Research Director (PH-E) at Human Sciences Research Council (HRSC)

Job Advert Summary    
HSC division is looking to appoint a suitably qualified professional in a permanent capacity to take on the responsibilities of a Research Director to lead the Division’s workonPublic Health and Epidemiology in Health and Wellbeing within the Division. The Director position supports and assists the HSC Strategic Lead (SL) and Divisional Executive (DE) in implementing the five-year strategic plan of the HSRC. HSC division conducts transdisciplinary, intersectional, policy and programme-relevant research to improve health, well-being and promote a  socially just and cohesive society.

Minimum Requirements    
Key requirements:

• A PhD Degree in either Public Health or Epidemiology plus a Medical qualification (MBCBH or MBBS);
• Ten (10) years’ experience in research management and team leadership preferably in a research institution or a university;
• An established research career as evidenced by at least twenty (20) publications (journal articles, reports, book chapters, books) of which several must be international and first or sole authored;
• Experience and strength in epidemiological research methods and design, especially quantitative approaches;
• Evidence of successful research fund raising;
• Evidence of existing funding and research networks at country and international levels;
• An interest and experience in one of the priority research areas of the HSC Division;
• Experience in supporting and managing the professional development activities of young researchers and PhD and Masters interns;
• Personal qualities that include intellectual and personal integrity, imagination, drive, and the ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines;
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment;
• Good communication and leadership skills;
• The versatility to apply quantitative and qualitative methodologies to challenging subject matter across disciplinary boundaries will be advantageous;
• Proficiency in or working experience with some of the following data software packages: STATA, Epi Info, SPSS, Nvivo, AtlasTI or other relevant statistical packages;
• Registration with the HPCSA.

Applications should include – in ONE collated document:

• A cover letter of motivation indicating your suitability and goals for this position.
• A detailed CV which should clearly indicate your highest qualification and details of your citizenship.
• The details of three recent referees with contact number, e-mail and institutional affiliation.
• Three peer reviewed publications.
• A certified ID copy.

Duties & Responsibilities    
Key responsibilities:

• Developing the work of HSC by providing leadership in a cluster of key areas of HSC’s research agenda;
• Networking with major national and international users and funders of social science and humanities research to understand their research needs, and build research links;
• Responding to calls for research funding proposals as well as initiating and formulating grant applications for major long-term problem-oriented interdisciplinary research projects;
• Conducting high quality research, data analysis and evaluation (using quantitative and/or qualitative methodologies) that has both strategic and policy relevance;
• Lead input into biomedical aspects of projects;
• Delivering high-quality outputs and reports to budget and deadline;
• Managing and leading research teams and large-scale long-term research projects;
• Disseminating research findings in different forums (conferences, webinars, etc) and publishing in accredited and refereed journals;
• Participating in public debates as part of disseminating project outputs; and
• Mentoring and developing the research capacity of young South African researchers and supporting colleagues to advance their research careers.

Closing Date: 30th, June 2022.