ABOUT THE LOOP AUSTRALIA

The Loop Australia is a not-for-profit organisation established in 2018 to develop sustainable drug checking services in Australia. We are a sister organisation to The Loop UK, which was founded in 2013 and has provided drug checking services to the public since 2016. Our team includes scientists, health professionals, and researchers working across Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland.

BACKGROUND

In 2024, the Victorian Government announced its commitment to fund drug checking services across the state. The Department of Health invited proposals from service providers to deliver services from both fixed and mobile locations, including music festivals. A consortium led by Youth Support and Advocacy Service (YSAS), in partnership with Harm Reduction Victoria (HRVic), Melbourne Health, Youth Projects (YP), and The Loop Australia (TLA), was successful and contracted to deliver the Victorian Pill Testing Service (VPTS). Service delivery commenced in late 2024, with the current contract running through to 30 June 2028.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Loop Australia is looking for a passionate drug nerd with data skills to join our team! The purpose of this casual role (Up to 8 hours per week- increase after events and at month end) is to oversee the data collection and data reporting requirements of the Victorian Drug Checking Service.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE RESEARCH OFFICER INCLUDE:

• Data cleaning and data monitoring
• With supervision from the National Research Lead, report creation after events and at month end for fixed site for:
  • VPTS Internal report
  • Government reports
• Preparing other regular reports of routine data collection
• Respond to data requests from the VPTS team
• Overseeing routine client outcomes data collection including client satisfaction measures
• Database system improvements- work closely with the Dev ops engineer and the VPTS leadership team to improve the database in relation to collection of data, coding of report running and data outputs
• Work with the Loop Australia National Research lead on research including obtaining research ethics and coordinating publication of routine service operational data
• Work with the Loop research action group to support research related to drug checking that includes the Victorian service
• Working with the DevOps engineer, prepare the dataset for use in a planned public data dashboard
• Supporting the Drug Checking Director and Lead scientist to provide training and support to service delivery staff in data collection.

HOURS

• Variable hours up to 8 hours per week - some increase after events and at month end
• Some hours will be onsite at festival and events

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Drug literacy - an understanding of unregulated drug markets, key drug-related terminologies, and how drug checking and harm reduction services work
• Experience working in a research environment in the alcohol and other drugs field
• Experience working with contemporary data systems
• Demonstrated capacity to work with quantitative data, including understanding of data cleaning processes
• Working knowledge of the statistical coding program R
• Excellent people skills to enable collaboration across a geographically dispersed team
• Capacity and desire to work on-site at (hot and dusty) music festivals or being available remotely to handle daily reporting requirements and ad hoc data queries

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

We encourage applications from people who have lived and living experience of drug use. We also encourage First Nations people, people with a disability, LGBTIQ+ and other sexuality, gender and bodily diverse people and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to apply. We are committed to removing barriers for people from these communities, so let us know if there’s something we can do to make it more possible for you to apply by confidentially contacting [email protected] using the subject line: Research Officer enquiry via EthicalJobs.

More information on the requirements of this position is available in the role description attached below.

You can contact Cameron Francis on [email protected].

To submit your application, please click 'Apply Now' by COB on the closing date.

A position description is attached.