Senior Researcher (AC.07) / Researcher (AC.08) at University of the Witwatersrand

Brief Description        

• The successful candidate will assume responsibility for research design, protocol development, and execution, and ensure delivery on targets according to strict deadlines. The candidate will have the opportunity to lead and/or work on multi-country research and collaborate with counterparts in Kenya, Uganda, and the United Kingdom. The candidate will also have the opportunity to supervise post-graduate students and participate in the teaching of relevant master’s courses offered by the WSPH. The person will work under the mentorship and guidance of Professor Laetitia Rispel, who is the AFRHiCARE lead in South Africa.

Qualifications and Experience

• A health professional or public health practitioner with a PhD in the health sciences, or the social and economic sciences
• At least 3-5 years in a public health research setting (university or science council)
• Evidence of conceptualising, designing and/or conducting complex and large HPSR research.
• Evidence of active research, teaching, postgraduate supervision and consistent outputs. In the case of the researcher, suitable applicants should have at least three (3) publications in accredited journals, with first authorship of at least one (1) publication. A senior researcher should have at least 15 accredited research publications, of which the applicant should be first or senior author on at least eight (8) publications.
• Experience of research management/ administration (e.g. reporting, budgeting, financial management, etc).
• Ability to work independently and as part of a dynamic multi-disciplinary team.
• Willingness and ability to travel
• Good written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide research leadership to ensure execution of the research objectives in the work streams of AFRHiCARE in South Africa, specifically Work Stream 4 on the Health Workforce.
• Ensure development and submission of quality research protocols for ethics approval and health authority permission.
• Ensure execution of research and delivery of agreed upon deadlines.
• Collaborate and engage actively with AFRHiCARE partners in Kenya, Uganda, and the United Kingdom.
• Supervise postgraduate students (master’s and PhD) students whose research focuses on AFRHiCARE projects.
• Undertake local and international travel to ensure delivery of AFRHiCARE targets.
• Liaise and communicate with partners in the university, government, and community-based organisations.
• Ensure overall project planning and monitoring and reporting of project outputs and financial expenditure.