Research Program Assistant I/II, Casual - Children's Learning Institute’s Micro‑Credential Program

UTHealth Houston and Children's Learning Institute is hiring a Casual Research Assistant I/II! The role will work either 10 or 15 hours a week.

The Research Assistant I/II supports the Children’s Learning Institute’s Micro‑Credential Program by conducting behavioral coding on video submissions from coaches who mentor early childhood practitioners and administrators. This role ensures accuracy and consistency in evaluating coaching practices, helping strengthen coaching quality and improve early childhood education.

The RA II position includes all RA I duties and requires advanced coding expertise, with additional responsibility for completing fidelity checks, supporting training, and providing guidance to other coders on the team. 

These roles require strong attention to detail, reliability when applying coding protocols, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively within project timelines. Training will be provided on Micro-Credential coding measures.

What we do here changes the world. UTHealth Houston is Texas’ resource for healthcare education, innovation, scientific discovery, and excellence in patient care. That’s where you come in.

Once you join us you won't want to leave. It’s because we reward our team for the excellent service they provide. Our total rewards package includes the benefits you’d expect from a top healthcare organization (benefits, insurance, etc.), plus:  

• 100% paid medical premiums for our full-time employees  
• Generous time off (holidays, preventative leave day, both vacation and sick time – all of which equates to around 37-38 days per year) 
• The longer you stay, the more vacation you’ll accrue! 
• Longevity Pay (Monthly payments after two years of service) 
• Build your future with our awesome retirement/pension plan! 

We take care of our employees! As a world-renowned institution, our employees’ wellbeing is important to us. We offer work/life services such as... 

• Free financial and legal counseling 
• Free mental health counseling services 
• Gym membership discounts and access to wellness programs 
• Other employee discounts including entertainment, car rentals, cell phones, etc. 
• Resources for child and elder care 
• Plus many more! 

Position Summary:

Responsible for a variety of projects and programs with a diverse array of subjects focusing on research in child development.

Position Key Accountabilities:

• Provide reliability status on various objective and subjective coding analysis measures pertaining to projects within the department.
• Perform cognitive/social/emotional assessments with children and additional interviews with teachers and families which include an extensive battery of psychological and educational based evaluations and manage appropriate research equipment and supplies.
• Perform observational evaluations performed in schools and classrooms and focus on cognitive readiness activities by means of a complex live coding scheme.
• Work on a range of data and information including but not limited to transferring, verifying, entering, processing, management and analysis.
• Attend relevant trainings and assist in recruiting subjects (teachers, students, families, and individuals) and obtaining informed consent from potential research study participants. This often occurs in parent teacher meetings and sometimes in a family's home.
• May serve in an intervention or coaching role in home or school setting to training parents or teachers in parenting, including extensive trainings and regular meetings to maintain certification and reliability.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Certification/Skills:

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Bilingual skills in English/Spanish preferred.
• Reliable personal transportation as some projects may require extensive out of town travel which will vary from Houston and surrounding areas to various sites across the state of Texas.
• Work may involve handling biohazardous, chemical, and radiological materials, as well as operating associated equipment. Required safety training and appropriate engineering and administrative controls including the use of personal protective equipment must be followed.
• Human Subjects Research (HSR) by Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program) within five days of employment required

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, Human Development, Biology, or relevant field required. Master's Degree preferred. May substitute required education with equivalent years of experience beyond the minimum experience requirement.

Minimum Experience:

Experience in customer service, behavioral analysis or research experience is preferred.

Physical Requirements:

Exerts up to 20 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 10 pounds frequently and/or a negligible amount constantly to move objects.

Security Sensitive:

This position is a security-sensitive position pursuant to Texas Education Code §51.215 and Texas Government Code §411.094. To the extent that a position requires the holder to research, work on, or have access to critical infrastructure as defined in Texas Business and Commerce Code §117.001(2), the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure is a minimum qualification to be hired for and to continue to be employed in that position. Personnel in such positions, and similarly situated state contractors, will be routinely reviewed to determine whether things such as criminal history or continuous connections to the government or political apparatus of a foreign adversary might prevent the applicant, employee, or contractor from being able to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure. A foreign adversary is a nation listed in 15 C.F.R. §791.4.

Residency Requirement:

Employees must permanently reside and work in the State of Texas.