Social Science Research Manager at Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA)

Context

• Lassa fever (LF) is an acute febrile illness associated with bleeding, organ failure, and shock caused by the Lassa virus (LASV). It is endemic in several low and middle-income countries of the West African region, including in Nigeria. In Nigeria, the annual LF outbreaks are a major public health concern due to a sharp increase in the number of cases. Transmission to humans occurs mainly via direct or indirect exposure to excreta from the rodent reservoir, mainly made up of Mastomys natalensis.
• Coordinated by ALIMA, the INTEGRATE Consortium is implementing a phase II/III clinical trial platform to assess the efficacy, safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of candidate investigational medicine products for the treatment of LF. The trial is being implemented in the Federal Medical Centre Owo (FMCO), Ondo State, and the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), Edo State. The Integrate project includes 8 Work Packages (WP).
• The person hired for this position will join the WP7 Research team, whose mandate includes: 1) assessing the effectiveness of the ‘INTEGRATE community sensitization strategy’ in promoting acceptability to participate in a clinical study of Lassa fever therapeutics in Nigeria (the ‘Assessment study’), and 2) exploring the willingness, facilitators, and barriers to participation in a Lassa fever clinical trial (the ‘Acceptability study’). These studies aim to provide knowledge and recommendations for the design and implementation of future clinical trials in the Nigerian context, including community sensitization strategies. The implementation of WP7 is led by FMCO, ISTH, and the University of Bordeaux in France (UB).

Additional Information:

• Area: Research, mixed methods, social sciences.
• Team under her/his supervision: 2 social science field investigators (1 based in Owo, Ondo State, and 1 based in Irrua, Edo State)
• Report to (Functional): WP7 co-Principal Investigators (co-PIs), including the site co-PIs at FMCO & ISTH and the international co-PI at the University of Bordeaux

Mission and Main Activities

• The Social Science Research Manager will be responsible for organizing and implementing social sciences research activities at the two sites in Nigeria: Owo (Ondo State) and Irrua (Edo State).
• She/He will work under the scientific supervision of the WP7 co-PIs.

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 (observations, 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 and lead training sessions on the study protocol, including the recruitment strategy and data collection tools.

Description of the Position
Supervises the management of the WP7 research team:

• Supervise a team of 2 social science field investigators that will work on both study sites.
• Ensure that field investigators adhere to good research practices and ethics rules.

Organizes and supervises the recruitment of participants:

• Supervise the identification of participants 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).

Leads the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, findings interpretation, and scientific report writing:

• Leads the analysis and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative data
• Leads the drafting of the reports and scientific papers on the findings and recommendations
• Participates to dissemination of study results and recommendations.

General:

• Participates in WP7 research team meetings.
• Produces a brief report of the research activities when requested by the WP7 co-PIs.

Requirements
Academic qualification:

• Candidates should possess a PhD Degree in Human and Social Sciences (sociology, psychology, anthropology) or in Public Health/Global Health, or equivalent.

Experience

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 stigma related to 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, PowerPoint).
• Experience with a quantitative data collection tool (e.g., RedCap, Kobo Collect).
• Ability to listen, interact with others, and 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).

Professional approach:

• 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 by 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.