Ethics Administrative Officer - Johannesburg at University of the Witwatersrand

Department Description        

• The Director for Research Development invites suitably qualified and experienced applicants to apply for the post of Ethics Administrative Officer in the University Research Office (URO). The purpose of this job is to provide administrative service and support for the numerous research ethics committees that are convened by the URO focused mainly on the committees that approve ethical research.

Brief Description        
Key Responsibilities include but not limited to the following:

• Project managing the processes related to a committee meeting, including scheduling of closing dates for submissions and meeting dates, venue preparation, etc;
• Receiving and checking of submissions of research proposals from applicants and collating them for reviewers;
• Drawing up monthly schedules for allocated reviewers;
• Sending out notifications of meeting to committee members timeously;
• Preparation and distribution of the agenda;
• Receiving reviewers’ comments from absent members before meeting date to present at the meeting;
• Attendance and minute taking and recordings of meetings;
• Assist with catering requirements for meetings;
• Presenting minutes to Chair and the Committee for approval;  
• Notifying applicants of their application status after Committee’s decision via email and / or telephone;
• Distributing minutes to Committee members for perusal and approval;
• Receiving requested queries, amendments, revisions from applicants for reviewing by the Chair and the Committee;
• Generating approval certificates to applicants after Chair has authorized acceptance of responses;
• Receiving copy of signed clearance certificate from applicants for archival purposes;
• Attending to queries telephonically and walk-ins;
• Assisting applicants with preparation of information for their applications;
• Processing, collating and reviewing of waiver applications;
• Assisting PI’s, students and supervisors with sundry queries;
• Organizing ad hoc meetings as requested and when the need arises;
• Facilitating and advising on ethics training for staff and applicants;
• Compliance with DoH 2015 Guidelines.

Requirements:

• Candidates must have a matriculation and should have at least a secretarial certificate or administration diploma or even a bachelor’s degree in a suitable subject;
• Minimum experience is 3 years of administration including 2 years experience of the University sector, with particular emphasis on Higher Education systems and processes;
• Candidates must have a good working knowledge of MS Word, Outlook and Excel;
• Knowledge and experience of ethics would be a great advantage;
• The selected candidate must:
• Be approachable and pleasant to talk to with good verbal skills using English,
• Pay attention to detail,
• Have excellent writing skills using English,
• Be a team worker,
• Have a strong service culture,
• Show initiative.

Preferences:

• A working knowledge of the higher education environment;
• A working knowledge of tertiary education and its processes;
• An understanding of the need to approve research using ethical standards;
• Knowledge and experience of the research ethics sphere