Project Manager (12 Months Contract - Wits AGINCOURT)

SUMMARY:
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POSITION INFO:

Additional Information:

• The South African Medical Research Council/Wits University Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt) is an exceptional health and population research centre based in the Wits School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences
• The Unit supports a major research infrastructure located in rural Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga
• This includes the Agincourt Health and Socio-demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) established in 1992/3 adjacent to Mozambique, a founding Node of the SAPRIN Network
• The Unit undertakes interdisciplinary observational and intervention research along the life course involving collaborations with a network of leading global scientists
• Focus areas include health and social transitions and their determinants (including migration), adolescent health and development (including HIV, mental health and NCD risk reduction), adult health and ageing (including NCDs, HIV, cognition and dementias), and innovative health systems research
• As part of ongoing core and nested work, there is an exciting opportunity for a Research Project Manager who will work closely with the Unit’s senior researchers and international collaborators in undertaking novel, cutting-edge collaborative work with traditional health practitioners to improve HIV testing and care in rural Mpumalanga
• The successful candidate will join a talented and hardworking team addressing some of the country and region’s most pressing health and development challenges
• Work links closely to national, regional and global R&D networks
• Scope for personal academic and professional development is encouraged

Main purpose of the job:

• A challenging position to support a team responsible for overseeing all day-to-day aspects of field operations, including organizing and supervising the collection of quality data in a globally leading population-based research endeavour with over 30 years’ experience

Location:

• Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga Province

Key performance areas:

Project Management

• Recruit and train project field staff
• Supervise a field team with varying skills, including planning daily activities to meet recruitment and follow up targets
• Visit households with field teams to observe procedures and check the quality of data collection
• Work with 42 health facilities to capture clinic data from participants
• Develop targets for monitoring study progress
• Maintain site documentation in keeping with good clinical practice (GCP)
• Write and update standard operating procedures (SOP) and ensure compliance

Administration

• Support ongoing work with the MRC/Wits Agincourt Unit by responding to all reasonable requests made by Unit scientists, including organizing meetings, responding to queries and participating in day-to-day activities within a world-renowned research unit
• Draft, review and assist with submitting ethics applications and other relevant study documents
• Manage operational budget, including project personnel and field activity costs

Communication

• Update the study investigators and Agincourt Field Managers on study progress –including weekly written reports
• Meet regularly with Unit scientific staff

Scientific output

• Collate project statistics regularly
• Present project progress at weekly study meetings
• Participate, and where applicable, lead the production of manuscripts emanating from the research

Required minimum education and skills:

• PhD Degree in epidemiology, public health, demography or a related Degree program is strongly encouraged; however, consideration will be given to applicants with a Masters Degree and documented research experience

Required minimum work experience:

• Minimum 2 years of clinical and/or research management experience, strongly recommended
• Experience in qualitative research methods with a track-record of publication output

Desirable additional education, work experience and personal abilities:

• Computer skills with knowledge of MS Office suite of programs and statistical package
• (Stata, R, SPSS, SAS)
• Familiarity with academic research environments
• Senior-level management and organisational skills suited to resource-poor rural environments
• Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills
• Ability to work with and manage diverse teams
• Excellent report writing and teaching skills
• Effective time management skills and ability to work under pressure
• Willing to relocate to the Agincourt/Mpumalanga area
• Driver’s license with experience driving (owning a car, preferable)

TO APPLY:

• Only if you do meet the minimum job requirements and experience as mentioned above, you may submit a detailed updated CV.
• Please Apply Online and complete your registration on Ditto Hire (our application tracking system) to enable and protect you as a candidate to accept the new POPIA terms and conditions. This will then create your permanent profile with which you can apply for all jobs as advertised by AJ PERSONNEL. However, you may remove your profile from AJ PERSONNEL when you are no longer in the job market.
• Please take note that the applicants who do not adhere to the above criteria will not be considered for the respective position.
• The closing date for all applications: 18 October 2024.
• Note WHC, in accordance with their Employment Equity goals and plan, will give preference to suitable applicants from designated groups as defined in the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 and subsequent amendments thereto.

Please note:

• AJ PERSONNEL is only responsible for the advertising of the advertisement on behalf of their client Wits Health Consortium.
• Wits Health Consortium will only respond to shortlisted candidates.
• Candidates who have not been contacted within two weeks of the closing date can consider their applications to be unsuccessful.
• AJ Personnel does not have any salary or other information regarding the position.