Senior Social Scientist

This post is based in Hanoi, Viet Nam. There will be a requirement to travel within Viet Nam to support projects, mainly in the northern region, and internationally to attend conferences.
Full time Monday - Friday, 37.5 hours per week, extra hours may be required.
Initially for 01 years, including a 02 month probation period, with possibility of extension based on annual performance appraisal and research approval
Director of OUCRU - HN and Senior Epidemiologist
2019/12/07 - PEC.
The Oxford University Clinical Research Unit Vietnam (OUCRU-VN) is a large-scale clinical and public health research Unit based in Viet Nam. We are hosted by the Hospital of Tropical Diseases (HTD) in Ho Chi Minh City, and the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases (NHTD) in Hanoi. We also have sister units in Kathmandu, Jakarta, Bangkok and Shantou. As a Wellcome Trust Major Overseas Programme, we have received considerable support from the Wellcome Trust since our establishment in 1991.
OUCRU - VN aims to have a positive and significant impact on global health and, in particular, the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. This is being achieved via an integrated long-term research programme, contributions to training, the scientific literature, national and international meetings and membership of national and international committees. Priority is given to health issues important to the hospitals, and to Viet Nam as a whole. All work is intended not only to benefit the patients seen daily at our host hospitals, but also to help improve patient care throughout Viet Nam and the region.
The main research interests for the Hanoi office are antimicrobial resistance and influenza. As part of our work on antimicrobial resistance we are partnering with the National Institute for Hygiene and Epidemiology to develop community-based interventions to change the way antibiotics are currently used, in order to reduce the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance. We are looking for a social scientist with considerable experience using anthropological and/or qualitative research methods, and working with different communities in Vietnam.
• The Senior Social Scientist will coordinate ethnographic research around antibiotic use in communities, dispensing behaviours in pharmacies, and prescribing behaviours in health facilities in order to inform the development of public health interventions. They will use focus group discussions, in-depth interviews and participant observation, and will also have the opportunity to work with visual media methods and film to generate dialogue with communities. The post holder will also support other researchers within the unit working on qualitative research projects, and contribute to training and skills devellopment workshops. There will be opportunities to conceive new initiatives and projects to expand social science research in the unit - particularly in areas that are associated with OUCRU biomedical research interests.
• They will work closely with the OUCRU Hanoi Public Engagement Coordinator. They will be personable, organised, enthusiastic, creative and highly motivated. They will be able to work independently but also be a team player.
• Contracted salary: Negotiate (depending on actual experience and education)
• Optional insurance : In-patient and out-patient medical coverage; Personal accident insurance coverage
• 13th month salary (annual bonus)
• One month salary for annual clothes
• Annual leave 18 days/year (increased to 21 days in year three, 28 days in year four and 30 days from year five).
• Vietnam Social & Health insurance, Sick leave, Personal leave, Maternity leave and National holidays will be based on Vietnam Labor Law
• In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications stated below, the ideal candidate for this position will be an experienced qualitative researcher, who is passionate about improving the quality of life in their community.
• You will be working in a team to implement research activities under the guidance/mentorship of the Senior Epidemiologist based in OUCRU Hanoi, and will also be supported by the Senior Medical Anthropologist based in OUCRU offices in HCMC. This involves the following:
• Design qualitative research activities linked to current scientific research projects;
• Liaise with others for input into projects;
• Develop relationships with local communities and health facilities to facilitate implementation and design of research projects;
• Conduct interviews and observations with communities and health-workers;
• Manage and analyse data through qualitative research processes;
• Review literature to provide context for the research, and write up the results in reports and research papers;
• Travel to provinces to set up and implement research projects;
• Draft project protocols, and write up summaries of project activities;
• Manage and administer project-specific budgets;
• Provide input into the OUCRU website and other publications;
• Help with training activities as needed.