Social Science Research Coordinator at ALIMA

MISSION AND MAIN ACTIVITIES

The Social science research Coordinator will be responsible for the organization and implementation of the social sciences research activities at the two sites in Nigeria: Owo (Ondo State) and Irrua (Edo State). She/He will work under the supervision of the Site Principal Investigator at FMCO and will collaborate with the international social science research assistant, under the scientific supervision of the Principal Investigator of the social science research activities at University of Bordeaux.

Scope of responsibilities:

• She/He will manage the team of the two sites, ensure that good research practices are followed, including that confidentiality and ethics are respected, and that the data is of high quality.
• She/He will be coordinating and supervising the implementation of the WP7 research components.
• She/He will organize the collection of quantitative and qualitative data (questionnaires and individual interviews) with community leaders and members, patients and family members, health professionals and managers involved in the trial. She/He will organize training sessions on the study protocol.

Description of the position:

• Supervise the management of the WP7 research team:
• Supervise a team of 2 social science investigators that will work on both sites.
• Ensure that field investigators adhere to good research practices and ethics rules.
• Organize and supervise the recruitment of participants:
• Supervise the identification of community members and leaders to be interviewed.
• Supervises data quality and transfer (verify informed consent for participation in the study, completeness of the data collection tools, monitoring) according to the standard operational procedures (SOPs).
• Participates to the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, findings interpretation, and scientific report writing:
• Contribute to the analysis and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative data, and to the drafting of the report on the findings and recommendations.
• Participate in regular meetings that will be held by the international social science research assistant on a weekly basis at the beginning of the study, then every 2 weeks.
• Produce a brief report of the research activities that took place during the week.

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

Academic qualification:

• Master’s degree in Human and Social Sciences (sociology, psychology, anthropology) or in Public Health/Global Health, or equivalent.

Experience of at least 5 years:

• Experience in conducting or supervising quantitative data collection (e.g., survey type).
• Experience in conducting or supervising in-depth semi-structured interviews.
• Experience in conducting or supervising interview transcriptions.
• Experience in implementing and evaluating interventions would be an asset.
• Experience in investigating epidemic diseases such as LF or Ebola would be an asset.

Skills:

• Leadership, communication, teamwork and good organization skills.
• Good analytical and writing skills.
• Proficiency with office tools (Word).
• Experience with a quantitative data collection tool (e.g. RedCap, Kobo Collect).
• Ability to listen, interact with others, empathy are essential skills.
• Initiative and autonomy.
• Knowledge of Lassa disease and its impact on communities.
• Good knowledge of the sociocultural, political, religious and epidemiological context of Ondo and Edo states.

Languages:

• Ability to communicate in English and the main Nigerian languages spoken in the location of assignment (Owo and Irrua). Knowing local languages will be an added value.

Professional approach:

The Social science research Coordinator will:

• Respect the confidentiality of the participants in the study. It is strictly forbidden to divulge information and any breach of this rule will be considered a serious offence and sanctioned in accordance with the provisions of the Internal Rules.
• Report any difficulties encountered to their line manager.
• Respect the confidentiality of the study.
• Follow the supervision and instructions of the study coordinators.