At Houston Methodist, the Visitors Program Specialist position is responsible for administering, coordinating and managing the logistics, compliance, and support services for visiting researchers, scholars, and fellows participating in the Houston Methodist Academic Institute (HMAI) medical research programs. This role facilitates the integration of those visitors into the research environment, ensuring compliance with institutional, federal, and international regulations while promoting a productive and enriching experience.

Additional Information:

The Visiting Program Specialist oversees the full lifecycle of visiting researchers scholar appointments, including intake, onboarding, compliance, and offboarding. This role ensures adherence to institutional, federal, and immigration requirements while maintaining accurate records and monitoring visa status for foreign national applicants. Serving as the primary point of contact, the Program Specialist supports orientation, cultural integration, and professional development opportunities for all researchers scholar visitors. The position also partners with Human Resources, Legal, and Research Compliance to track outcomes, prepare reports, and strengthen global research collaborations.

Ideal applicant:

Ideal applicants will have a bachelor’s degree, and prior professional work experience in Human Resources, and prior work experience in healthcare related visitor programs.

PATIENT AGE GROUP(S) AND POPULATION(S) SERVED
Refer to departmental "Scope of Service" and "Provision of Care" plans, as applicable, for description of primary age groups and populations served by this job for the respective HM entity.

HOUSTON METHODIST EXPERIENCE EXPECTATIONS

• Provide personalized care and service by consistently demonstrating our I CARE values:
  • INTEGRITY: We are honest and ethical in all we say and do.
  • COMPASSION: We embrace the whole person including emotional, ethical, physical, and spiritual needs.
  • ACCOUNTABILITY: We hold ourselves accountable for all our actions.
  • RESPECT: We treat every individual as a person of worth, dignity, and value.
  • EXCELLENCE: We strive to be the best at what we do and a model for others to emulate.

• Practices the Caring and Serving Model

• Delivers personalized service using HM Service Standards

• Provides for exceptional patient/customer experiences by following our Standards of Practice of always using Positive Language (AIDET, Managing Up, Key Words)

• Intentionally collaborates with other healthcare professionals involved in patients/customers or employees' experiential journeys to ensure strong communication, ease of access to information, and a seamless experience

• Involves patients (customers) in shift/handoff reports by enabling their participation in their plan of care as applicable to the given job

• Actively supports the organization's vision, fulfills the mission and abides by the I CARE values

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Manages the end-to-end lifecycle of visiting researcher appointments, including intake (Visitors Request Form) review, submission of IT request access, collaboration with wellness/employee health, submission of background checks, onboarding, creation of badge requests in collaboration with facilities team, and offboarding process.

• Coordinates with internal departments (HR, Legal, Research Compliance) to ensure all institutional and federal requirements are met.

• Maintains accurate records of visiting scholars, including visa status, research activities, and institutional affiliations.

• Works closely with principal investigators, department leadership and chairs to align visitor goals with institutional research priorities.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Ensures compliance with visa regulations (e.g., J-1, H-1B), institutional policies, and NIH (National Institutes of Health) or other funding agency guidelines.

• Ensures adherence to institutional policies, IRB (Institutional Review Board) protocols, and federal regulations (e.g., National Institutes of Health, Health and Human Services, and immigration laws).

• Draft visitor agreements for (MORTI) Methodist Online Research Technology Initiative system access-monitoring of expiring contracts and determining if an extension is needed.

• Monitors export control and research security compliance for international visitors.

• Liaises with international partners, universities, and research institutions to promote the visitors program.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Serves as the primary point of contact for visiting researcher, providing orientation, and cultural integration support.

• Collects feedback from participants to improve program quality and impact.

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Tracks program outcomes and prepare reports for leadership and funding agencies.

• Supports grant and funding documentation related to visiting researchers.

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Assigns and approves required online modules for visitors.

• Organizes seminars, networking events, individual development plans, and professional development workshops.

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive; the employee will also perform other reasonably related business/job duties as assigned. Houston Methodist reserves the right to revise job duties and responsibilities as the need arises.

EDUCATION

• Bachelor's Degree - may consider candidate with additional four years' experience (in addition to the minimum experience requirements listed below) in lieu of a degree

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Two years experience in related discipline to include one year of project management experience

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS - REQUIRED

• N/A

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through ongoing skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations

• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language is necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security

• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members, and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles

• Strong analytical and interpersonal skills

• Advanced spreadsheet skills (i.e., creating pivot tables, performing v-lookups, and managing large data sets). Intermediate word-processing and presentation software skills

• Strong project and time management skills

• Initiative - Exhibits resourcefulness, independent action and judgment that are position appropriate. Evaluates, selects and acts on various methods and strategies for solving problems and meeting objectives

• Professional handling of exposure to confidential/sensitive information

• Demonstrates flexibility and adaptability in the face of changing demands

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and database management systems

• Knowledge of NIH or other federal research funding mechanisms is preferred

• Familiarity with U.S. immigration regulations and research compliance regulations preferred

• Strong organizational and project management skills, interpersonal, and cross-cultural communication skills

• Credentialing background preferred

• Multilingual abilities are a plus

• Experience with onboarding foreign nationals or students is preferred

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform No
• Scrubs No
• Business professional Yes
• Other (department approved) No

ON-CALL*
*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. DIsaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.

• On Call* No

TRAVEL**
**Travel specifications may vary by department**

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area Yes
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No

Houston Methodist Academic Institute (formerly the Houston Methodist Research Institute) was formed in 2004 to rapidly and efficiently translate discoveries made in the laboratory and the clinic into new diagnostics, therapies, and treatments. The research institute was created to provide the infrastructure and support for these endeavors, and to house the technology and resources needed to make innovative breakthroughs in important areas of human disease. A 540,000 square foot building dedicated to research and clinical trials, the academic institute houses over 2,047 credentialed researchers conducting 1,470 ongoing clinical protocols.