About the position
Background:
- Wits Health Consortium (Pty) Limited ("WHC") is a wholly-owned Company of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (South Africa) under its Faculty of Health Sciences
- WHC provides Faculty with a legal framework within which to operate the research and other activities necessary to support its academic objectives
- In addition, WHC offers a range of products and services to Academics
Division: Agincourt
Main purpose of the job:
- To improve the health of rural South Africans through novel interventions by overseeing the day-to day aspects of field operations and processes to ensure that the outputs are delivered on time with the desired outcomes
Location:
- Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga
More info:
- The MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt) is an exceptional health and population research centre 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 ongoing core and nested work, the Unit is conducting a multi-year project, Traditional Health Practitioner (THP) HIV Testing study in Bushbuckridge sub-district
- This study seeks to integrate traditional Health Practitioners (THPs) into the primary healthcare system through an HIV testing and counselling (HTC) model
- THPs will be trained to conduct HIV counselling and testing, thereby extending the reach of community-based services
- The study employs a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design
- In intervention sites, trained THPs will conduct HIV testing in the surrounding communities, while control sites will continue with standard-of-care testing without THP involvement
- The primary outcome is whether HIV testing uptake increases in intervention clinic areas compared to control clinic areas
- The Project Manager will play a critical role in managing trial implementation, managing fieldwork, data collection across both intervention and control sites
- The successful candidate will work closely with the Unit’s researchers and international Collaborators in undertaking novel, cutting edge collaborative work with traditional healers in rural Mpumalanga
Key performance areas:
Programme Management
- Oversee Trial Implementation: Provide strategic leadership for the day-to-day execution of the randomized controlled trial across intervention and control clinics in the Bushbuckridge sub district
- Coordinate THP Training: Plan, monitor, and evaluate training sessions for traditional Health Practitioners (THPs) on HIV counselling and testing protocols, ensuring quality and consistency
- Manage Participant Processes: Manage recruitment, screening, and enrollment of THPs and community members, ensuring compliance with ethical and procedural standards
- Ensure Data Integrity: Oversee collection, verification, and entry of HIV testing data from all sites, ensuring accurate attribution to intervention and control arms
- Lead Monitoring and Evaluation: Direct structured observations, interviews, and surveys with THPs, Clinic staff, and Clients, ensuring informed consent and methodological rigor
- Safeguard Trial Integrity: Monitor for cross contamination between intervention and control areas, address protocol deviations, and ensure adherence to research standards
- Drive Community Engagement: Manage sensitization and outreach activities in intervention and control areas to build trust and encourage participation
- Financial Oversight: Track and validate cost data related to training, supplies, stipends, supervision, and other inputs, ensuring accurate reporting for cost effectiveness analysis
Project Development and Administration
- Monitor account activity, track budgets, prepare reports and work with Researchers, Administrators and Funders on updates, necessary adjustments and periodic reporting
- Perform strategic project resources planning and financial analysis, including assisting in the preparation of budgets, including staffing and operational needs, as well as managing the payment of expenses
- Organise the recruitment of assigned Project Research staff ensuring timely use of resources, including office space management
- Manage external Contractors and related project budgets
- Manage finance accounts related to research projects; work to ensure maximum value is achieved for the resources available, and complete regular financial reporting for awards
- Effective communication with numerous other Investigators across the partner institutions involved with the projects
Scientific Output
- Contribute to the development of research and policy communications, reports and presentations for submission to senior management, the Board and outside organisations
- Collate project statistics weekly
- Present project progress at study meetings
- Participate, and where applicable, lead the production of manuscripts and conference presentations emanating from the research
Required minimum education and training:
- A Postgraduate Degree (Honours or Master's level minimum) in Public Health, Social Sciences, or a related field
- Valid driver's license
Required minimum work experience:
- 2 Years of Clinical and/or Research Management experience
- Proven working experience in a low or middle-income country
Desirable additional education, work experience and personal abilities:
- Driver’s license with experience driving (owning a car, preferable)
- Computer skills with knowledge of MS Office suite of programs
- Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills
- Excellent report writing and teaching skills
- Effective time management skills and ability to work under pressure
- Experience with academic writing and publication
- Team player able to work in a high-performing collaborative environment, and to support scientific investigations across disciplines
- Ability to set priorities and work under pressure on a variety of tasks concurrently
TO APPLY:
- Only if you meet the minimum job requirements and experience as mentioned above, you may submit a detailed updated CV and a cover letter (maximum one page) with three contactable references and certified copies of qualifications and transcripts Including a Certified ID copy and a Certified Driver's license
- Please Apply Online and complete your registration via our website to enable and protect you as a candidate, and to accept the new POPIA terms and conditions
- This will then create your permanent profile with which you can apply for all jobs as advertised by AJ PERSONNEL
- However, you may remove your profile from AJ PERSONNEL when you are no longer in the job market
- Please take note that the applicants who do not adhere to the above criteria will not be considered for the respective position
- 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
- Closing date: 14 September 2026
- Note: No CV will be accepted after the closing date
Please note:
- WHC, in accordance with its 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
- AJ Personnel is only responsible for advertising and the response handling on behalf of their client Wits Health Consortium
- AJ Personnel does not have any salary or other information regarding the position
Desired Skills:
- Project Manager
- Research
- NGO
- Public Health
- Honours
- Masters
- Mpumalanga
