Research Officer -Social Science at KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP)

The project is seeking a Qualitative Research Officer for Phase 1 to primarily support activities related to the qualitative component of the study which looks at the experiences of patients, caregivers, health workers and policy stakeholders in relation to CVD and hypertension health care and drug treatment, and their perspectives on fixed dose combination therapy. This component will involve project co-ordination and data collection in Kiambu County. Working closely under the supervision of a team of multi-disciplinary researchers at KWTRP and LSHTM, the Research Officer will be responsible for co-ordinating and conducting data collection with patients, caregivers and health workers, and contributing to qualitative data analysis. The Research Officer will also provide support to convening 2-3 stakeholder workshops and will contribute to outputs from the study including policy briefs and peer-reviewed academic papers. They will be part of a study team of approximately 4 researchers from KWTRP and LSHTM who will collaborate with several study partners or advisors in the UK, Kenya, Australia and the United States 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the direction of supervisor to:

• Co-ordinate and conduct qualitative data collection with patients, care-givers, health workers and pharmacists in Kiambu County.
• Co-ordinate qualitative data management including transcription, translation and storage,
• Undertake qualitative analysis with appropriate support and appropriately document these analyses
• Develop written reports on the analyses conducted and their interpretation
• Develop peer-reviewed manuscript quality reports for submission for publication
• Support the day-to-day management of the project including through co-ordination with stakeholders at local, regional and national level.
• Support stake-holder meetings with project participants, local, regional and national governments and key stakeholders.
• To provide support in analysis to less experienced research staff / interns / collaborators, if opportunities arise.
• To support retrieval and review of policy documents and secondary data  
• And any other duties that may be assigned from time to time.

CRITERIA:

The successful applicant will have:

• Recognised Postgraduate qualification (Masters) relevant to the field of global health and/or Public Health, Health Systems Management, Sociology, Anthropology or an equivalent
• At least 3 years relevant working experience
• Demonstrated experience in collecting, analysing and interpreting a range of qualitative data, including in-depth interviews.
• Proficiency in one or more Qualitative software packages
• Highly developed oral and written communication skills
• Robust track record of publishing and presenting research results, relative to opportunity
• Experience in undertaking research in a cross-cultural context
• Demonstrated interest, knowledge and working experience of Kenyan Health system, particularly with regard to  (i) patient and family experiences of health and illness; ii) health service research;  or iii) pharmaceutical policy and practice
• Experience in project co-ordination and stakeholder engagement

Desirable Criteria

• Excellent understanding of and experience in procedures for ensuring high quality data management
• Demonstrated ability to act with sound judgement, sensitivity, and flexibility, and to exercise initiative in adapting preferred approaches when and where required
• Interest in developing in-depth qualitative analysis skills drawing on social theory
• Research experience and/or interest in chronic condition management
• Experience in working in international collaboration

COMPETENCIES:

• Experience using NVivo/equivalent for Qualitative research analysis
• Have high energy, clear goal orientation and strong work ethics
• Strong organisation/programme management skills with the ability to prioritise workloads and work within tight deadlines
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment and to multi-task
• Ability to interact with users/ office use in simple non-technical language

Closing: 26-08-2022