New Openings at South African Medical Research Council

Job Description

• 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 of the Contract

• 3 years

Remuneration

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

Job Requirements

• Master’s degree in public health or social sciences
• 1-2 years’ experience with qualitative research methods and any type of systematic review methodology, e.g. scoping review, qualitative evidence synthesis, or effectiveness review
• Experience in team leadership while managing outputs or facilitating training within a project
• Co-author of at least 2 lifetime publications (e.g. ISI journal articles, editorials or book chapters, technical reports) or conference presentations
• Excellent interpersonal relations and communication skills
• Knowledge of evidence-informed decision-making principles, including health systems thinking, knowledge translation, or community engagement
• Experience with project coordination, liaising with relevant stakeholders, ethics application process, data collection and analysis

Advantageous:

• Understanding of the South African health system and/or policy and guideline context
• Understanding knowledge translation or community engagement principles in public health research
• Proficient in Afrikaans, isiXhosa or isiZulu
• Experience with stakeholder liaison

go to method of application »

Job Description

• The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) hosts the Medical Device and Diagnostic Innovation Cluster (MeDDIC), a national initiative, supported by the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) and the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), aimed at stimulating and intensifying technology innovation within the medical devices and diagnostics sector as well as encouraging an integrated ecosystem that collectively addresses major challenges faced by the sector to achieve the common goal of a sustainable and competitive South African medical device industry. MeDDIC is supporting a pilot Regulatory Internship Programme aimed at strengthening South Africa’s regulatory capacity in the medical devices and diagnostics sector. The programme will provide graduates in the listed disciplines with practical, hands-on training in regulatory compliance through 6-month placements in small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs), science councils, or universities that research and manufacture medical devices and/or diagnostics or provide regulatory compliance support for such products. Host organisations will expose interns to realworld processes for establishing and maintaining regulatory compliance for medical devices and diagnostics. Selected interns will enter into a contract with and receive a stipend from SAMRC.

 Job Requirements
Minimum Requirements:

• Four-year degree, three-year degree (preferably with Honours) or Advanced Diploma in Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Biotechnology or Quality Management.
• Computer literacy and ability to communicate effectively in writing and verbally.
• Must be a South African citizen or hold permanent residency.

Advantageous:

• Prior exposure and/ or some experience in the medical devices and diagnostics sector
• Keen interest in regulatory affairs and compliance processes