KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation is looking for full-time.

Research Assistant

Duty station: Manyara, Tanzania

KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation

KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the fight against tuberculosis (TB), still the deadliest infectious disease in the world. KNCV is an international center of expertise for TB control that promotes effective, efficient, innovative and sustainable tuberculosis control strategies in a national and international context.  We are an organization of passionate TB professionals, including doctors, researchers, training experts, nurses and epidemiologists. We aim to stop the spread of the worldwide epidemic of TB and to prevent the further spread of drug-resistant TB.

Background

KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation (KNCV) leads the ASCENT (Adherence Support Coalition to End TB) project, a Unitaid-funded 3.5-year project that will implement DAT interventions in five key countries (Ethiopia, the Philippines, South Africa, Tanzania, and Ukraine) in order to enable innovative new patient-centered, optimized TB care pathways for all types of TB (DS-TB, DR-TB, LTBI) and support the growing global momentum towards the use of these technologies. For more information, kindly visit: https://www.digitaladherence.org/

Purpose of the position and organizational position

KNCV aims to generate a robust evidence base for the above-described new tools and interventions as they are implemented, assisting the stakeholders in the country to apply these and facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experience. As a Research Assistant, your work will be diverse. You may collect facility data into electronic database, administer  surveys and questionnaires to patients- and health provider, perform basic data analysis, monitor study activities and study related data centrally and at participating health facilities, and carry out other operational research activities,  as part of the ASCENT project to enhance evidence-based decision-making.

The Research Assistant reports administratively to the ASCENT Project Manager and functionally to the Research Coordinator, in Dar es Salaam. The Research Officer coordinates the work of the two Research Assistants . The Research Assistant also works closely with the ASCENT M&E Officer.

As a Research Assistant, you will

• Perform data collection and project site coordination from July 2021 to December 2022, with a possibility of extension in projects sites (health facilities) in Arusha & Manyara;
• Gather and enter data through patient and healthcare worker surveys and interviews regarding the use of various digital adherence technology (DAT) solutions;
• Visit intervention and control facilities within the four regions to collect data from facility TB registers and patient treatment cards into the research database using RedCap;
• Ensure timely, complete, valid, and accurate reporting from all data collection activities using approved reporting formats;
• Coordinate and participate in joint supportive-supervision visits to the study facilities;
• Provide support to facility health care workers in using the ASCENT platform, this will include enrolling and following up patients and implementing differentiated care;
• Ensure study activities are uniformly and correctly applied in intervention facilities as per the approved study protocol;
• Coordinate with stakeholders involved in the research (e.g., regional and district officers, CSO/CBOs, etc.);
• Assist in the analysis of data and writing of research outputs;
• Attend regular team meetings and provide update on the research activities in the respective regions;
• Prepare biweekly progress reports in line with the approved formats.

Who are we looking for?

Educational Requirements:

• At least a Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent qualification;
• Preferably a graduate of health science courses (e.g., Nursing, Public Health, etc.) or any research-oriented degrees (e.g., Statistics, etc.);
• Fresh graduates are welcome to apply, as long as minimum qualifications are satisfied.

Knowledge and Experience (minimal qualifications):

• Moderate to strong health or implementation research background;
• Demonstrated experience with field data collection (through surveys or key informant interviews) and/or coordination;
• Moderate proficiency in electronic data entry using electronic platforms (e.g., RedCap, ODK, etc.);
• Beginner to moderate proficiency in using at least one of the following research related software: R, Stata, SPSS, SAS, EpiInfo or MS Excel for quantitative analyses and NVIVO for qualitative analyses;
• Willingness to do regular field visits and coordination for project sites in Arusha & Manyara (depending on prevailing COVID19 conditions and KNCV HQ policies) – the research assistant will be physically based in Manyara region.

Knowledge and Experience (desired qualifications):

• Master’s degree (or some units) in a related field;
• Familiarity with pulmonary Tuberculosis and the related DOTS implementation by the National TB Program (NTP);
• Demonstrated experience in writing technical and/or research documents;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and effective oral and written communication skills in English and Swahili;
• Ability to work as part of a team and independently, both face-to-face and online through the use of mobile/online communication and project management platforms;
• Familiarity with using online communication/collaboration platforms such as the following: MS Teams/Slack, Zoom/Google Meets, Asana/Trello, Miro, or Google Suite;
• Ability to cope with an agile work environment and to organize and prioritize activities;
• Prior training in good clinical practice/health research ethics.

What does KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation offer?

• A 12 months contract renewable depending on performance and available funding;
• An informal work atmosphere in an international environment where initiative is appreciated;
• A highly motivated team of experienced, self-driven colleagues;
• Renumeration that is dependent upon education and relevant working experience.