Job Description

CAPRISA is an award-winning global research organisation located on the campus of the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine in Durban, South Africa and undertakes research in HIV, Tuberculosis and COVID-19 at four clinical research sites in KwaZulu-Natal.

CAPRISA’s goal is to undertake globally relevant and locally responsive research that contributes to understanding HIV Vaccines and Pathogenesis, HIV Prevention and Epidemiology, including the links between Tuberculosis and AIDS treatment and COVID-19. CAPRISA is a UNAIDS Collaborating Centre for HIV Research and Policy and is recognised as a DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in HIV Prevention and hosts the SAMRC HIV-TB Pathogenesis and Treatment Research Unit.

The Community Liaison Officer will actively collaborate with internal/external stakeholders to coordinate and conduct community outreach and education programmes to support the various clinical trials / projects that CAPRISA is involved in whilst advocating for participant involvement and retention. The successful candidate will join the CAPRISA team based at the Vulindlela Clinical Research Site (Howick Area).

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or Diploma in Community Development or Social Sciences
• Experience in HIV/AIDS or other health related research.
• 2 years relevant experience in managing/ coordinating community engagement, education, and networking for multiple concurrent research studies in clinical research.
• Experience in recruitment and retention, data collection, and cohort management and group facilitation.
• Work experience in rural communities/poor resource communities is preferred.
• Experience in conducting focus group discussions is an added advantage.
• Project Management course is an added advantage.
• Fluency in Zulu with good command of English.
• Must have a valid code 08 manual drivers’ license.
• Must be willing to work flexi time and over weekends.

Competencies

Duties & Responsibilities

• Facilitate and support community preparedness and education programs.
• Engage and collaborate with key stakeholders, community advisory board, diverse population groups including youth, and general community on clinical research, social research and HIV prevention.
• Develop ongoing working plans and monitor achievement of targets/outcomes.
• Coordination of CAPRISA community programmes at site level.
• Liaison with local and international collaborators and key stakeholders.
• Arrange and conduct community outreach sessions aimed towards recruitment of participants as per research goals and protocol specific studies. This should be done in liaison with the recruiters and the site drivers.
• Maintain high levels of retention within clinical trials.
• Ongoing coordination and reporting of recruitment and retention activities.
• Facilitating of community advisory board meetings and review of documentation
• Administration which includes document preparation, signature logs, record keeping of events, completion of training attendance registers, minutes, reimbursement logs and other community activities.
• Coordinate and conduct results dissemination and research updates at meetings as per sponsor’s/funder requirement.
• Prepare and submit reports as per sponsor and organisational requirements.