KEMRI Hiring Research Officer – Health Statistics / Epidemiology / Geospatial Modeller

Reference Number: 

RO-EGM-27-12-2023

Employment Type: 

Full time

Category: 

HEALTH SYSTEMS RESEARCH- Health Statistics / Epidemiology / Geospatial Modeller

Job Grade: 

7.01

Country: 

Kenya

Location: 

Nairobi

JOB PURPOSE: 

Welcome to the exciting opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking research at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP), a leading research centre in Africa dedicated to investigating the primary causes of ill health and the development of health care systems on the continent. At KWTRP, we are not only committed to advancing scientific knowledge but also to fostering local research leadership.

In a new project, the Population and Health Impact Surveillance Research Unit and the Health Services Unit at KWTRP Nairobi are collaborating to advance work to comprehensively understand population health, the distribution of health services and the impact that remoteness of facility location has on the availability and functions of the health workforce.

This will complement wider work on the evolving epidemiology of vector-borne diseases, determinants of health transitions, access to services and other population vulnerabilities conducted by the Population and Health Impact Surveillance Research Unit and work on the quality of health care and the role of county or district hospitals being undertaken by the Health Services Unit.

The new Research Officer position will join the Population and Health Impact Surveillance Research Unit in Nairobi and will be supervised by Prof. E. Okiro and co-supervised by Dr. J. Oliwa a senior scientist from the Health Services Unit. The Research Officer will also join a wider research team termed Africa’s First Referral Hospitals: Innovation and Care (AFRHiCARE) that seeks to understand the current and future roles of county hospitals in Kenya and District Hospitals in Uganda and South Africa.

The AFHRiCARE Partnership is a collaborative effort between well-established researchers from KWTRP’s Population and Health and Health Services Units and renowned universities such as Oxford, Witwatersrand, and Makerere. AFHRiCARE is funded by Wellcome as a 5-year partnership to generate new evidence that will inform the roles, workforce requirements, skill-mix, and use of technologies needed to deliver high-quality healthcare as part of Universal Health Coverage.

The specific role of the dedicated Research Officer we are seeking is to develop work on what are often termed ‘hardship areas’ in government human resources for health policies. Hardship areas often have characteristics such as being ‘remote’, or being in more challenging climatic areas (such as arid/semi-arid regions) or perhaps being in areas where there is insecurity. However, there is no standard definition across countries of ‘hardship area’ and so the first step will be a literature review to better clarify how countries across Africa and other settings define hardship areas.

These findings will then inform geospatial analyses to determine the distribution of hardship areas across Africa and explore how these might evolve in response to climate change and urbanisation. It is anticipated this initial work may extend into PhD studies that will explore the location of hospitals and the size of populations they serve in hardship areas. Work that will complement efforts to understand the challenges of recruiting and retaining health workers in such areas.

We, therefore, welcome applications from those wishing to develop their skills and a career in geospatial analyses and its applications in health systems planning and who wish to make a meaningful impact on healthcare in Africa as part of a dynamic research environment in Kenya that is linked to a wider network of scientific excellence.

Description: 

REPORTS TO:  Study PI and Study Supervisor.

DIRECTLY SUPERVISES: None

INDIRECTLY SUPERVISES: None

BUDGET AND RESOURCE RESPONSIBILITY:  Responsible for allocated hardware and software

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

For the Population and Health Impact Surveillance Research Unit and under the direction of the supervisors to:

• Conduct a scoping review to characterise features of ‘hardship areas’ as an established and emerging concept
• Collate, clean and fully characterise data and associated contextual meta-data from across SSA that would enable multiple attributes of hardship areas (based on the scoping review) to be mapped across sub-Saharan Africa
• Undertake geospatial analysis of data to understand the geographic distribution of different features of hardship areas, their overlap, and the size of populations living in hardship areas together with a mapping of the hospitals in these areas – with appropriate support and ensuring these analyses are well document.
• Develop written reports on the analyses conducted and their interpretation.
• Develop peer-reviewed manuscript quality reports for submission for publication.
• Contribute to the wider scientific activities of the Population and Health Impact Surveillance Research Unit, the Health Services Unit and the Nairobi Programme of KEMRI-Wellcome in Kenya
• Support consultations and collaboration with researchers within the AFRHiCARE partnership and stakeholders in local, regional and national governments and key donors
• And any other duties that may be assigned from time to time.

QUALIFICATIONS:

The successful applicant will have:

• Recognised Postgraduate qualification (Masters) relevant to the field of epidemiological research, statistics, or geostatistics – those with broader global health and/or public health training at Masters level with a strong quantitative analytic component may also be considered.
• Evidence of academic excellence based on performance in primary degree and/or Masters’ level training.
• At least 3 years’ experience in research with demonstrated experience in collecting, analysing and interpreting a range of quantitative data.
• Experience in the analysis and interpretation of complex and/or large data sets
• Proficiency in one or more statistical packages or programming languages
• Highly developed oral and written communication skills
• Experience in undertaking research in a cross-cultural context
• A record of publishing and presenting research results relative to opportunity.
• Demonstrated interest in public health and demonstrated knowledge and working experience of Kenyan Health system, added advantage.
• Demonstrated ability to act with sound judgement, sensitivity, and flexibility, and to exercise initiative in adapting preferred approaches when and where required.
• Demonstrated experience in undertaking systematic literature reviews (preferable)

COMPETENCIES:

• Prior experience of geospatial analyses with recognised software (eg. ArcGIS) is highly desirable.
• Experience in use of STATA and / or ‘R’ for analysis of health data and/or experience of computer programming languages.
• Have high energy, clear goal orientation and a strong work ethic.
• Strong organisation/programme management skills with the ability to prioritise workloads and work within tight deadlines.
• Ability to write clearly for a scientific audience and to present clearly to non-academic audiences.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment and to multi-task

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT/CONDITIONS:

• Office based
• Field work in selected counties in Kenya.
• Willingness to travel throughout the country.

Working hours:

Requires flexibility in the hours worked, with the priority being meeting the team’s research goals.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

To apply for this post you must be a registered user. Log into your account then go to Vacancies, view the post and click on the button: “Apply for this job”.

All applicants are required to state their current/last salary.

Candidates must supply an email and telephone contact that will be used when offering interviews.  Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Shortlisted candidates shall be required to produce ORIGINALS of their National Identity Card, academic and professional certificates, original transcripts and testimonials, detailed curriculum vitae and valid clearance certificate (certificate of good conduct) during the interviews. 

The application closing date is 10th January 2024. 

KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP) is an equal opportunity employer. Direct or indirect canvassing will lead to automatic disqualification.  KWTRP does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, processing, training or any other fees).

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