SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND (Wits)
The Wits School of Public Health (WSPH), ranked among the top 100 in the world, is one of the largest schools of public health in South Africa, with an international reputation for conducting high quality and relevant research, its teaching programmes, and community outreach and policy engagement activities.
The Wits SPH offers a dynamic environment in which to grow; conduct cutting-edge, multi-disciplinary research; publish; network; and engage in national and international health policy debates.
POSITION: RESEARCHER (AC.08) OR SENIOR RESEARCHER (AC.07)
(4-year fixed term contract)
The WSPH wishes to recruit a Researcher or Senior Researcher with excellent health policy and systems research (HPSR) skills to provide co-leadership for the South African research component of the AFRHiCARE (Africa's First Referral Hospitals: innovation and Care) Partnership.
The AFRHiCARE Partnership, a new Wellcome Trust Discovery Award, brings together a multidisciplinary team of lead researchers from Wits University and the universities of Oxford, Makerere in Uganda and the KEMRI-Wellcome Programme in Kenya. AFRHiCARE aims to provide thought leadership on first referral hospitals (FRH) by generating new knowledge, and promoting innovation on their roles and functions, health workforce development, technology integration, and climate adaptation with a particular focus on sub-Saharan Africa.
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.
Brief DescriptionQualifications 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.
Please note that all shortlisted applicants will be asked to present their 15-minute vision on AFRHiCARE and how they will contribute to the success of the research and the multi-country partnership.
Remuneration
The University of the Witwatersrand offers a competitive remuneration package in line with qualifications and experience.
Detailed DescriptionJob RequirementsAdditional DetailsHow To ApplyTo apply:
Closing date: 16 January 2025
Please submit the following documents on http://www.wits.ac.za/vacancies/ or for internal applicants https://irec.wits.ac.za
- A cover letter outlining your interest, the position you are applying for, and your suitability.
- A detailed CV, including contact details, names, telephone numbers and email addresses of 3 referees.
- Certified copies of degrees/diplomas.
- Two peer-reviewed articles.
- South African ID (or passport and work permit)
Enquiries related to this advert only, can be sent to wendy.pearsall@wits.ac.za
The University is committed to employment equity. Preference will be given to appointable applicants from the under-represented designated South African groups in terms of the relevant Employment Equity Plans and policies of the University. The University retains the right not to make an appointment and to verify all information provided by candidates. Please note that correspondence will only be entered into with shortlisted candidates. The University reserves the right not to make an appointment or to re-advertise.
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