Job Description

The Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI) was founded in 1970 through the initiative of the Norwegian and Swedish Save the Children organizations seconded by the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia. The Institute got its name from the Norwegian physician, Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen, who first described the leprosy bacillus (Mycobacterium leprae). AHRI is a biomedical research institute that works in developing tools for prevention, control and treatment of mycobacterium and other diseases of public healthy importance through applied and basic biomedical research and training.

The Assistant Researcher (mixed methods research) will be based in South Wollo, and will work with the Skin Health Africa Research Programme (SHARP) on exploratory research, aiming to understand and ultimately improve experiences and outcomes for individuals with severe stigmatising skin diseases.

Project information

Severe stigmatising skin diseases (SSSDs) - including cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), leprosy, yaws and Buruli ulcer (BU) - are major causes of morbidity in Africa. The associated disability, psychological distress, and social isolation can lead to stigmatisation, especially when treated late. Communities affected are usually poor, remote, and marginalised. Many SSSDs are also neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) of the skin.

There is great potential to integrate programme activities for different SSSDs as they share common characteristics and could be handled using shared resources. There also exists the opportunity for synergistic effects of integrating the delivery of interventions targeting case detection, treatment and stigma at a community-level, especially when individuals living with SSSDs are engaged through the social structures which are most relevant to them.

The Skin Health Africa Research Programme (SHARP) is a three-year collaboration between institutions in Ethiopia, Ghana, and the United Kingdom. The focus of SHARP’s research in Ethiopia is on cutaneous leishmaniasis, leprosy, and common skin diseases. The overall aim of this project is to improve outcomes for people with SSSDs by strengthening the care cascade through scalable strategies for earlier detection, improving management to reduce disability and counteracting stigma and discrimination. The first year will comprise formative research to inform the design of a complex intervention and to strengthen implementation and evaluation. We will combine desk reviews, stakeholder workshops, surveys, ethnographic and qualitative research to understand the current context and organisational processes within the formal healthcare and local care systems from the provider, patient and community perspectives. Jointly with stakeholders, we will explore strengths and challenges in areas including case-finding, management and stigma-reduction for SSSDs, and the range of intervention possibilities and priorities for addressing these.

Main activities and responsibilities

•  develop standard operating procedures (SOPs), data collection instrument(s), and training materials, and contribute to translating tools;
• coordinate formative research alongside the Project Coordinator and contribute to implementation plans for the field work;
• participate in formative fieldwork with other team members, including conducting surveys, interviews at national, regional, district level as well as focus group discussions observations and semi-structured interviews at the local level;
• assist the Project Coordinator with the follow-up of the field research-related admin budgets, expenses/realization, logistics;
• contribute to analysis of quantitative and qualitative data;
• ensure effective communication between the multidisciplinary SHARP research team as well as building and maintaining communication channels with local stakeholders and communities in the study site;
• coordinate dissemination of findings to policy makers, other stakeholders, and academic audiences;
• contribute to preparation of journal articles and reports;
• perform other related duties as assigned by line manager.

Job Requirements

• MSc in Public Health/Epidemiology/Sociology or related field And zero years of experience; OR
• BSc in Public Health/Epidemiology/Sociology or related field And two years of working experience
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience of using mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) research methods, including experience supervising field teams during qualitative and quantitative data collection;
• Experience working in public health programming and/or intervention implementation;
• Proficient in computer applications (Word, Excel, Power Point);
• Experience in using electronic data capture methods in data entry/data collection desirable;
• Experience of quantitative data management, quality assurance, and analysis of datasets, using STATA or R, preferably;
• Ability to work independently and proactively to ensure results are delivered and evidence of ability to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams and with remote collaborators and supervision;
• Strong leadership and excellent interpersonal communication skills, energetic, passionate, patient, proactive and self-motivated;
• Willing to be based in South Wollo for much of the year;
• Excellent written and spoken English;
• Fluent in Amharic and other local language spoken in and around South Wollo.

How to Apply

Interested applicants who fulfilled the above requirements should send the following through ethiojobs.net on or before December 28, 2020.

• A CV/resume (not more than 3 pages)
• A cover letter (not more than one page)
• A one page table summarizing your educational background, technical skills and competencies to facilitate the screening process

References: Please provide three references including their e-mail address.

Duty Station: South Wollo with field travel

Duration of contract: One year with possible extension based on performance and budget availability

Positions available: 01 (one)

Applicants cannot have more than one application simultaneously under consideration for employment at AHRI.