Data Manager and Project Co-ordinator
TAZAMA HIV Cohort Study, NIMR, Tanzania
Department of Population Health

We have an exciting and challenging vacancy for an experienced person with both data management and project co-ordination skills to maintain and develop our work in Tanzania.  LSHTM is a partner in the TAZAMA project, which monitors a population in a rural area of north west Tanzania. Information is collected on the demography of the population, and their vulnerability and response to the HIV epidemic.

Based at the National Institute for Medical Research, Tanzania (Mwanza branch) , the postholder will be a member of the LSHTM team that supports the TAZAMA HIV cohort study conducted in the Kisesa cohort study.  The work is funded through a grant from the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) and held by NIMR. 

The postholder will provide technical support for all aspects of the TAZAMA HIV cohort study conducted in Kisesa ward.  This will include the organisation and supervision of sero-survey activities, together with the data management tasks associated with the production, implementation, processing, archiving and distribution of sero-survey data.  S/he will contribute to the analysis and writing up of the sero-survey findings. 

The workload will be demanding.  The successful applicant will have strong data management and practical project-coordination skills, experience of managing, training and mentoring staff, and the ability to apply those skills creatively in a developing country

The post is full-time, on Grade 6 of the professional support scale, with a starting salary between £35,661 and £40,499 per annum.   The post is available immediately and is funded until 31st August 2015 with the possibility of extension to March 2016 if further funding is available.

Applications should be made on-line via our website at http://jobs.lshtm.ac.uk and should include a CV and the names and e-mail contact details of two referees who can be contacted immediately if shortlisted.  The reference for this post is BZ10.  Any queries regarding the application process may be addressed to jobs@lshtm.ac.uk.  Please quote reference BZ10.   The closing date for receipt of applications is 10pm on Thursday 18 October 2012.

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is committed to being an equal opportunities employer.

FURTHER PARTICULARS 
THE SCHOOL 
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is one of Europe’s leading schools of Public Health and a leading postgraduate institution worldwide for research and postgraduate education in global health. 

Part of the University of London, the London School is the largest institution of its kind in Europe with a remarkable depth and breadth of expertise encompassing many disciplines. The School was ranked one of the top 3 research institutions in the country in the Times Higher Education’s 'table of excellence', which is based on the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).  In 2009, the School became the first UK institution to win the Gates Award for Global Health.

The School’s environment is a rich multicultural one: there are almost 4000 students from 100+ countries following 22 taught masters courses delivered either in London (~650) or through distance learning (~2700), and undertaking research degree training (~400).  Over 40% of these students are from non-European countries.  The largest growth has been in distance learning students (>40% over 3 years), though the London-based student population (where accommodation limits growth) is at its highest level ever.  Alumni are working in more than 180 countries. The School has about 1500 staff drawn from over 60 nationalities.

There are research collaborations with over 100 countries throughout the world, utilizing our critical mass of multidisciplinary expertise which includes clinicians, epidemiologists, statisticians, social scientists, economists, molecular biologists, immunologists, ophthalmologists, anthropologists, virologists, pharmacologists and nutritionists. At any one time around 100 School staff are based overseas, particularly in Africa and Asia. We have a strong commitment to partnership with institutions in low and middle income countries to support the development of teaching and research capacity.

The School has expanded greatly in recent years. Its research funding now exceeds £67M per annum, much of it from highly competitive national and international sources. The commitment of staff to methodological rigour, innovative thinking and policy relevance will ensure that the School continues to occupy a leadership position in national and global health, adapting quickly to new challenges and opportunities.

Mission 
To improve health and health equity in the UK and worldwide; working in partnership to achieve excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of knowledge into policy and practice.

THE FACULTY
The Faculty of Epidemiology & Population Health (EPH) houses a large group of epidemiologists, demographers, statisticians and nutritionists working on issues of major public health importance in the UK and globally. EPH has approximately 330 staff members organised into four research departments.
  • Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology
  • Department of Medical Statistics
  • Department of Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology
  • Department of Population Health
The Faculty has a teaching programme consisting of ten MSc courses: Epidemiology, Demography and Health, Medical Statistics, Public Health in Developing Countries (run jointly with the Faculties of Infectious & Tropical Diseases and Public Health & Policy), Nutrition for Global Health, Reproductive & Sexual Health Research, Veterinary Epidemiology (run jointly with the Royal Veterinary College), Global Mental Health (run jointly with Kings College London - Institute of Psychiatry) and the Distance Learning courses in Epidemiology and Clinical Trials. The Faculty also has approximately 149 research students studying for an MPhil, PhD or DrPH degree. The Head of Faculty is Professor Laura Rodrigues.
THE DEPARTMENT
The Department of Population Health (DPH) aims to increase global access to effective treatments and public health interventions, and is a centre of excellence in the measurement and analysis of global consequences of population change. DPH is home to 5 major research groups: Nutrition Group: addressing major nutrition and food-related problems that affect human development, with expertise in under-nutrition, immunity & infection, nutritional genetics, nutrition-related chronic diseases, and agriculture & health; Global Mental Health: conducting research and capacity building in policy, prevention, treatment and care for people living with mental, neurological & substance use disorders; Maternal & Child Health Intervention Research: conducting intervention trials to improve maternal, new born & child survival, and child growth development; Clinical Trials Unit: a fully registered CTU under UK Clinical Research Collaboration, co-ordinating and conducting clinical trials in low, middle and high income countries; Population Studies Group: conducting research in reproductive & sexual health, the demographic impact of AIDS in Africa, family demography, health & ageing, and methodological work on measurement of health and technical demographic analysis.

DPH hosts the network for Analysis of Longitudinal, Population-based data on HIV/AIDS in Africa (ALPHA), the Cochrane Injuries Group, and the Transport & Health Group, and has strong links with many overseas research groups. DPH provides world-class opportunities for postgraduate training; offering four masters courses: MSc Nutrition for Global Health, MSc Demography & Health, MSc Reproductive & Sexual Health Research, and the new MSc Global Mental Health.

The Head of Department is Dr Phil Edwards. 

THE POST 
JOB DESCRIPTION 
Post:                                      Data Manager and Project Co-ordinator, TAZAMA HIV Cohort Study, NIMR, Mwanza
Responsible to:                   Jim Todd, Senior Technical Advisor, TAZAMA
Grade:                                   PSP 6
Faculty:                                  Epidemiology& Population Health
Department:                          Department of Population Health
Start date:                              ASAP
Hours:                                    Full-time
Location:                               Mwanza, Tanzania
Duration:                               36 months to 31 August 2015 in the first instance, with the possibility of extension to 30 March 2016 subject to the availability of funding

This post, which is based in Mwanza, Tanzania, is part of the LSHTM team that supports the Kisesa cohort study at the Tanzanian National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), Mwanza branch. 

The post-holder will provide technical support for all aspects of the TAZAMA HIV cohort study conducted in Kisesa ward, Mwanza region, Tanzania.  S/he will work closely with other Mwanza-based LSHTM Department of Population Health colleagues:  Chifundo Kanjala (who is responsible for abstracting data from the Kisesa survey for use in the ALPHA network pooled dataset) and Alex Vanobberghen (responsible for setting up a data archive for scanned images of historical data). S/he may receive advice on technical matters from an IT consultant, Dr David Beckles, who helped set up the data systems. On local administrative and financial matters s/he will liaise with Mark Urassa, NIMR, director of the cohort study and holder of the main GFATM grant.

S/he will be responsible for all data management tasks associated with the production, implementation, processing, archiving and distribution of sero survey data.  The data are stored as a mix of SQL, Access and CSPro files, and the post holder will be expected to be competent in these packages, and to develop expertise in the packages used for analysis, such as Stata.  The data manager will be responsible for all aspects of the life cycle of all the data associated with the sero survey (including questionnaire data, lab data, clinical data and administrative data) and will need to participate in the design of all data collection instruments. This will include reviewing the documents for logical error, aiding in formatting and laying out the documents, preparing the document s for printing with serial numbers and documenting them in DDI.  After the data collection instruments have been finalized the sero data manager will be responsible for developing the data entry and processing system. This will entail developing edit specification documents, creating data dictionaries, data entry applications and a batch editing applications.  The sero-survey data needs to be linked to the demographic data, and it is the data manager’s responsibility to ensure this is done by producing the required clinic registers and invitation slips.  The post-holder will also be responsible for accounting for and managing the lab testing protocol, including developing systems for managing and ordering confirmatory tests, selecting quality control samples. The management of the lab data will also include cleaning lab identification numbers to ensure that they link to questionnaire data.

On the project co-ordination side, the post-holder will take responsibility for organising, supervising and maintaining all activities to do with the sero surveys.  S/he will ensure all Standard Operating Procedures and guidelines are written for field, data and lab activities, and will develop timetable for these activities, and organise staff and logistics (lab supplies, drugs, etc) for field work for sero surveys.  During fieldwork s/he will liaise with the lab staff to ensure that all specimens and samples from the sero surveys have been correctly accounted for and tested.  Finally, s/he will contribute to the analysis and writing up of the sero-survey findings, and will liaise with statisticians, data analysts and other users of the sero survey data, including London-based LSHTM staff, to ensure completion of agreed tasks.


Job Description:


General
1.      To coordinate all activities for the Sero surveys, including planning for new sero surveys, ensuring the quality and timeliness of the data and lab results for the current sero surveys and the use and analysis of the past sero surveys
2.      To manage the work of the IT support teams for the sero-survey, demographic surveillance studies, and Kisesa clinic-based studies
3.      To represent the TAZAMA study at the IT technical meetings within NIMR and within external scientific networks
4.      To advise LSHTM and NIMR staff in Mwanza on problems in the general area of Data Management
5.      To participate in the corporate work of LSHTM
6.      Any other relevant duties as may be assigned by the TAZAMA program director or the LSHTM co-PI on the TAZAMA project.
7.      Managing, training and mentoring staff.


Data Management
1.      To manage and document the existing data resources of the Kisesa HIV cohort study, and make data sets available as required by statisticians and researchers involved in data analysis
2.      To integrate new data from ongoing sero surveys and associated clinic and lab data into the existing data base, developing edit specifications to ensure that new data are clean and properly indexed
3.      To supervise and document all programming activities of the data team, including version control of all procedures developed, documentation of all project data forms, and providing advice and guidance to data managers working on other databases maintained by the TAZAMA project in NIMR.
4.      To update and maintain all the software used by the cohort study
5.      To archive and maintain the past datasets from the sero surveys, possibly through the use of DDI or similar.
6.      To identify and train staff involved in data management, and to mentor Tanzanian data managers working in NIMR.

Project co-ordination
1.      Take responsibility for organising, supervising and maintaining all activities to do with the sero surveys.
2.      Ensure all Standard Operating Procedures and guidelines are written and followed for field, data and lab activities.
3.      Timetable activities for future surveys, and the analysis of past data from sero surveys.
4.      Develop the materials (questionnaires, forms, and checklists) for sero surveys, and ensure that all scientific advisors to the TAZAMA project receive copies of these materials.
5.      Organise staff and logistics (lab supplies, drugs, etc) for field work for sero surveys.
6.      Check data processes for all sero surveys activities (forms, questionnaires, lab results).
7.      Liaise with the lab staff to ensure that all specimens and samples from the sero surveys have been correctly accounted for and tested.
8.      Contribute to the analysis and writing up of the sero-survey findings.
9.      Liaise with statisticians, data analysts and other users of the sero survey data to ensure completion of agreed tasks.
10.  Attend meetings and conferences and present work and results from the Sero surveys.


Person specification

Education
1.      Higher degree in demography, epidemiology or statistics
2.      First degree in computer science, statistics or other quantitative subject

Experience, essential
1.      Substantial experience of data management at a demographic surveillance site at a senior level with overall responsibility for stewardship of data resources
2.      Advanced use of data management software, including data base programming
3.      Advanced use of operating systems software and office applications software
4.      Experience with preparing data sets for analysis
5.      Experience of managing, training and mentoring staff

Experience, desirable
6.      Basic understanding of Geographic Information Systems
7.      Experience of CSPro or SQL query language
8.      Familiarity with field epidemiology studies in Africa (especially HIV studies)
9.      Ability to speak and understand basic Swahili (or willingness to learn)

SALARY AND CONDITIONS OF APPOINTMENT
The appointment is available immediately, and is currently funded until 31st August 2015, with the possibility of extension to 31 March 2016 subject to the availability of funding. The appointment will be made on LSHTM’s Professional Support Post Grade 6 scale - £35,661 to £40,499) per annum.  The post will be subject to the LSHTM terms and conditions of service. Membership of the USS Pension Scheme is available.  
APPLICATIONS
Applications should be made on-line at our website at http://jobs.lshtm.ac.uk. The closing date is Thursday 18 October 2012 and the reference for this post is BZ10.  Online applications will be accepted by the automated system until 10pm of the closing date. Any queries regarding the application process may be addressed to jobs@lshtm.ac.uk.  Please quote reference BZ10. 
The supporting statement section should set out how your qualifications, experience and training meet each of the selection criteria. Please provide one or more paragraphs addressing each criterion. The supporting statement is an essential part of the selection process and thus a failure to provide this information will mean that the application will not be considered. An answer to any of the criteria such as "Please see attached CV" will not be considered acceptable. Please note that if you are shortlisted and are unable to attend on the interview date it may not be possible to offer you an alternative date.
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is committed to being an equal opportunities employer.

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