Scientist (S)

South African Medical Research Council; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 572,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading medical research organization in Cape Town is seeking a full-time Scientist to coordinate the Engaged Trials project. The ideal candidate will manage project activities, engage with stakeholders, and contribute to research outputs. This role offers a salary of R 571,433 per annum and focuses on enhancing health systems through community engagement.

Qualifications

• Appropriately qualified and seasoned Scientist.
• Ability to engage with key stakeholders.
• Experience in project planning and data collection.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and manage project activities for the Engaged Trials project.
• Monitor quality of fieldwork or data collection.
• Contribute to research outputs and present at scientific meetings.

Job description

Overview

The Health Systems Research Unit (HSRU), based at the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), leads research to inform and support decision-making in health and social policy to strengthen health systems to achieve universal health coverage. An appropriately qualified and seasoned Scientist is required to join our team on a full-time basis to support the Engaged Trials project, coordinated by HSRU.

The Engaged Trials project, funded by UK Research and Innovation, aims to explore the feasibility of community engagement interventions and test their implementation at two clinical trial sites in South Africa. Adopting a transdisciplinary approach, the project will identify effective community engagement tools, guidelines, and strategies; co-create and contextualize an intervention for the trial sites; and implement it in real-world settings. The project will then assess the intervention’s effectiveness and draw lessons from the implementation process at various stages of the trial to develop guidance on best practices.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and manage project activities for the Engaged Trials project, including meeting records, deadlines, and overall implementation support
• Engage with and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, through stakeholder mapping and regular communication
• Contribute to the various research phases, including project planning, fieldwork preparation, data collection, data analysis, reporting of results
• Monitor quality of fieldwork or data collection, identification of problems and institution of corrective action
• Contribute to research outputs, e.g. manuscripts for journal publication and evidence summaries for lay audiences, and present at scientific meetings and conferences
• Conceptualise and pursue a PhD within the Engaged Trials project
• Participate in effective operational and administrative systems and support within the Engaged Trials project and team

Duration

3 years

Remuneration

R 571 433.00per annum (cost-to-company)