Job Title:   Social Science Research Assistant (Fresher Jobs)   

Organisation: VAnguard

Duty Station:  Entebbe, Uganda

About US:

VAnguard’s goal is to understand how biological and social factors interact to impair vaccine impact in vulnerable African communities, in order to develop integrated strategies to optimise vaccine benefits and drive health equity. VAnguard brings together African and UK experts in vaccine research, implementation and stakeholder and community engagement, to work in Uganda and Kenya to:

• Investigate how biological factors (such as infections, nutrition) influence vaccine responses
• Explore how communities perceive and access vaccines, what influences them to take up vaccines for themselves and their families, and how this relates to social vulnerability, biological health status and vaccine information
• Bring together biological and social data, and engage communities, to work out how vaccination can best be optimised for vulnerable communities, thereby also benefitting entire populations.

We shall work with national stakeholders such as Ministries of Health, and vaccine-related non-governmental organisations to review literature, and work on samples from previous studies, to identify Ugandan and Kenyan communities likely to have most difficulty in getting the best out of vaccination programmes.

Based at the UVRI, VAnguard will initiate a new multidisciplinary Group comprising the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), East African partners at the forefront of building vaccine research capacity in the region: UVRI and Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) Wellcome Trust Research Programme. Additional contributions will be made by the Medical Research Council (MRC)/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit (MUL), Makerere University, Uganda Christian University (UCU), the Ugandan and Kenyan Ministries of Health (MOH) and expert collaborators.

Key Duties and Responsibilities: The Social Science Research Assistant will:

• Carry out in-depth qualitative interviews with key informants
• Transcribe interviews and other study documents as required Code interviews as per study protocol/ interview coding matrix
• Carry out field activities
• Manage consenting processes and the reimbursements of study participants including accountability
• Undertake any other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• The applicant must hold a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science, Sociology or a relevant subject area
• Short courses on research methods and GCP training are an added advantage
• Relevant experience in conducting qualitative research experience in research-based institution or an international organisation
• Previous experience in design of qualitative research tools, data collection, handling and reporting
• Experience with transcribing and coding transcripts in NVIVO or other qualitative research software
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal)

How to Apply:

All candidates are requested to send in a single pdf with an application cover letter, curriculum vitae, academic documents and names, email addresses and telephone contact details of two (2) professional referees, by e-mail to: rmuganyizi@uvri.go.ug

Deadline: 23rd September 2022.

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