Senior Scientist (S)

South African Medical Research Council

2026/05/14   Cape Town

Job Ref #: R919B
Industry: Academic
Job Type: Contract
Positions Available: 1
The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) strives to improve the nation’s health and quality of life by funding and conducting relevant and leading health research. It further aims to promote equity, career development and progression.
Job Description

Cochrane South Africa, an intramural research unit of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Senior Scientist to support the implementation of the ALIGN project Data Hub. The successful candidate will contribute to the ALIGN Data Hub research activities, including data and stakeholder mapping, data collection, analysis, and technical report writing, while supporting the development and revision of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and project workflows in line with ethical and quality standards.

Responsibilities:

  • Lead and support core research functions, including data mapping, stakeholder mapping, and evidence synthesis.
  • Coordinate project operations, stakeholder engagements, logistics, meetings, documentation, and workflow/SOP updates.
  • Manage data processes end-to-end: collection, entry, cleaning, verification, curation, and secure documentation.
  • Conduct data analysis (e.g., Stata/R) and contribute to high-quality technical reports, proposals, and presentations.
  • Prepare and deliver internal/external meeting inputs, ensuring quality control across research outputs and administrative tasks.
  • Conduct innovative, high-impact research that contributes significantly to the field in peer-reviewed journals (ISI journal articles, editorials, book chapters, and technical reports) as first/senior author.
  • Present at national and international conferences or meetings
  • Present research through oral/poster presentations at local or international conferences.
  • Contribute to scientific or professional services that support socially responsive activities beyond the SAMRC.
  • Support community outreach initiatives and engage with stakeholders, communities, or broader society.
  • Participate in developing evidence-based research briefs and technical reports for industry or partners.
  • Help raise awareness, promote dialogue, and influence discourse across civil society, community, health, education, or industry sectors using scientific expertise.
  • Contribute to training and development through lectures, workshops, technical support, mentoring, and engagement with exchange students.
  • Supervise Master's students (enrolled or graduating) and support teaching/training activities for SAMRC staff.
  • Lead and participate in writing and securing competitive research grants, including self-initiated research and/or equipment grants

Duration of contract:

24 Months

Job Requirements

Core Requirements:

  • Master’s degree in public health, Epidemiology, Social Sciences, or a related field, with substantial progress toward a PhD.
  • At least 5 years’ experience in research, data collection, and systematic reviews.
  • Minimum of 5 lifetime publications, with at least 3 as first author in peer-reviewed (ISI) journals or equivalent outputs.
  • Successful research and/or equipment grant application of = R100,000 (examples such as external travel award, Thuthuka, etc.)
  • Consistent research outputs over the last 5 years.
  • Familiarity with data entry, transcription, qualitative and /or quantitative data handling.
  • Having successfully supervised at least two post graduate students.
  • Ability to follow scientific protocols, standard operating procedures, and ethical research practices
  • Strong organizational, and administrative skills with attention to detail.
  • Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Advantageous:

  • A PhD qualification in Public Health.
  • Knowledge of systematic reviews, and data analysis and Stata/R Studio.
  • Strong communication skills and ability to work in multidisciplinary teams.
  • Willingness to learn and grow within a collaborative research environment.
  • Ability to multitask and manage competing priorities in a dynamic setting.
  • Experience in literature searches on various databases (e.g. Cochrane Library, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science).

Remuneration:

A salary in the region of R966,586.00 per annum, cost to company.

Closing Date:

22 May 2026