Job Description

Additional information:

• The MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt) is an exceptional health and population research center in the Wits School of Public Health
• The Unit supports a major research infrastructure underpinned by a health and socio-demographic surveillance system (HDSS), a form of longitudinal population registration, covering the Agincourt sub-district of rural Mpumalanga Province adjacent to Mozambique that has been in operation since 1992 coupled with observational and intervention studies along the life course
• As part of the Units participation in the MADIVA Research Hub of the NIHs Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa (DS-I Africa) Initiative, there is an exciting opportunity for a Data Scientist with excellent computational and analytical skills
• The MADIVA Research Hub seeks to develop and apply data science techniques and solutions to tackle the problem of multimorbidity (multiple co-occurring chronic diseases) in Africa

About the position:

• This position will be based at the Wits/MRC Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit of the School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, but there will be some requirements for travel
• The incumbent will be expected to contribute to the development and implementation of analytic and data visualization techniques and tools to support investigations into the burden of multimorbidity, demand for care, and evidence-informed management working with a dedicated interdisciplinary team of researchers
• Wits AGINCOURT offers an intellectually rich working environment with excellent opportunities for academic and professional growth

Main purpose of the job:

• To contribute to the development and implementation of analytic and data visualization techniques and tools to support investigations into the burden of multimorbidity, demand for care, and evidence-informed management

Location:

• Wits/MRC Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit of the School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

Key performance areas:

• Strengthen a dedicated, high-performing MADIVA Research Hubs Analytics team
• Develop and apply analytic and data visualization techniques and tools to support investigations into the burden of multimorbidity, demand for care, and evidence-informed management
• Assess, manipulate, clean, validate, and analyze integrated datasets from diverse research studies
• Contribute to peer-reviewed publications and technical reports, including as lead author

Required minimum education and training:

• A Masters Degree in Computational Science, Data Science, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Epidemiology, Data Analytics, Bioinformatics, or a related field

Required minimum work experience:

• Minimum of 2 years of data analysis experience in a low or middle-income country

Desirable additional education, work experience, and personal abilities:

• Experience in processing and analysing large complex longitudinal datasets
• Demonstrated knowledge and track record of statistics and proficiency using a statistical software package (STATA, SAS, R), particularly for import, manipulation, and analysis of large datasets
• Expertise in applying machine learning techniques in addressing population and health issues
• Working knowledge of SQL (i.e., ability to write queries that involve joining tables, aggregating functions, updating, and inserting into existing tables)
• Excellent programming skills in Python or similar languages
• Ability to work independently and collegially in a high-performing collaborative environment and support scientific investigations across disciplines
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
• Ability to prioritize and work under pressure on a variety of tasks concurrently

TO APPLY:

• Only if you do meet the minimum job requirements and experience as mentioned above, you may submit a detailed updated CV.
• Please Apply Online.
• Please take note that the applicants who do not adhere to the above criteria will not be considered for the respective position.
• The closing date for all applications: 16 January 2024.
• Note AJ Personnel is fully POPI compliant.
• Note WHC, in accordance with their Employment Equity goals and plan, will give preference to suitable applicants from designated groups as defined in the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 and subsequent amendments thereto.

Please note:

• AJ PERSONNEL is only responsible for the advertising of the advertisement on behalf of their client Wits Health Consortium.
• Wits Health Consortium will only respond to shortlisted candidates.
• Candidates who have not been contacted within two weeks of the closing date can consider their applications to be unsuccessful.
• AJ Personnel does not have any salary or other information regarding the position.

AJ Personnel