The Barcelona Institute for Global Health, ISGlobal, is the fruit of an innovative alliance
between academic, government, and philanthropic institutions to contribute to the efforts
undertaken by the international community to address the challenges in global health. ISGlobal
provides a hub of excellence dedicated to scientific research and the provision of health care.
The institute, which originated in a joint initiative of the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona and the
University of Barcelona, has amassed over 30 years of experience in the field of global health.
The pivotal mechanism of its work model is the transfer of knowledge generated by scientific
research to practice. Its ultimate goal is to help close the gaps in health disparities between
and within different regions of the world.
ISGlobal is seeking an experienced Epidemiologist who is interested in working in the
research activities of the project “An efficacy trial of the incremental mortality benefit of
IPTi plus azithromycin” (IPTi-plus). The project goal is to contribute to reduce child
mortality in areas of high malaria and mortality burden in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The five-year project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and coordinated
by ISGlobal, will evaluate the impact on childhood mortality of azithromycin (AZI) plus
intermittent preventive treatment with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTi-SP) administered
through the Expanded Program on Immunisation (EPI) in Sierra Leone.
The ISGlobal-led consortium includes ISGlobal, as lead research and principal recipient and
responsible to BMGF for the implementation of the Project, and other local counterparts. The
consortium will work closely with the Ministry of Health in Sierra Leone, the World Health
Organization (WHO) as well as other stakeholders, to ensure that all project outputs are met.
The IPTI-plus project will generate evidence for change and expand access to
chemoprevention for infants in sub Saharan Africa through the:
- Evaluation of the impact of azithromycin plus IPTi-SP administered through the Expanded
Program on Immunization on all-cause mortality in young children living in areas of high
mortality and malaria burden in Sub-Saharan Africa. - Evaluation of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) as a delivery channel to ensure
the long-term sustainability of interventions targeted to young children.
The ITPi-plus project will apply a community-based approach that fosters partnership and
strengthens the dynamic link between communities and health facilities, especially for the
most vulnerable people. A learning-driven approach will be employed throughout the project
to generate sufficient evidence to inform WHO policy recommendations and future actions in
Sierra Leone and similar sub-Saharan countries, in an effort to expand the intervention over
the long-term.
ISGlobal is the lead evaluation and research organization and is responsible for implementing a
set of studies to generate evidence for global guidance on IPTi-plus. Specifically, ISGlobal will
be responsible for designing and implementing the project’s evaluation plan, as well as
designing, analyzing and reporting the clinical and biological research studies to assess the
efficacy and impact of the intervention (IPTi-plus), including an individually randomised
placebo-controlled trial in infants and the feasibility of administering the intervention through
the EPI scheme.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
· Start and implement the above mentioned project in Sierra Leone
· Coordinate and oversee the daily activities of the project team in Sierra Leone
· Supervise data collection
· Coordinate, supervise and perform training activities with local counterparts as
required
· Interact with local counterparts in Sierra Leone (MoH,..), and colleagues from
ISGlobal and BMGF
· Support in the elaboration of progress reports, workplans and other documents as
required by ISGlobal’s Coordinating team
· Prepare documents for different meetings and research conferences as required
· Participate in writing up of scientific manuscripts derived of the research activities
Under the guidance of ISGlobal’s Coordinating team (Project Director (PD), Senior Advisor
(SA), the candidate will be expected to:
DUTIES:
· Based in Sierra Leone
· Full-time schedule and exclusive dedication
· Travel on a regular basis to the project sites within the country to coordinate and
supervise the monitoring, evaluation and research activities of the project
· Interact with local project counterparts in Sierra Leone
· Prepare and present reports of the activities and field trips to the Project Director /
Senior Advisor/
· Carry out any other duties that are within the scope, spirit and purpose of the job, as
requested by ISGlobal Project Director /Senior Advisor
COMPETENCES:
Qualifications:
· Advanced University degree in biomedical sciences
· Master or PhD studies in Epidemiology or Public Health
Experience:
· At least 5 years of experience of clinical research in low-income countries
· Verifiable experience in conducting community-based surveys
· Experience in managing a team
· Experience in managing and analyzing large data sets of clinical, laboratory, and field
data
Required competencies:
· A very good command (advanced level) of the English language
· Excellent writing ability in English to elaborate high-quality and concise technical
reports. Excellent presentation skills
· Excellent ability of initiative, coordination and team work in multicultural
environments, and of interaction with staff at the project country, with governmental
organizations and NGOs
· Flexibility. Open to new ideas and new working methods, adapt positively to change,
exchange views and opinions with colleagues. Able to work independently while
understanding his/her own limits
· Oriented to train and transfer knowledge to biomedical staff in African contexts.
· Knowledge of Microsoft Office, STATA (or similar statistical packages), communication
applications and Web technologies
Desirable:
· Ability to adapt to new environments, work effectively as part of the team and use
own initiative when required
· To have a genuine interest in biomedical research of infectious diseases, capacity
building and global development
We offer:
· Full-time position, office-based in Sierra Leone
· Fixed-term contract for all project length (up to 60 months), starting in October 2019
· Salary according to the candidate profile and project budget
Please send a CV and a cover letter to: [email protected] with the reference IPTi- plus_TC_SierraLeone.
Applications should also include the names and email contacts of 2 referees who can be contacted immediately if shortlisted. The closing date for receipt of applications is September 27th 2019.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
More Information
- Job City Sierra Leone