Career Opportunities
RITHIM Program Officer
Full-time, Permanent Position
Salary Scale: $65,000 – $80,000
Deadline to apply: Monday, July 6, 2026
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Overview
Reporting to the RITHIM Director, the RITHIM Program Officer is responsible for ensuring compliance with the standards, laws, and guidelines governing health research. They coordinate the assessment and review of health research applications through all aspects of RITHIM’s review process, from submission to approval. This includes ethics, privacy, and health institutional reviews.
This position is ideally suited to an analytical thinker who values collaboration and teamwork. The Program Officer is a main point of contact for researchers applying to RITHIM, including providing information regarding the status of submissions and the need for additional details or edits, determining whether an amendment or a new protocol is required, and communicating reviewers’ decisions.
The Program Officer should be comfortable acting as a liaison with health researchers. They should have the ability to solve problems and recognize opportunities for business improvements. They will assist individuals and groups, as they navigate the health research approvals environment in Manitoba and interact with the Harmony system.
Key Responsibilities
Program Administration
- Serves as a main point of contact for researchers applying to RITHIM, including providing information regarding the status of submissions and the need for additional details or edits, determining whether an amendment or a new protocol is required, and communicating reviewers’ decisions.
- Undertakes a preliminary review of all submitted projects to ensure they are complete and liaises with applicants as needed.
- Coordinates the assessment and review of health research applications through all aspects of RITHIM’s review process from submission to approval. This includes ethics, health institution, and privacy reviews.
- Assists in coordinating and facilitating review committee meetings, as well as drafting meeting agendas and minutes.
- Assists in coordinating the recruitment and training of CHIPER Chairs, Vice-Chairs, and members.
- Assists in coordinating the nomination process for members of the Provincial Health Research Privacy Committee (PHRPC).
- Collaborates within the RITHIM team across workstreams, including the assessment and review of health research applications, communication activities, evaluation and impact reporting, and Helpdesk support activities related to RITHIM operations.
Facilitation Support
- Communicates effectively, orally and in writing, with a broad range of stakeholders.
- Contributes actively as a team member toward the successful operation of RITHIM, including contributions to newsletters and operating plans.
- Creates strategies to address any potential concerns from applicants or stakeholders that may require system changes.
- Synthesizes and analyzes information to identify opportunities for program and service development and evaluation.
- Works closely with Program Leads to assist across RITHIM as needed and provides coverage during absences.
Additional Responsibilities
- Other duties as assigned to support the success of Research Manitoba’s programs and initiatives.
Required Education and Experience
- A college diploma or undergraduate degree in a relevant field (e.g., health sciences, information management, information technology) is preferred. Equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
- Three years’ related experience.
- An understanding of the health research approval process including ethics, privacy and institutional impact reviews in Manitoba.
- Familiarity with legislation, regulations, policies and procedures related to health research in Manitoba and Canada, in particular the Personal Health Information Act (PHIA) and the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS2).
- Strong proficiency and experience with Microsoft Office Suite (specifically, Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint) to create and maintain documents and spreadsheets, update presentations and communicate with stakeholders/staff.
- Comfort with technology including ability to educate and train users on specific software functionality.
- Ability to learn specialized software applications with ease.
- Strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to make formal and informal presentations
Desired Skills and Experience
- Experience with clinical trials.
- Experience in processing research related applications, access to data and/or working in a rules-based, compliance environment.
- Experience providing exceptional customer service.
- Experience managing user expectations based on issue urgency/importance while offering empathetic and knowledgeable support.
- Understanding of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility principles.
Abilities and Skills
- Motivated self-starter, process-oriented with high attention to detail.
- Excellent analytical, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Demonstrated professionalism and integrity
- Commitment to continuous learning and maintaining an awareness of issues facing the health research fields.
- Highly organized; ability to prioritize tasks effectively under pressure
- Strong relationship building skills; capable of collaborative teamwork in a dynamic environment.
This job description outlines the key responsibilities for the role and is not meant to be exhaustive. Other responsibilities and tasks may be assigned or may naturally become a part of this role over time.
You are invited to submit a letter of interest and resume/CV that details how your qualifications match this opportunity by no later than 4:00PM (Central), Monday, July 6, 2026, to:
ATTN: Ms. Cheryl Francisco
Executive Assistant
Research Manitoba
cfrancisco@researchmb.ca
While only those individuals selected for an interview will be contacted, we extend our appreciation to all applicants for their interest.
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About Us
At Research Manitoba, we measure our success by our ability to advance research, champion the research community, support local talent development, and strengthen the economy through investments in research and innovation.
We are a provincial agency responsible for promoting, supporting, and coordinating strategic investments in research excellence and innovation in health, natural and social sciences, engineering, and the humanities in Manitoba. Through three unique divisions: Strategy and Programs, RITHIM, and Intellectual Property (IP), Research Manitoba is the central source for research and innovation support in the province.
Through numerous funding programs, the Strategy and Programs division offers support for students, researchers, and industry. In addition to this work, this division is responsible for analyzing data and emerging trends related to local, national and international programs, policies and initiatives, along with strengthening our delivery of Manitoba research impact communications.
The Research Improvements through Harmonization in Manitoba (RITHIM) division recently launched a unique provincial health research approval system streamlining the ethics, privacy, and health institutional review processes to make it faster and easier to conduct health research in Manitoba.
Our newest division, Intellectual Property, was announced in June 2025 to strengthen Manitoba’s research and innovation ecosystem. Its goal is to help protect and manage intellectual property created in Manitoba, support commercialization of innovations, and ensure economic benefits remain within the province.
Research Manitoba offers a team-oriented, flexible work environment with competitive compensation and benefits, as well as opportunities for professional development and growth. Our team is dedicated to positively impacting our communities, collaborating, and fostering partnerships, and creating an equitable, diverse, inclusive organization.