Assistant Research Officer

Job Overview
We are seeking a highly qualified and motivated individual to join the research team and contribute to an innovative project exploring mental wellbeing of Community Health Workers in Nairobi and Kiambu counties in Kenya.
Community Health Promoters (CHPs) play a vital role in delivering healthcare services and bridging the gap between formal healthcare systems and local communities. The nature of work done by CHPs generates many stressors, especially as they deliver services in challenging contexts (e.g. pandemics, informal settlements, remote areas, etc.). Chronic job-related stressors can have a lasting impact on CHPs’ well-being, which ultimately affects their performance and capacity to effectively undertake their important role as frontline health workers. This project will identify the stressors, challenges, constraints and opportunities faced by CHPs and the communities they serve. This project will utilize this evidence to co-develop, pilot and evaluate holistic health systems support package for CHPs in Kenya and Bangladesh ultimately contributing to enhanced health systems resilience.
This position offers an exciting opportunity to conduct innovative research, collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across multiple countries and contribute to developing impactful outputs. The Assistant Research Officer will work with the Principal Investigator, the Senior Research Officer, study co-investigators, County Health Departments and the Ministry of Health to implement this research.
Roles and Responsibilities
Planning and Execution:

Implement Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) and health systems research to the highest level of quality
Coordinate research in the study sites and participate in research activities
Oversee the planning and development of the study research plan(s)
Implement research in line with all donor funding and administrative requirements.
Support the training, debriefing and support of research teams

Research and Data Collection

Support the development and/or review of data collection tools, consent documents and other required study tools
Attend and contribute to study methodology and tool training.
Assist in collecting quality data from the participants using various methods that may include Individual and group interviews, and participatory methods e.g. Body mapping workshops, Photovoice, Life History Interviews, Shadowing among others as per the set guidelines and procedures.
Take interview notes and compile comprehensive qualitative interview debriefing reports/notes.
Coordinate data management and transcription.
Communicate regularly with the research team on the progress of the data collection exercise.
Provide supportive supervision for the research assistants on the project
Prepare data collection progress report and updates as required.

Documentation and Communication

Ensure proper documentation of research implementation activities, processes, outputs, and outcomes as per project/study protocol and relevant research Sops.
Maintain communication on technical and procedural matters with the line manager, Head of Research, and study PIs.
Maintain relevant communication and correspondence with internal and external research partners as agreed on by the project team

Competency Criteria
Qualifications, Training & Knowledge

A Bachelor degree in a relevant discipline in health and social sciences (e.g. Public Health, Psychology, Social sciences or similar)
Understanding of health issues, services, and Kenya’s health system is an added advantage

Experience

At least 2 years of hands-on experience implementing community research
The candidate must be proficient in conducting individual and group interviews, and demonstrate awareness of ethical conduct of human research.
Experience with CBPR methods will be an added advantage
Competence in using MS Office applications. Experience and competence in advanced qualitative data analysis using software such as NVivo, Atlas.ti, etc.
Experience in quantitative analysis will be an added advantage
Experience in managing project teams, including training and mentoring research assistants
Experience in engagement of research stakeholders

Skills and Behaviors

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate in English and Swahili
Demonstrable attention to detail and accuracy, leading to high-quality research data and results
Excellent organizational skills with the ability to achieve research objectives independent of day-to-day supervision
Ability to work as an integral, productive, and cooperative member of a multidisciplinary team

Apply via :

careers.lvcthealth.org