The Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), a biomedical and clinical research facility under the Federal Ministry of Health in Ethiopia is seeking a candidate for the position of National Principal Investigator for a VALUE-TB survey. AHRI’s research interests have traditionally encompassed Tuberculosis, Leprosy, Leishmaniasis, and more recently HIV, meningococcal and other infectious and non-infectious diseases. The Institute got its name from the Norwegian physician, Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen, who first described the leprosy bacillus (Mycobacterium leprae). AHRI has long been funded by the Governments of Norway and Sweden; and recently the Institute has received considerable grant support from US and European agencies as partners in international consortiums, and is now receiving generous funds from the Ministry of Health.
Roles and responsibilities
· Oversees the development of the research protocol and ethical clearance
· Acts as a liaison person for communication with partners and stakeholders outside the data collection team, with staff from the National TB Programme (NTP), the public health service, local research institutions and other government departments.
· Manages funding for the data collection and funding reports, ensuring that funds are managed according to national procedures
· Assembles the data collection team that has all the expertise needed to design, implement, and analyse the TB provider cost data
· Liaises with the research assistants on a frequent basis and oversees their work
· Maintains and ensures the quality of the study’s conduct and writes the final study report and ensures that it is disseminated to the key stakeholders identified during the stakeholder analysis
· Convenes jointly with NTP the dissemination of results with stakeholders (health and non-health)
· Establishes contact with facilities sampled for the study and facilitates the welcoming of the research assistant and the key information providers within each facility.
· Oversees the day-to-day management of the data collection
· Assists in the design of the data collection together with the VALUE-TB PI
· Adapts training manual and cost collection materials
· Prepares standard operating procedures
· Trains research assistants before data collection and provides retraining if mid-term review identifies such a need
· Supervises the work of data collection research assistants through on-site visits or through periodic reports
· Monitors the operational implementation of the data collection
· Flags data quality issues periodically (i.e. every two weeks or as need arises) to VALUE-TB PI and completes regular data management reports
· Adapts the electronic data collection instrument (with validation by VALUE-TB PI) in an effective and feasible manner to support the cost collection
· Coordinates data management activities for the cost collection: receiving, batching, cleaning, and merging data from different sources (e.g. NTP regarding prices vs data collection for diagnostic tools)
· Is responsible for the validation of double-entered data files
· Ensures that data are properly stored and backed up
· Checks validated data files regularly (weekly if electronic) for systematic errors (cleaning)
· Prepares database to be ready for analysis and data entry screens
· Contributes to the analysis of results
Key tasks:
· Adapts and develops the protocol as per methodology developed by VALUE-TB team and with input from the VALUE-TB PI, NTP and National Technical Advisory Group (as needed)
· Drafts letter with the NTP manager (and WHO) addressed to facilities involved in the study to communicate the purpose of the study and request facility managers to share the information requested by the research assistant (which may be listed in the letter)
· Ensures that cost data collection and analysis are conducted according to the protocol and the plan
· Discusses any problems encountered during the data collection, and then proposes and decides on feasible solutions, in collaboration with the data collection team and the technical advisory group (if needed)
· Endorses the TB provider cost results
· Translates study results into policy recommendations
· Engages with NTP for results dissemination
· Coordinates overall implementation of cost collection in the field
· Plans the field implementation and required training, including preparation of training materials as appropriate
· Contacts and coordinates with local authorities
· Ensures quality assurance processes are implemented according to the protocol
· Supervises implementation in the health facilities and laboratories
· Plans and co-ordinates data collection monitoring visits comprising all partners involved in data collection implementation
· Oversees the provision of supplies and required materials
· Involved in the analysis of the results
· Organizes the writing of activity reports and the final report
· Plans the detailed budget of the cost collection and periodically reports to funders on funds utilisation (as per contract)
· Provide any logistic support for the cost collection team
· Arrange pilot-testing and its evaluation
· Liaise with local officials in the health care facilities and laboratories (during pre-cost collection visits and actual field work)
· Report without delay any major problems in preparation, execution or data management of the cost collection
· At least MSc Degree in Public Health and 5 years of managerial experience in the field of public health preferably with costing or health economics experience
· Strong managerial skills, including being able to delegate tasks
· Extensive knowledge of TB management including the context in which the data is being collected
· Knowledge of laboratory and facility-based costing
· Working within or having access to an organization that has an infrastructure that can support facility-based costing in the field
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