Job Description

Position Definition:

The Ethnographer will serve as an integral member of the Music and Dementia Lab within the Division of Geriatrics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), working with a group of collegial, innovative, and productive health outcomes researchers and clinicians dedicated to improving the health of older persons, in partnership with NCIRE and the SFVAHCS. The Division of Geriatrics highly values mutual respect, diversity of perspectives and collegiality, and the incumbent will be a core member of our team working on research studies related to music, well-being, and dementia.

Reporting directly to the Program Manager and working closely with the UCSF Principal Investigator (PI), the incumbent will perform at a highly independent level in the execution, management, and coordination of research protocols, data collection and operations of several concurrent clinical research studies in strict compliance with UCSF, SFVAHCS, and regulatory agency policies.

The incumbent will perform data collection and analysis for a mixed-methods in-home observational study examining everyday music engagement, well-being, and the lived experience of a new dementia diagnosis. The primary responsibility of this position is to conduct in-home participant-observation (anthropology) research, including scheduling and coordinating of in-home data collection, getting to and from participants’ homes, observation of and engagement in participants’ usual music activities. Additional responsibilities include recruitment, screening, consenting, telephone assessments, and observational research at public events and from online resources. The incumbent will work directly with older adults and underserved communities and must demonstrate strong interpersonal communication skills and the ability to conduct research independently in home and community settings.

Essential Functions:

• Lead in-home ethnographic research: Conduct in-home ethnographic interviews and anthropological participant observation with dyads, adapting interviews based on participant responses and emerging research questions. Critically evaluate participant responses and emerging findings to tailor interviews, refine data collection, and pursue study research questions. Apply music ethnographic research techniques to examine everyday music engagement and well-being among participants with dementia and their caregivers. Travel to/from participant homes throughout Northern California is required.
• Coordinate study operations: Schedule study visits, conduct home visits across Northern California, accounting for geographic considerations and the schedules of other team members doing in-home data collection. Ensure high-quality data collection, data management, and protocol adherence.
• Manage participant research activities: Maintain rapport with participants to support communication and retention, respond to diverse participant needs, and conduct follow-up interviews with participants in person, by phone, or by video. Serve as a liaison between participants and the research team and communicate relevant participant experiences, interim findings, and study updates to the research team.
• Conduct observational research: Identify and monitor relevant public events and online resources, attend and observe relevant events, and systematically collect observational data on music engagement to support study objectives.
• Conduct qualitative data analysis: Write detailed ethnographic fieldnotes and analytical memos following data collection. Conduct qualitative open coding, axial coding, content analysis, and thematic analysis using qualitative data analysis software (e.g. ATLAS.ti).
• Train research staff: Train other research team members in qualitative data collection and analytical methods.
• Contribute to scientific dissemination and research development: Perform literature reviews that substantially inform survey design, manuscripts, and grant applications. Assist PIs and biostatisticians in preparing and presenting research findings for national meetings scientific publications, including developing tables and figures from data. Contribute to and co-author scientific manuscripts and support publication coordination. Ensure research publications are compliant with the NIH and other external agencies.
• Support research data and project management: Assist with data entry, database management, project management, and coordination of research activities under the directions of the Program Manager and PI. Communicate and collaborate effectively with multiple PIs, statisticians, research coordinators, research fellows and external agencies across concurrent research projects.
• Coordinate research team and community activities: Coordinate project meetings, agendas, minutes, and progress tracking. Assist with onboarding new research staff, where needed. Communicate and collaborate effectively with multiple PIs, statisticians, research coordinators, research fellows and external agencies across concurrent research projects. Organize meetings with community advisory board members. Serve as a liaison between community-based organizations and study PIs.
• Support regulatory and project operations: Support research protocol functions to ensure Institutional Review Board (IRB) compliance and approval, as well as with external agencies. Maintain regulatory documents, monitor timelines for data submission, and document and report adverse events to appropriate departments. May oversee participant remuneration processes including managing debit cards, gift cards or other participant compensation.
• Support general project operations: Complete requisition orders and reimbursement requests. Assist with general office tasks, where needed, related to project operations (e.g., order printer paper, managing calendars for shared spaces, order and manage office supplies, submitting work orders, etc.) Perform other project operations duties as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned. This is a small team and we cross-cover one another to ensure everyone can use their leave.

Job Requirements:

• BA in a related field (e.g. medical anthropology, music therapy, music, cultural anthropology, ethnomusicology, medical sociology, music psychology) or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Outstanding analytical and written skills in the context of mixed methods data that require analysis concurrent with data collection.
• Knowledge and experience with qualitative data analysis programs (e.g. ATLAS.ti, NVivo), word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software (e.g., Excel, Word, and PowerPoint).
• Ability to read music (either treble/bass clef or guitar notation preferred)
• Strong attention to detail; excellent organizational skills; outstanding interpersonal skills
• Effective verbal and written communication skills to coordinate with participants, team members, other departments, and outside institutions.
• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment while working with a diverse participant population.
• Ability to work well as part of a team, complete projects in a timely manner, and prioritize multiple projects to ensure completion of essential tasks by deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s or doctoral degree preferred in a related field (e.g., anthropology, ethnomusicology)
• Anthropology, music therapy or ethnomusicology training. Note this study does not include music therapy interventions, so Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) music therapy certification is not required for the position.
• Experience designing, implementing and writing up qualitative and mixed methods
• Experience in REDCap and ATLAS.ti
• Experience working with a diverse patient population
• Experience working with older adults, include people with cognitive impairment, functional impairment, hearing and or vision impairment

Working Conditions/Environment:

The work environment is an administrative research office and in-home data collection. It may include minor annoyances such as noise, temperature variations, etc. In-office work at our Mission Bay and/or SFVAHCS sites is expected once a workweek and as needed. In compliance with local/state/federal health orders, work may be conducted remotely the rest of the time. The incumbent may be required to sustain standing and seated postures and to use a computer keyboard and display monitor for prolonged periods. Candidates with a valid California driver’s license are preferred for this role, as the position may involve travel to various data collection sites.

VA Onboarding Requirements:

NCIRE is an affiliate organization of the San Francisco VA Health Care System (SFVAHCS), which requires all candidates to complete SFVA onboarding in addition to NCIRE's onboarding process. The SFVA is a federal agency that requires a federal background check, occupational health clearance, vaccines and immunizations, and drug testing for certain positions. Drug testing may include screening for marijuana which remains an illegal substance according to federal law. The failure to pass required drug testing will disqualify candidates from employment.

NCIRE is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This position requires access to United States Government research under the Veterans Administration. Per Veterans Administration regulations surrounding access to US research, qualified US Citizens will be selected over other individuals eligible to work in the United States. If you are eligible to work in the United States, you may still be considered for this position but only if no qualified US citizens apply.”

The base salary range for this position is $70,304.00-$93,060.24 per year. The base salary actually offered to a successful candidate will take into account various relevant and non-discriminatory business factors including, without limitation, the candidate’s geographic location, job-related experience, knowledge, and skills, and education, as well as internal equity considerations. A successful candidate may also be eligible to earn additional compensation including bonuses.

The Northern California Institute for Research and Education (NCIRE) is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. NCIRE is committed to a policy that provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, Veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected under federal and state law, and to make all employment decisions based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. We are committed to furthering the principle of equal employment opportunity. NCIRE actively works to attract and retain talented individuals. NCIRE offers career opportunities in research and administration in pursuit of furthering medical research for our nation’s Veterans.