Retention Officer at Desmond Tutu Health Foundation

Requirements

• Grade 12 certificate
• At least 2 years’ experience in participant retention, follow-up, adherence support, or community-based health programmes.
• Experience in participant tracing, follow-up, or lost-to-follow-up (LTFU) management
• Knowledge of HIV/AIDS, adolescent sexual health, PrEP
• Experience in Addressing barriers to participation by coordinating logistical support (e.g., transport assistance, flexible appointment scheduling and appointment reminders)
• Experience with Data and Compliance: Track participant retention rates, draft protocol-specific retention Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs and compile routine reports on attrition
• Intermediate computer skills (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Fluency in English and/or Afrikaans and/or IsiXhosa
• Ability to take initiative
• Attention to detail
• Ability to work with teams and independently
• Good planning and organising
• Time management

Advantageous:

• Experience in a community-based research projects
• Valid Driver’s license
• Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Certificate
• Training in PrEP (including lenacapavir)

Responsibilities:

Participant Retention & Follow-up

• Maintain regular communication with participants and address any concerns or challenges
• Conduct follow-up activities, including telephonic follow-ups and home visits
• Track participant appointments and proactively follow up on missed visits
• Develop and implement retention plans to enhance participant engagement and minimise loss to follow-up

 Participant Engagement & Support

• Support participant counselling activities and provide basic adherence support
• Facilitate youth reference group (YRG) and/or intervention sessions in alignment with project objectives
• Support participant engagement initiatives to strengthen retention and study participation

 Study Coordination & Support

• Support the research team with study-specific activities, including focus group discussions, consent form quality control, and participant follow-up
• Collaborate with the research team to support recruitment strategies aligned with study objectives
• Support recruitment activities on mobile clinics and assist with community-based surveys

 Data Management & Reporting

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of recruitment and retention activities
• Develop and manage retention tracking tools, including weekly and monthly PrEP retention reports
• Provide regular activity updates and progress reports to the project team
• Follow up on HIV self-test results and capture data accurately in REDCap
• Conduct informed consent form (ICF) quality checks and report findings to the Project Manager.

Operational & Clinical Support

• Work closely with clinical staff to support PrEP and STI treatment packaging and distribution
• Coordinate PrEP courier services and liaise with the Data team regarding scheduled deliveries

Administrative & Compliance

• Assist with filing and maintaining research documentation and participant records
• Ensure strict adherence to confidentiality and ethical research standards
• Perform any other project-related duties as required