Position Title: Director of Biostatistics

Duties & Responsibilities: The Director of Biostatistics (DB) will have an appointment as a senior faculty member of the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics (B&B) in the Duke University School of Medicine and will be a key member of the senior leadership of the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI). The DCRI is widely recognized as a premier academic clinical research organization. The successful candidate will contribute to and promote the development of statistical methods related to DCRI projects; will participate in DCRI strategy planning; and will take responsibility for assuring that new statistical faculty and staff are appropriately hired, trained, mentored, and assigned to projects. The DB will work in partnership with the DCRI Director, senior scientific leaders, and senior operations personnel to achieve the overall goals of the DCRI. The DB will also interact, as necessary, with scientific, statistical, regulatory, and administrative staff at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and device industry in the design, implementation, and analysis of DCRI studies. WORK PERFORMED Strategic Planning As a member of the Executive Team of the DCRI, the DB will participate in the strategic planning of scientific research in the DCRI and will report to both the Chair of the B&B Department and the Director of the DCRI. The DB will also be a member of the Strategy Planning Group of the B&B Department and will represent the DCRI B&B faculty in strategic decisions. The DB will be responsible for integrating biostatistics and bioinformatics activities with the other aspects of clinical research at the DCRI. In particular, the DB will work to ensure seamless integration of information technology functions with biostatistics and bioinformatics functions. The DB will participate in strategic discussions and decisions regarding aspects of DCRI research that relate to biostatistics and bioinformatics, such as data management, medical informatics, and specimen banking. The DB will be responsible for assessing the biostatistics and bioinformatics needs and feasibility when evaluating which projects to undertake or whether to expand into new areas. The DB will serve as a liaison between the DCRI leadership and the DCRI biostatisticians and bioinformaticians. The DB will ensure that the interests and concerns of the statistical staff are represented. The DB will provide statistically sound scientific guidance to peers, collaborators, and senior management, within both the DCRI and the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics. Faculty and Functional Group Relations The DB will develop strong working relationships with all DCRI clinical and biostatistics faculty and with all functional groups and key research programs (KRPs). The DB will serve as the primary contact and point person for DCRI Biostatistics and B&B faculty who wish to submit a grant application for multi-center clinical research studies, and will evaluate the feasibility of these new grant opportunities, advising faculty as appropriate. The DB, in collaboration with the other senior leaders, will engage in business development activities to promote the DCRI and to identify and pursue potential new business that aligns with faculty research interests. DCRI Research Activities The DB will promote and participate in methodological research that addresses DCRI biostatistics and bioinformatics issues in order to enhance DCRI visibility in this area, and to develop greater name recognition on grant and manuscript reviews. The DB will promote DCRI biostatisticians within the broader clinical and biostatistical research community, including involvement with the NIH and FDA, professional societies, and collaborative initiatives to improve approaches to statistical and clinical research. The DB will serve as a liaison between the DCRI and the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics. The DB will collaborate on specific DCRI research projects as required.   Personnel Management The DB will be responsible for ensuring adequate and appropriate faculty effort assignment to support the DCRI’s B&B activities. The DB will determine the level of faculty biostatistical support required by each group within the DCRI, plan for resources needs, and aid in implementing appropriate biostatistical support for DCRI clinical research projects. The DB will help designate a mentor for new B&B faculty members working in the DCRI and will arrange appropriate training. The DB will develop a plan to manage faculty availability to ensure continuity of biostatistics and bioinformatics effort for ongoing projects. The DB will provide support and serve as a resource to biostatistics and bioinformatics faculty regarding career interests and individual development plans, and will provide ongoing coaching and feedback to assist them in identifying development opportunities and in refining and enhancing their skills. The DB will facilitate efforts to promote, develop, implement, and refine continuing education and training programs.

Position Qualifications: A PhD in biostatistics, statistics, or a closely related field is required. Significant prior clinical trials experience, for both government and industry projects, as well as relevant personnel management experience, preferably involving faculty, are also required. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, leadership and interpersonal skills, and the ability to collaborate effectively with non-statisticians are essential.

Salary Range: Commensurate with education and experience

Benefits: www.hr.duke.edu/benefits/

Web Site: For more information about the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics and the Duke

Application Address: Interested applicants should submit application materials (cover letter, CV, statement of research accomplishments/interests and the contact information for at least three references) for this job posting on Academic Jobs Online at http://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/iobs/1464.

Contact Email: Further inquiries may be directed to Regina McNair at regina.mcnair@duke.edu.

Application Deadline: 10/01/2012