Variable Hours Officer

Position Summary

The Community Champion for Free Time 4 Wellness is an interdisciplinary mixed-methods research project funded by the National Cancer Institute and led by Dr. Lauren Houghton in the Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health. FT4W is a randomized controlled trial examining the impact of providing childcare and social support on low-income women’s use of exercise classes. Dr. Houghton will supervise the Community Champion in the Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, and will work closely with another Community Champion (2 total) and the FT4W team over the course of the 2-year study.

The main duties and responsibilities include facilitating engagement, maintaining communication, and promoting attendance to the scheduled FT4W programming over 12 weeks, repeating the process again with a total of 8 groups of 30 mothers being recruited and supported through the FT4W program.

Responsibilities

• Supporting recruitment activities to enroll mothers in the study (10%)
• Regularly communicating upcoming FT4W activities with groups of mothers on WhatsApp, including: Maintaining an updated list of engaged mothers with contact information, regularly communicating upcoming FT4W activities with groups of mothers on WhatsApp, monitoring and maintaining WhatsApp communication groups according to established guidelines and protocols, sending reminders before FT4W activities, Facilitating discussions and relationship-building among mothers in the WhatsApp groups, and collecting RSVPs for volunteering activities once per month and communicating them with our project partner (West Side Campaign Against Hunger) prior to the activity (30%)
• Attending and participating in all FT4W activities with the engaged mothers, which include playdates (once per week), fitness classes (once per week), and food pantry volunteering/ grocery pick up (once per month) and taking attendance at these FT4W activities as needed and reporting attendance records to the FT4W Project Coordinator after the activities (50%)
• Maintaining regular communication with the FT4W Project Coordinator (5%)
• Any other responsibilities that may arise related to engaging the enrolled mothers and supporting the FT4W activities’ success (5%)

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelors degree
• Bilingual in both Spanish and English

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with using WhatsApp and text messages on a mobile phone
• A resident of New York City
• Your schedule must allow for a time commitment of up to 4 hours per week that aligns with the scheduled FT4W activities, some of which will be on evenings and weekends.
• Strong verbal & written communication skills
• Accomplished leader, specifically with strengths in group organization and/or event execution
• Regularly uses and checks email (for communication with FT4W project coordinator)
• Ability to connect with others and foster trusting, open communication with multiple people at one time
• Interest in wellness and physical activity
• Experience as a parent or with an interest in women and children

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.