POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH SCIENTIST

APHRC seeks to recruit a Post-Doctoral Research Scientist to support the immunization research group within the Countdown to 2030 (CD2030) initiative and based in the West Africa Regional Office. The Immunization research group aims at strengthening the analysis of immunization indicators (coverage and equity) in 25 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, working with ministries of health (including EPI program staff) and academic/public health institutions. The aim is to increase analytical capacity in-country and high-quality data for annual reports published by the ministry of health to inform country (national and subnational), regional and global monitoring of progress and improving targeting of programs.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Contribute to the development of information systems and provision of analytical methodological support and advice to researchers.
• Lead and contribute to proposal development and fundraising for research projects in the unit.
• Provide statistical advice and support to researchers developing proposals and writing scientific papers.
• Supervise and mentor junior staff to contribute to the design of proposals for grant applications, scientific writing analytical support and/or information systems development.
• Supervise and mentor junior staff to conduct literature reviews.
• Lead the recruitment, training and supervision of field interviewers.
• Oversee/lead development of field and training manuals.
• Ensure ethical approvals and research permits are obtained.
• Oversee fieldwork during the execution of the research projects to ensure timely implementation of field activities.
• Participate in community mobilization and education of the community in relation to the research.
• Contribute to the development of project reports.
• Contribute to institutional publications including and not limited to lay dissemination materials such as policy/research briefs and fact sheets.
• Contribute to policy engagement and the unit’s strategic planning.
• Contribute to cultivation of relations with key institutional donors.
• Represent the Center at high-level national, regional and international forums, including relevant technical working groups and expert committees.
• Begin to define own area of research interest through developing proposals, concept notes and publishing.

Qualifications and Experience

• PhD in Demography, Populations studies, Public Health, Sociology, Statistics, Data Science, Econometrics, or equivalent in related disciplines
• Have at least 2 years of relevant post-doctoral experience.
• Strong writing skills and good record of publications, which utilize defined analytical methodologies.
• Experience in developing proposals. Evidence of previous successful grants will be an advantage.
• Demonstrated experience in managing research projects, including experience in conducting, coordinating and managing surveys.
• Proven experience in conducting desk reviews.
• Strong quantitative skills (managing, analyzing and interpreting data), with good familiarity with quantitative statistical packages (e.g. STATA, R) and working with large dataset.
• Expertise in political economy research or qualitative methods, including familiarity with qualitative analysis software packages (e.g. NVivo) will be an advantage.
• Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills and ability to work in a culturally diverse team.
• Experience in immunization research will be an advantage.
• Experience working with surveys data (DHS and MICS).
• Experience working with the Health Management Information Systems (DHIS2) data will be an advantage.
• Experience working in Francophone West Africa.
• Fluent communication and writing in French is necessary.

The position is classified under Internationally Recruited Positions (IRP), Grade VI in our scales.

Interested candidates are invited to submit their application in English, and include the following in a single document:

1. A letter of application;
2. A statement of research interests and goals (1-2 pages); and
3. CV with contact details of three referees

through this link . Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Shortlisted candidates will be required to have a Police Clearance Certificate.

Special Notice

APHRC is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process.