ABOUT THE JOB

The Executive/ Senior Executive will support the operations of the SUSS Institutional Review Board (IRB) and serve as the primary liaison among researchers, IRB members, regulatory authorities, external stakeholders and the administrative office. This role ensures that all research involving human participants complies with ethical standards and applicable regulations.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• At least a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences, Life Sciences, Public Health, Law or related disciplines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills with a service-oriented mindset and the ability to build effective working relationships.
• Strong organizational skills with attention to details and ability to manage multiple deadlines.
• Strong integrity and discretion in handling sensitive information.
• 3 to 5 years of experience working in a university, hospital or research institution setting will be a plus.
• Good knowledge of human research ethics and regulatory frameworks, including familiarity with the Human Biomedical Research Act (HBRA) and the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) would be an advantage.

Key Responsibilities

• Facilitate the IRB application process for Principal Investigators (PIs), serve as the point of contact for PIs seeking guidance or clarification.
• Provide support to PIs on IRB processes and ethical requirements.
• Review IRB applications submitted to the IRB Secretariat for completeness and accuracy and assist in determining the appropriate level of ethical review.
• Provide administrative support for full board meetings, expedited reviews and exempt determinations. Coordinate the IRB review process, including scheduling meetings, preparing meeting agendas and recording minutes.
• Ensure timely and accurate documentation of IRB decisions and communications with reviewers and PIs.
• Maintain and update IRB records in compliance with institutional and regulatory requirements.
• Monitor ongoing research for compliance with IRB approvals and assist in post-approval monitoring, continuing review and incident reporting.
• Stay updated on regulatory developments and revise operational standards accordingly to maintain compliance and best practices.
• Assist in developing and updating SOPs, guidelines, templates and other resources to support ethical research conduct.
• Participate in institutional audits, reviews and process improvement initiatives.
• Assist in organising seminars and engagement activities.
• Serve as a point of contact for regulatory authorities (eg. MOH), external IRBs and stakeholders.