The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to our mission of saving lives and reducing the burden of disease in low-and middle-income countries. We work at the invitation of governments to support them and the private sector to create and sustain high-quality health systems.

CHAI was founded in 2002 in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic with the goal of dramatically reducing the price of life-saving drugs and increasing access to these medicines in the countries with the highest burden of the disease. Over the following two decades, CHAI has expanded its focus. Today, along with HIV, we work in conjunction with our partners to prevent and treat infectious diseases such as COVID-19, malaria, tuberculosis, and hepatitis. Our work has also expanded into cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and other non-communicable diseases, and we work to accelerate the rollout of lifesaving vaccines, reduce maternal and child mortality, combat chronic malnutrition, and increase access to assistive technology. We are investing in horizontal approaches to strengthen health systems through programs in human resources for health, digital health, and health financing. With each new and innovative program, our strategy is grounded in maximizing sustainable impact at scale, ensuring that governments lead the solutions, that programs are designed to scale nationally, and learnings are shared globally.

At CHAI, our people are our greatest asset, and none of this work would be possible without their talent, time, dedication and passion for our mission and values. We are a highly diverse team of enthusiastic individuals across 40 countries with a broad range of skillsets and life experiences. CHAI is deeply grounded in the countries we work in, with majority of our staff based in program countries. Learn more about our exciting work: http://www.clintonhealthaccess.org

CHAI is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and is committed to providing an environment of fairness, and mutual respect where all applicants have access to equal employment opportunities. CHAI values diversity and inclusion, and recognizes that our mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people with diverse experience, backgrounds, and culture.

Program background

CHAI under the guidance of the Ministry of Health and in partnership with the University of Witwatersrand’s Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office (HE2RO) and Boston University’s School of Public Health and with support from the Gates Foundation will be implementing a study titled "Studying the HIV Program Impact of Funding Transitions" (SHIFT), which is a 12-month project that aims to evaluate the direct effects of changes in HIV funding on service delivery, patient outcomes, and healthcare capacity in four countries: Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, and Kenya.  The unique role of SHIFT will be to provide detailed, facility-level observations of how the cuts are affecting (1) patient outcomes, (2) provider task-shifting, (3) costs, (4) guideline fidelity, and (5) indicators that will inform us about facility-level adaptations to funding changes. This project will utilize existing frameworks from the AMBIT and Retain6 initiatives. It will draw on the expertise of HE²RO and its partners in primary data collection, electronic medical records (EMR), and cost data analysis.

The project will also leverage the established network of sentinel sites in the focus countries to examine how changes in funding impact HIV service delivery, facility operations, resource allocation, and adherence to national guidelines. Additionally, it will explore the experiences of providers and patients, emphasizing satisfaction, trust in the healthcare system, and perceived quality of care. It will evaluate the reliability and completeness of EMR data to determine how accurately these systems reflect changes in service delivery and patient care patterns during funding transitions.

CHAI is looking for a highly motivated individual with outstanding credentials for therole of Research Analyst to lead this project. The individual should be results-oriented with strong analytical and project management experience. They will work under the supervision of the Senior Research Manager Retain6 and in close collaboration with the research data analyst to interpret and analyse data sets for effective program implementation. The Research Associate should be able to function independently and flexibly and have a strong commitment to excellence.

1. Coordinate local ethics and government approval processes

• Lead the preparation and submission of all ethics and regulatory documents
• Ensure full compliance with national and institutional ethical standards
• Serve as the primary point of contact with local IRBs, the Ministry of Health, and relevant oversight bodies
• Monitor and manage timelines for approvals to ensure study milestones are met

2. Facilitate access to and manage existing HIV service delivery data sets

• Secure permissions to access national and partner-held datasets
• Oversee data cleaning, management, and synthesis processes
• Ensure safe and compliant storage of sensitive health data in line with the study protocol
• Analyze existing data to generate insights relevant to HIV service delivery and health systems improvement

3. Engage and collaborate with national and sub-national HIV stakeholders

• Build and maintain relationships with key actors including the Ministry of Health, SmartCare teams, implementing partners, funders, and civil society
• Represent the study in technical working groups and stakeholder meetings
• Align project activities with national HIV program priorities and ensure stakeholder buy-in

4. Identify and introduce SHIFT project to new stakeholders

• Map and assess potential stakeholders not previously engaged in the study
• Lead outreach efforts to onboard new partners and stakeholders
• Facilitate integration of SHIFT study goals with broader local health initiatives

5. Lead primary data collection and manage field teams

• Design and oversee data collection protocols, tools, and timelines
• Recruit, train, and supervise data collection personnel
• Ensure high-quality collection of quantitative and qualitative data, including interviews with healthcare workers, public health staff, and patients
• Monitor data collection progress and quality control processes

6. Maintain strong coordination with regional SHIFT teams

• Act as the focal point for communication with SHIFT project teams based in South Africa and the U.S.A.
• Participate in cross-country planning and strategy meetings
• Ensure alignment with study objectives, timelines, and deliverables
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and joint problem-solving across geographies

• A bachelor’s degree in any social or health science with emphasis on epidemiology, health systems, data analysis, statistical modeling, and database management, etc.
• A minimum of 3 - 5 years of relevant experience in a private or public sector enterprise, with increasing levels of responsibility.
• Proven experience in research implementation and project coordination, including preparation and submission of ethical and regulatory applications within public health or clinical research settings.
• Strong proficiency in extracting, managing, and interpreting data from electronic health information systems, with hands-on experience working with Zambia’s national EMR system (SmartCare).
• Demonstrated expertise in qualitative research methodologies, including facilitating focus group discussions (FGDs) and conducting in-depth interviews.
• Advanced data management capabilities, with proficiency in SQL (mandatory) and experience using Microsoft Access for structured data storage and retrieval.
• Robust analytical skills, with hands-on experience using at least one major statistical analysis software (e.g., SPSS, STATA, SAS, or R) to conduct both descriptive and inferential analyses.
• Experience in recruiting, training, and supervising data collection teams, ensuring high standards of quality control, ethical conduct, and data integrity.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate technical findings into clear, actionable insights for diverse stakeholders.
• Highly self-motivated and results-oriented, capable of handling multiple tasks simultaneously and working independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team environment:

Added advantages:

• A master’s degree
• Publications in peer-reviewed journals
• Evidence of presentation at international conferences

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