Research Coordinator at PharmAccess Foundation

 Digitalizing Health in Africa
We believe that innovative technology, and particularly mobile technology, is the instrument to accelerate the market transformation that is needed in sub Saharan Africa. Mobile technology has the potential to substantially boost demand and connect demand and supply more efficiently than ever before. It makes it possible to directly reach the poor living in urban slums and rural areas who up to now have remained off the radar, and connect them at low costs to savings schemes, benefits and risk pooling opportunities. This opportunity will have great impact on the accessibility and quality of healthcare in Africa.

Capitalizing on these opportunities, PharmAccess Foundation has developed the Mobile Health Exchange in Kenya and will gradually also engage in similar innovations in the other priority countries - Ghana, Tanzania and Nigeria; a platform connecting patients, payers and healthcare providers through mobile technology. The focus of our work is on connecting payers and patients to primary outpatient care, as the vast majority of diseases affecting the poor in sub Saharan Africa - mostly communicable diseases - can be (cost) effectively dealt with at the primary level, provided that patients seek care timely and provided that this level functions properly.

The Position
The above described environment of innovation requires various forms of (scientific) evaluation, from short-term marketing research, through mid-term operations research and case studies to long-term socioeconomic and/or bio-medical impact evaluation. Many initiatives are being developed in this area, funded through different channels. In particular the Joep Lange Institute (JLI) is an important funder of research, along the lines of behavioural economics and other topics.

PharmAccess Foundation is looking for a Research Coordinator who will be the day-to-day responsible person for coordination of research projects that are evaluating our activities in Nigeria, including in the development of its digital healthcare exchange agenda. This function will concentrate on coordination of research performed by others, but does not exclude developing own research projects as well.

Research is  often technically supported by PharmAccess’ sister organization, Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development (AIGHD), and always in collaboration with African counterpart institutions, like University of Ilorin, University of Nairobi, Ghana University, the African Population Health Research Center Nairobi, etc. In addition, various reputable international research institutions are involved with our research, including the Center for Advanced Hindsight (CAH)-Duke University-USA, the London School of Health and Tropical Medicine, Harvard University-USA, Berkeley University-USA, etc.

PharmAccess’ research in Africa is centrally coordinated by the Director Research and team in Amsterdam and aligned with the research agenda of the JLI, as represented by its Director Research. Our priority countries in Africa (Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania and Nigeria) all have a Research Desk; the one in Nigeria is currently looking for a full-time Research Coordinator.

Tasks and responsibilities of the Research Coordinator involve:

• Coordination and day-to-day scientific overview of all research projects ongoing through PharmAccess Foundation (PAF) in Nigeria;
• Provide scientific support and feedback to all ongoing research projects;
• Establish and expand relations with Nigeria academic Institutions;
• Identify (inter)national funding opportunities for research that is pertinent to the overall PAF/JLI agenda;
• Supervise small agile team of PAF Nigeria staff involved in (accommodating) research projects;
• Actively participate in PAF cross-country research programs as coordinated with PAF Amsterdam;
• Contribute to scientific capacity building as integral part of PAF research projects in Nigeria;
• Develop and implement a full information dissemination plan of research results in coordination with the PAF Nigeria Country Director;
• Provide regular scientific progress reports, presentations at (inter)national scientific conferences
• Collaborate with external research organisations (such as AIGHD) through PAF contractual research arrangements;
• Report to the PAF Nigeria Country Director and to the Director Research PharmAccess.

Requirements - The Research Coordinator will have:

• Master’s degree or more in relevant field (health, sociology, economics)
• Proven ability to participate actively in research in Africa
• Excellent scientific writing skills
• Network of scientific colleagues in Africa, preferably in PharmAccess countries
• Track record of work experience in Africa; experience in Nigeria is an asset
• Experience and affinity with multidisciplinary research
• Ability to balance interests of (inter)national collaborators, both scientists and project implementers
• Occasional travel to Amsterdam and/or other PharmAcess countries for coordination
• Fluency in English is a must; in French an asset
• Experience in and affinity with building research capacity in Africa 
• Good communicative and organizational skills 

PharmAccess offers
PharmAccess offers an excellent job opportunity in a dynamic international environment with solid terms and conditions in accordance with sector standards. PharmAccess offers a competitive package, which includes a fulltime workweek of 40 hours, 25 days leave annually, as well as a legally stipulated pension plan and health insurance scheme.