Research Assistant at eHealth Systems Africa

Job Duration:
Part-Time, not exceeding 20 hours/week; approximately 6 months starting beginning of January 2015

"Applicants can be based in any country and will be required to work remotely."

Summary: The Research & Evaluation (R&E) Department is a new department within eHealth Systems Africa (EHA) with the objective of conducting EHA-driven research studies and providing research consulting services for local & international partners such as advising study design methodology, sampling protocols, survey development, data collection & data management/analysis. The R&E department also conducts internal assessments & evaluations of EHA projects to monitor progress and measure impact in line with overall organizational goals.

The Research Assistant will work directly with the Department Manager, Research & Evaluation to support various research activities across the department. Responsibilities include literature reviews, supporting research proposal development, coordinating research workshop & conference activities, and other ad-hoc activities at the discretion of the Department Manager.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Other duties may be assigned.

•     Performs literature searches or systematic reviews of scientific and gray literature, including article retrievals
•     Uses creative strategies to comprehensively identify and clearly synthesize complex information about public health programs and research studies; develop reports for internal or external dissemination that summarize scientific evidence, policy issues, program evaluations, and conference proceedings
•     Supports publication writing processes including formatting, editing, and organizing citations, along with submission process.
•     Assists in preparation of research proposals for donors, or other regulatory documents such as IRB applications, etc.
•     Maintains database and calendar of relevant workshops and conferences; work with managers to prepare abstracts, posters and presentations
•     Conducts other administrative and research activities in support of eHealth Systems Africa programs and projects

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Position includes no supervisory responsibilities

Qualifications: The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required to successfully perform this job.

Education/Experience

•     Minimum 1-2 years of academic or professional experience in the research field. Bachelor’s degree from college or university in a science/social science program, including coursework on research methods, statistics, etc. (ex. Biology, Public Health, Sociology, Economics, etc.); master’s degree preferred, and will substitute for years of experience.
•     Strong writing skills (grammatically and creatively) and detail-oriented; ability to multi-task and complete time-sensitive tasks.
•     Must have knowledge of global health literature, or an interest in learning about the field; preference for applicants with prior experience in Sub-Saharan Africa, and knowledge of eHealth/mHealth or Information Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) literature
•     Basic knowledge of research ethics and experience with IRB duties
•     Must be able to work independently, with minimal direct supervision, and participate in weekly check-ins via Skype with Department Manager, Research & Evaluation.
•     Good learning ability. Action oriented and resilient in a fast-paced environment.
•     Preference for candidates with access to multiple public health databases and e-journals including PubMed, Elseiver, Web of Science, etc.

Computer Skills

• Advanced computer skills, including Microsoft Windows/Mac and Microsoft Office Suite.

Language Ability

• English is the spoken and written language.
• Ability to read, analyze and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, or government regulations.
• Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.

Math Ability

• Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios and proportions to practical situations.
• Advanced knowledge of statistics and familiarity with basic statistical software packages (preferred)