Principal Technical Advisor, Research Full Time

Vital Strategies has engaged NGO Recruit Partners for this search. To learn more about this opportunity and apply, please use the link below. We will continue to receive and review applications until the position is filled. https://ngorecruit.com/our-vacancies/vital-strategies-principal-technical-advisor-research-coda/

Vital Strategies is an international public health organization. Its programs strengthen public health systems and address the world’s leading causes of illness, injury, and death. Vital Strategies currently works in 80 countries, supporting data-driven decision-making in government, advancing evidence-based public health policies, and mounting strategic communication campaigns. Vital Strategies’ priorities are driven by the greatest potential to improve and save lives. They include non-communicable disease prevention and commercial determinants of health (tobacco, alcohol, and ultra-processed foods); injury prevention (including drug overdose, road safety, and gender-based violence); and environmental health (including air quality and lead poisoning). The organization’s programs are primarily concentrated in low-and middle-income countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the Pacific. Please visit our website at www.vitalstrategies.org to find out more about our work.

About the Cause of Death Assistant project (CODA):

The Cause of Death Assistant (CODA) is a three-year initiative to design and test an AI-powered tool for cause of death assignment in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). CODA will address critical data gaps by improving the accuracy and timeliness of mortality data at both facility and community levels. The initiative is implemented by a consortium of global partners, with Vital Strategies serving as a CODA Consortium and Research Agenda Lead. Other consortium partners include an Algorithm Development Lead, an IT and Software Development Lead, and two Leads working on improved Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling (MITS) protocols. Governance will be provided by a Governing Board and technical rigor overseen by a Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC). The SAC will convene Technical Working Groups (TWGs) to respond to specific technical demands encountered in the development of CODA and will be heavily involved in building research agendas. The project will be implemented in two phases: 1. Prototyping and 2. Experimentation (with phase 3 on piloting and product release to be undertaken as part of an anticipated follow-on grant). It is anticipated that by the end of the project, CODA will be positioned for adoption by countries, supported by regional Centers of Excellence (COEs) in Africa and South Asia.

Job Purpose:

The Principal Technical Advisor, Research, CODA, will lead and coordinate all research activities under the CODA project. This includes setting and managing the research agenda, ensuring technical and methodological rigor across all phases, producing high-quality knowledge products, and adhering to timelines. The Principal Technical Advisor, Research, CODA, will report to the Project Director, Consortium Lead, CODA, and will work closely with consortium partners, Centers of Excellence, the Scientific Advisory Committee, and Technical Working Groups to ensure that CODA research meets international standards, informs product development, and accelerates adoption at scale.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Working closely with the Project Director, Consortium Lead, CODA, and other consortium partners, the Principal Technical Advisor, Research will have the following specific responsibilities:

Consortium Engagement & Representation –

• Engage with the Scientific Advisory Committee and TWGs, ensuring that these bodies are updated on research progress and findings and that their technical advice informs project implementation;
• Work closely with consortium partners, Centers of Excellence, and experiment country stakeholders on issues related to research.

Research & Technical Leadership –

• Supported by the Senior Project Manager, lead the development of the overall CODA research agenda, aligned with project goals, user needs, and donor priorities;
• Lead the site selection process for experimentation phases of the project;
• Coordinate direct-funded research at experiment project sites, supporting study teams to ensure the timeliness of implementation and the quality, comparability, and relevance of research outputs;
• Lead the development of study protocols for the experimentation phase, including design, sampling, and analysis plans, ensuring COE and SAC input and Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval;
• Monitor the progress of each consortium partner’s research agenda development and metrics gathering;
• Provide technical insights and contribute to the strengthening of the AI models and algorithms for cause-of-death assignment;
• Manage the project budget for experimental research;
• Provide project implementation support as needed by the Project Director;
• Contribute to progress monitoring and reporting on the project’s research and knowledge management activities.

Ethics & Data Governance –

• Lead the development of ethical guidelines and standards for CODA research;
• Contribute to the development of data governance and sharing agreements;
• Ensure adherence to ethical standards, IRB processes, and national regulations;
• Oversee data governance, privacy, and security protocols, including development of informed consent statements.

Knowledge Generation & Management –

• Supported by the Senior Project Manager, promote feedback loops to ensure research findings directly inform iterative product development;
• Lead knowledge management efforts, including global stakeholder engagement and journal supplements;
• Develop communication materials that summarize and convey the strength of the research agenda and summarize results for public scrutiny;
• Supported by the Senior Project Manager, coordinate publication strategy and supervise the production of peer-reviewed manuscripts, reports, and conference presentations for directly funded research;
• Ensure funded manuscripts, research findings, and de-identified data are placed in the public domain and disseminated;
• Represent the project at conferences and expert panels.

Capacity Strengthening –

• Support COEs in building regional capacity for CODA-related research and dissemination;
• Lead stakeholder engagement for co-hosted dissemination events, national workshops, and donor-facing presentations.

Other –

• Support the development of a consortium proposal for funding of pilot testing as a follow-on grant;
• Participate in annual meetings and other convenings as required;
• Lead TWG(s) as required;
• Other duties as assigned by the Project Director, Consortium Lead, CODA.

Qualifications:

Education and Degree –

• Minimum of a Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., public health, epidemiology, public policy, demography).

Skills and Abilities –

• Ability to set and drive a comprehensive research agenda aligned with project goals and timelines;
• Strong analytical and methodological skills to ensure rigor and credibility in research design, implementation, and reporting;
• Capacity to synthesize complex data and research findings into clear, actionable insights for diverse audiences;
• Strong leadership and coordination skills in complex, multi-stakeholder, interdisciplinary projects, ideally in a product or software research context;
• Demonstrated expertise in mortality measurement, cause of death assignment, or health information systems;
• Deep knowledge of research design, statistical analysis, and implementation of research methods, ideally in a product or software research context;
• Familiarity with ethical and regulatory frameworks for health data in LMICs;
• Strong written and oral communication skills;
• Proven ability to facilitate collaboration across consortium partners, Centers of Excellence, and technical advisory groups;
• Ability to foster innovation while adhering to international research standards and ethical guidelines;
• Ability to provide leadership and coordination to an inter-agency collaboration representing diverse perspectives;
• Comprehensive project management skills, with the ability to make sound, informed judgments;
• Ability to navigate various interests and operate in a dynamic and complex political environment;
• Near native fluency in oral and written English, proficiency in other languages will be an advantage;
• Experience with knowledge management and strategies to ensure effective dissemination of program lessons and influence on policy and practice;
• Ability to build strong, ongoing, impactful relationships across a diverse range of cultural, ethnic, and social backgrounds;
• Demonstrated commitment to an inclusive working and learning environment.

Experience:

Required –

• Minimum 15 years’ experience in health research, with significant leadership in multi-country projects;
• Proven experience leading complex, multi-partner research initiatives in global health, development, or related fields;
• Demonstrated expertise in designing, managing, and executing rigorous research agendas, from conceptualization through dissemination;
• Strong technical knowledge of research methodologies, including both quantitative and qualitative approaches, with the ability to ensure scientific rigor across all phases;
• Ability to translate research findings into actionable insights for policy, program implementation, and large-scale adoption;
• Experience working in low and middle-income countries and on projects with strong digitalization components;
• Prior experience working in or with government ministries that focus on public health;
• Experience with AI, digital health, or technology-driven public health interventions will be an advantage;
• Proven track record of publications in peer-reviewed journals;
• Experience in team management and staff supervision; strong interpersonal skills;
• Experience with knowledge management, dissemination, and translation of research evidence to maximize the impact of research science and practice of mortality measurement and data use.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:

• This is a full-time role ideally based in Johannesburg, South Africa, with employment facilitated locally through an Employer of Record;
• We offer highly competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits.
• Travel will be required internationally up to 10% of the time.
• The candidate must be willing to work and be flexible with colleagues across different time zones.

Tagged as: South Africa, Vital Strategies