Uganda: Epicentre recruits a Data coordinator (M/F )- Research Center in Mbarara, Uganda

Epicentre is a non-profit organization, created in 1986 by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) dedicated to research, field epidemiology and training in line with both MSF programs and Epicentre’s Research Centers in Uganda and Niger. Epicentre is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre.

In 1995, Epicentre created a permanent research center in Uganda to support MSF projects in the region. The primary role of Epicentre in Mbarara is to conduct clinical research following Good Clinical Practice (GCP) requirements on critical public health burdens in Uganda and Africa. To reach this objective, Epicentre collaborates closely with the Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST). A full-time experienced research team is based at the Epicentre Mbarara Research Center. The main health facility is Mbarara National Referral Hospital which is also a teaching hospital for the MUST. This is the referral hospital for the Western region of Uganda with a capacity of 240 beds. The research center is structured into several departments: administration, logistics, laboratory, data management.

Mission and responsibilities

Under the supervision of the director of the Center, and in collaboration with the Epicentre team in Paris and Geneva, the data coordinator (DC) will be responsible for the organization of the data management team and will provide strong technical expertise and mentorship to the data manager and data management team.

The data management team is composed of a data manager, 2 data supervisors, a varying number of data processing officers, the archivist and the clinical registrar.

Main activities

Management of data team

· Be responsible for the organization of the work in the data management team.

· Mentor the data manager in supervising the data team and define tasks and priorities on a daily basis, depending on the activity, in order to optimize the productivity of the team.

· Ensure that data entry team sets and meets data entry deadlines in keeping with the work load and study needs.

· Be responsible for streamlining communication within the data management team and between the data management team and other teams such as the laboratory and clinical team regarding data management issues.

· Attend the management meeting of the center.

· Contribute to monthly reports and actively participate in discussions and meetings related to the set-up and the follow-up of each study.

· Be responsible for the evaluation of each member of the data management team.

Technical expertise to the data management team

The DC will provide a strong technical expertise to the data management team to improve the team capacity in the following areas.

Database development

• Supervise the responsible staff of the data team in the development of databases. This includes providing technical advice for database modeling and providing support in database development.

• Be responsible for the introduction of new data capture softwares (RedCap and OpenClinica) and provide regular trainings for the data manager and the assistant data manager on these tools (development and maintenance of databases, data entry, and data cleaning).

Data quality

• Ensure standards of procedures for data entry and data quality.

• Train the data manager to perform regular data cleaning in STATA to provide listings and queries and to ensure corrections in the database.

• Ensure Good Clinical Practices for data management.

Data analysis

• Give methodological advice to the study PI for data analysis during and/or at the end of the study.

• Develop external automatic programs with the data manager to help with project follow-up according to the needs and provide reports to the PI or any other external committee, on demand.

Stata Training

• Give intensive and regular training to the data manager in STATA on the main procedures related to data management and basic statistics.

• Supervise the work and assess the progress of the data manager in STATA.

Candidate requirements

· Master of Science (MSc) in data management, statistics or epidemiology;

· Demonstrated knowledge of Good Clinical Practices and Good Data Management Practices in clinical trials;

· Good knowledge of OpenClinica and RedCap;

· Full English proficiency, French a plus;

· Experience in team management required;

· Excellent knowledge of STATA software, other software a plus;

· Experience in database development and advanced statistical analysis preferred;

· Good communication skills ;

· Experience of cross cultural environment.

Conditions

Position based in Mbarara, Uganda.

Short term Contract: 12 months starting as soon as possible.

MSF/Epicentre expatriate contract.

Applications should be made online, before 21th January 2018 by completing the form available from the following link: http://www.epicentre.msf.org/en/job-opening

If you encounter problems to apply or for complementary information about this position please contact: recrutement@epicentre.msf.org