translation programs in substance use and mental disorders. The Matilda Centre undertakes research and brings together researchers currently working across disorder silos (substance use, depression, suicide, anxiety, exercise physiology, dietetics, chronic disease) to share skills, synergise data, and harness new technologies to develop and trial innovative prevention and early intervention programs for substance use and mental disorders.

Join as a Research Assistant within the Matilda Centre and play an important role in supporting research that improves mental health and substance use outcomes across the community. Working within a nationally recognised research environment, you will contribute to projects focused on the treatment and translation of evidence-based practice, helping deliver research that creates meaningful impact across clinical, policy, and public  this varied and collaborative role, you will provide administrative and research support across one or more projects, contributing to project coordination, data management, stakeholder engagement, communications activities, and the development of research outputs.

You will work closely with researchers, clinicians, project partners, and other stakeholders to support project delivery, monitor progress, and ensure activities are delivered to a high standard.

Working under general supervision, you will manage competing priorities, exercise sound judgment in day-to-day decision-making, and contribute to a team committed to improving health outcomes through high-quality research, innovation, and evidence-based practice.

Your key responsibilities will be to:

Provide high-quality administrative support across one or more research projects, including coordinating project activities, maintaining project documentation, managing records, and supporting the delivery of project milestones and priorities.

Maintain and manage project data with a strong focus on accuracy, integrity, confidentiality, and compliance, while contributing to the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data to support project evaluation and reporting.

Assist with the preparation of research reports, publications, presentations, literature reviews, and other evidence-based resources, synthesising information for scientific, clinical, and community audiences.

Support the planning and delivery of project communications, promotions, and stakeholder engagement activities to enhance project reach, visibility, and translation of research outcomes.

Coordinate and support the planning and delivery of project meetings, webinars, forums, and training workshops (online and in-person), including scheduling, liaising with speakers, participants, and stakeholders, facilitating activities, taking minutes, collating key insights, and ensuring the smooth running of all events.

Support project operations through stakeholder liaison, financial administration, process improvement, and the development of strong collaborative relationships across the research team and external partners.

Assist with the tracking and monitoring of project activities and performance. Identify and suggest administrative improvements to automate processes and proactively report project issues to  your application, please provide a Cover Letter systematically addressing each ‘About You’ point.

About you Tertiary qualifications in Psychology, public health, or Behavioural or Social Sciences (Honours preferred) and/or a related field, or equivalent work experience.

Demonstrated experience in a research or project-based environment, with strong organisational and administrative capability, and the ability to manage competing priorities, coordinate multiple activities, and consistently deliver high-quality outcomes within tight time frames.

Proven experience managing research data, undertaking data analysis, interpreting findings, and contributing to the preparation of reports, research outputs, and evidence-based resources, supported by a sound understanding of statistical methods and relevant analytical tools.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with proven report writing capability and the confidence to engage effectively with diverse internal and external stakeholders, building trusted relationships and communicating with professionalism, tact, and discretion.

Highly detail-oriented and digitally confident, with sound capability across Microsoft Office,…