Job Description

Position Information

Proposed Faculty Rank Research Assistant Professor Department 00166 - CSW - ACADEMICS City Salt Lake City, UT Track Non Tenure Track New Position to Begin May 16, 2027 Details

Position Summary

The University of Utah College of Social Work’s Social Research Institute (SRI) invites applications for two 12-month, career-line faculty positions at the rank of Research Assistant Professor. These are non-tenure-track positions intended to support long-term careers within the University’s Career-Line Faculty structure, with renewable appointments contingent upon satisfactory performance, programmatic need, and availability of funding.

SRI partners with public agencies, community organizations, faculty, and other collaborators to conduct applied research, program evaluation, workforce development, training, technical assistance, and implementation support that improve health and human services. The successful candidates will lead and contribute to externally funded projects, cultivate productive partner relationships, supervise project teams, and help translate research into practical improvements in policy, programs, training, and service delivery.

The specific portfolio assigned to each position will reflect the successful candidate’s expertise and SRI’s evolving project needs. Work may emphasize partnerships with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services and other public agencies; research and evaluation in child welfare and related human-service systems; evaluation and implementation support for the Virtual Skills and Workforce Trainer (VSWT) and other digital learning technologies; or a combination of these areas. The positions require both strong research capability and the ability to manage complex, partner-driven work in a collaborative university environment.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead as Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator on externally funded research, evaluation, training, technical-assistance, and implementation projects from planning through completion.
• Manage project scopes of work, timelines, budgets, staffing, partner expectations, and deliverables in coordination with SRI leadership and University administrative personnel.
• Lead or contribute to applied research and program evaluation, as appropriate to the faculty member’s expertise and project assignment, including development of research questions, protocols, measures, sampling and data-collection plans, analytic approaches, and interpretation of findings.
• Provide or coordinate methodological consultation to investigators, agency partners, and project teams regarding study design, data quality, analysis, and the appropriate use of findings.
• Build and sustain trusted relationships with public health and human-service agencies, community organizations, funders, technology partners, and other collaborators.
• Work with partners to identify needs, establish shared goals, resolve challenges, support sound decision-making, and ensure that project activities remain useful and responsive to practice settings.
• Recruit, supervise, and mentor research staff, project personnel, students, and contractors, as assigned; establish clear expectations and support timely, high-quality work.
• Prepare clear, accurate, and audience-appropriate reports, presentations, scholarly products, implementation resources, and other deliverables for academic, government, practitioner, and community audiences.
• Contribute to the development of proposals, contracts, and other opportunities for grant/contract funding.
• Support implementation, continuous quality improvement, and organizational learning within partner agencies, including assessment of readiness, fidelity, uptake, effectiveness, sustainability, and outcomes.
• Depending on project assignment, contribute to the evaluation, implementation, refinement, and expansion of VSWT or other instructional technologies; collaborate with subject-matter experts, instructional designers, software or data professionals, and agency leaders; and help ensure that products are evidence-informed, usable, accessible, and responsive to workforce needs.
• Strengthen and extend SRI’s methodological and analytic capacity by introducing, applying, and disseminating rigorous quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches; advise colleagues on emerging designs and analytic techniques; and support the growth of methodological and statistical expertise across faculty and staff.
• Maintain current knowledge of research, policy, practice, workforce development, adult learning, and emerging technologies relevant to assigned projects.
• Contribute to the academic and service missions of SRI, the College of Social Work, and the University through collaboration, mentoring, committee work, dissemination, and other activities aligned with the faculty member’s role.
• Travel periodically to partner offices, training sites, conferences, and other project locations within Utah and, on occasion, elsewhere in the United States.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in social work or a closely related field, with at least three years of relevant post-master’s professional experience.
• Demonstrated experience contributing to applied research, program evaluation, or other grant- or contract-supported work in health and human services or a closely related area.
• Experience coordinating complex projects and producing high-quality deliverables within established timelines.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships with government agencies, community organizations, universities, funders, or other large and complex organizations.
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to facilitate groups, build consensus, navigate competing priorities, resolve problems, and maintain trust while offering candid professional guidance.
• Ability to supervise or coordinate the work of multidisciplinary personnel and contribute effectively in a highly collaborative environment.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to translate technical information for nontechnical audiences.
• Strong organizational, time-management, follow-through, and professional judgment.
• Ability to travel as required for assigned projects.

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in social work, public health, education, psychology, sociology, public policy, business, or another discipline relevant to SRI’s work.
• Five or more years of relevant professional experience.
• Experience serving as principal investigator, co-investigator, project director, or lead evaluator on externally funded grants or contracts.
• Record of securing or contributing substantially to extramural funding, publications, evaluation reports, or other influential scholarly and practice-oriented products.
• Experience working in or with public child welfare, behavioral health, health and human services, workforce development, public-benefit, or related government systems, particularly in Utah.
• Knowledge of federal and state policy affecting health and human services, including experience with Title IV-E or other public funding structures.
• Demonstrated strength in one or more specialized areas, such as advanced quantitative analysis and statistical software; qualitative or mixed-methods research; organizational or program evaluation; implementation science or implementation support; cost analysis; data visualization; or related methods.
• Experience with adult learning, workforce development, competency-based education, deliberate practice, simulation, virtual reality, e-learning, learning management systems, instructional technology, or other digital learning approaches.
• Experience evaluating or supporting the implementation, adoption, scaling, and continuous improvement of technology-enabled programs or services.
• Experience collaborating with information-technology, software-development, database, business-intelligence, communications, or instructional-design professionals.
• Familiarity with university-sponsored project administration, public-sector contracting, data-use agreements, accessibility requirements, and the terms and conditions commonly associated with government-funded work.
• Knowledge of graduate social work education and the ability to collaborate effectively with faculty, students, and university partners.

Working Relationships

The Research Assistant Professors will report to the Director of the Social Research Institute and will work closely with SRI faculty and staff, College of Social Work leadership, University administrative units, and external partners. Successful candidates will be expected to exercise considerable independence while communicating consistently, seeking consultation when appropriate, and contributing to a collegial and accountable team culture.

College, University, and Environment

The University of Utah is a member of the exclusive Association of American Universities (AAU) and has been classified by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as a Research 1 institution with an elective Community Engagement classification. As the state’s flagship university, it boasts Utah’s only academic medical center. The University is located in Salt Lake City at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains. This location offers unparalleled opportunities for outdoor recreation, with ten world-class ski resorts and five national parks within hours of the city. Salt Lake City is the center of a metropolitan area with a population of approximately one million residents, has extensive arts and cultural activities, and has a major international airport with a Delta Airlines hub and direct flights to most U.S. cities and direct international flights to Paris, London, Amsterdam, and Mexico City. The area has received international recognition for its light rail system, foodie culture, and downtown renewal. In 2024, U.S News and World Report ranked Utah at the top of their Best States rankings. Utah is home to eight federally recognized Native American Tribes, which are honored in the University’s Indigenous Land Acknowledgement.

The College, established in 1937, is the only institution in the Intermountain West that offers all three degrees in social work: BSW, MSW, and Ph.D. In 2024, U.S. News and World Report ranked the College #36 in the nation, and Academic Analytics ranked the College #13 in the nation for NIH grant funding. The College houses two research centers—the Social Research Institute and the Utah Criminal Justice Center—which provide faculty and students with interdisciplinary, highly impactful research opportunities and support for the development and implementation of funded research projects. Currently, College faculty are leading a number of federally-, state-, and foundation-funded translational research projects to advance social work research and innovate evidence-based practices for vulnerable populations. The College’s Goodwill Humanitarian Building features state-of-the-art clinical training suites equipped with one-way mirrors and audio-visual technology for real-time clinical supervision and feedback.

EEO/Non-Discrimination Information

The University of Utah values candidates who have experience working in settings with students and possess a strong commitment to improving access to higher education.

Veterans’ preference is extended to qualified applicants, upon request and consistent with University policy and Utah state law. Upon request, reasonable accommodations in the application process will be provided to individuals with disabilities.

Consistent with state and federal law, the University of Utah does not discriminate based upon race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, or protected veteran’s status. The University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education program or activity that it operates, as required by Title IX and 34 CFR part 106. The requirement not to discriminate in education programs or activities extends to admission and employment. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and its regulations may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, to the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, or both.

To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability or if you or someone you know has experienced discrimination or sexual misconduct including sexual harassment, you may contact the Director/Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX (OEO). More information, including the Director/Title IX Coordinator’s office address, electronic mail address, and telephone number, can be located at https://www.utah.edu/nondiscrimination/.

Online reports may be submitted at https://oeo.utah.edu.

Notice

The University is a participating employer with Utah Retirement Systems (“URS”). Eligible new hires with prior URS service may elect to enroll in URS if they make the election before they become eligible for retirement (usually the first day of work). Contact Human Resources at (801) 581-7447 for information. Individuals who previously retired and are receiving monthly retirement benefits from URS are subject to URS’ post-retirement rules and restrictions. Please contact Utah Retirement Systems at (801) 366-7770 or (800) 695-4877 or University Human Resource Management at (801) 581-7447 if you have questions regarding the post-retirement rules.

This position may require the successful completion of a criminal background check and/or drug screen.

https://publicsafety.utah.edu/safetyreport/

This report includes statistics about criminal offenses, hate crimes, arrests and referrals for disciplinary action, and Violence Against Women Act offenses. They also provide information about safety and security-related services offered by the University of Utah. A paper copy can be obtained by request at the Department of Public Safety located at 1658 East 500 South.

Special Instructions for Candidates

Application Process

Candidates should submit the following:

• A letter of application that details your interests and qualifications in teaching and scholarship, and your fit with the position;
• A complete and current curriculum vitae;
• A list of three professional references with contact information (all external to the University of Utah);

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Inquiries regarding the position may be directed to the Faculty Search Committee Chair, Dr. Chad McDonald, chad.mcdonald@utah.edu.

Open Date 09/23/2026 Close Date Open Until Filled Yes Requisition Number PRN01589CF Type Faculty