Associate Researcher (2 Year Fixed-Term Contract) at University of the Witwatersrand

Brief Description        
About the position

• The Associate Researcher will be employed by the African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS) at Wits University and supervised by Associate Professor Jo Vearey
• This is a 24 month (2 year) contract position

Key responsibilities:

Research Coordination

• The Associate Researcher work closely with the research group manager (University of Essex) and a research coordinator based at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
• The Associate Researcher will be responsible for the coordination of GEMMS research activities taking place in South Africa and Zimbabwe, involving the practical and ethical concerns, and their theoretical implications.

Key tasks will include:

• Coordinate research activities and reporting in South Africa and Zimbabwe for all three workstreams. 
• Work closely with the ACMS Finance Officer and Operations Manager to ensure all financial and administrative processes are developed and implemented correctly and in line with ACMS and Wits requirements
• Responsibility for all administrative processes including:
• Coordinating team meetings, including organising meeting agendas, invitations, managing RSVPs, setting up meetings, booking venues/organising virtual meetings, arranging necessary transport, accommodation and refreshments
• Managing day-to-day financial administration, including reconciliation processes associated with clearing cash advances; organising subsistence/similar payments
• Collating information required for NIHR reporting
• Oversight of budget, expenditure and forecasting and working with the ACMS operational staff team to ensure timeous reporting to NIHR as required
• Coordinate fieldwork in South Africa and Zimbabwe to ensure that it is planned and implemented efficiently
• Coordinate fieldwork reports
• Coordinate research reports
• Coordinate the local/regional technical advisory groups. This includes:
• Maintaining database of members and ensuring terms of reference are signed and filed
• Regular communication of project updates to TAG members
• Coordinating TAG meetings, including organising meeting agendas, invitations, managing RSVPs, setting up meetings, booking venues/organising virtual meetings, arranging necessary transport, accommodation and refreshments
• Participating in TAG meetings, including taking minutes and circulating to TAG members

  Research Ethics Coordination

• The Associate Researcher work with the GEMMS ethics lead ( Jo Vearey) to coordinate with the implementation of an ethics and risk management programme within the project

Key tasks will include:

• Support institutional leads in obtaining research ethics clearance.
• Support to Jo Vearey with Wits ethics applications
• Tracking research ethics clearance processes across all institutions
• Keeping copies of applications and certificates on file
• Support the Wits research team by coordinating the management of Wits ethics processes during fieldwork

    Communication and Dissemination Coordination

• Support implementation of the GEMMS communication and dissemination strategy in the Southern African context

Key tasks will include:

• Working with the GEMMS Manager and the Research Coordinator in India to support implementation of the GEMMS communication and dissemination strategy across all institutional partners
• Coordinate implementation of the GEMMS communication and dissemination strategy in South Africa and Zimbabwe
• Ensure regular communication of project updates to TAG members
• Engaging with the media

Essential qualifications and experience:

• Familiarity with Wits and ACMS administrative systems
• Experience in international research collaborations and partnership building
• Experience in coordinating research projects, including in coordination of logistics, budgets and reporting
• Fluency in English
• A Masters degree
• A demonstrated ability to work independently and excellent time management
• A demonstrated ability to work collaboratively, including with partners based in other countries/institutions
• An ability to travel outside Johannesburg and to other countries required for fieldwork and/or project meetings

Desirable qualifications and experience:

• Familiarity with NIHR reporting mechanisms
• Familiarity with research in the field of migration, health, gender and violence in South Africa, Zimbabawe, India and Cambodia
• Familiarity with the global migration and health governance terrain
• Knowledge of and research in the global migration and health governance terrain
• A PhD in Migration & Displacement, Health Sociology, Public Health or an associated discipline