Senior Research Officer, Ph.D

SRO/LVCT/07/2023

Job purpose

The successful candidate will be expected to lead the research, register and complete a Ph.D. in Global Health (the project will cover registration and training fees). The Senior Research Officer will work with the Principal Investigator, study co-investigators, County Health Departments and the Ministry of Health to implement this research and ensure the delivery of high-quality psychosocial interventions that target CHVs. The Senior Research Officer is expected to engage flexibly with multi-disciplinary partners including. psychologists, health system researchers, social scientists, policymakers, primary health workers, and CHVs. In addition to research-specific roles, as part of the Ph.D. scholarship, the successful candidate will design and test and evaluate co-developed psychosocial support interventions.

Key Responsibilities

Design and implementation of the community-based participatory research (CBPR) and health systems research

• Implement community-based participatory research (CBPR) and health systems research to the highest level of quality.
• Coordinate research in all study sites and participate in multidisciplinary research activities

Conduct high-quality CBPR and health systems research to inform the scale-up of interventions to improve mental health well-being and agency for CHVs

• Apply qualitative research methodologies to design study components and analyze data for uptake of intervention(s) and policies at community, county, and national levels
• Collaborate with consortium partners to develop context-specific mental health interventions for CHVs, and liaise with consortium partners to coordinate robust data collection.
• Implement research in line with all NIHR funding and administrative requirements.
• Lead the training, debriefing, mentoring, and support to field teams throughout the study.

Produce articles and policy briefs to communicate research findings to a wider audience

• Lead the development of academic papers for submission to high-impact journals.
• Be responsible for writing project reports, policy briefs and other technical documents as appropriate
• Coordinate the development of communication materials that will enhance the visibility of this study

Communication

• Work with the different health systems teams on communications for social media platforms and the LVCT Health website
• Develop and manage effective relationships and communication pathways with all LVCT Health departments and research partners

COMPETENCY CRITERIA

Qualifications, Training & Knowledge

• MSc/MPhil in a relevant discipline in health and social sciences (e.g., Public Health, Psychology, Social sciences).
• Understanding of health issues, services, and Kenya’s health system
• Training at Master level in health systems research methods. Knowledge of community-based participatory research (CBPR) methods will be an added advantage

Experience

• At least 5 years of hands-on experience implementing mixed methods health systems research. Experience with CBPR methods will be an added advantage
• Experienced and competent in advanced qualitative data analysis using software such as NVivo, Atlas.ti, etc. Experience in quantitative analysis will be an added advantage.
• Experienced and competent in the delivery of implementation science projects in the health sector
• Experience in publishing peer-reviewed articles in academic health systems research journals
• Experience in supervising project teams, including training and mentoring research assistants

Skills & Behaviours

• 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 multi-disciplinary team
• Excellent communication skills suitable for the management of, and liaison with, a multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural, and multinational team
• Ability to work independently and demonstrate the ability to be able to lead others

The closing date July 21,2023