DSI/NRF SARChI Chair in Health Systems Governance Postdoctoral Fellowship 2023

The School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape (SOPH), is seeking to appoint a Postdoctoral Fellow attached to the SARCHI Chair in Health Systems Governance (Prof Helen Schneider), to advance a programme of a work in one or more of the following areas:

1. Tracking and evaluating primary health care and district health system reforms, in the context of National Health Insurance reforms
2. Learning partnerships in support of district and sub-district health system development
3. Integrating and scaling up quality improvement initiatives
4. Intersectoral governance and whole of society approaches to health and wellbeing

The focus of this agenda will be on South Africa, but we are open to applicants interested in undertaking comparative analyses with other countries.

The Postdoctoral Fellows will be expected to contribute to both research, teaching and supervision activities linked to these areas in the SOPH. Any teaching and supervision workload will be in accordance with relevant policies, including funder guidelines.

Requirements

Eligible applicants are required to have:

• completed a PhD in the last five years and may not have held prior permanent academic posts. For applicants who did not obtain their qualification in South Africa, a valid SAQA certificate should be in hand at the time of application.
• citizenship of a sub-Saharan African country or be an expatriate Preference will be given to South African citizens or permanent residents.
• familiarity with the field of health policy and systems (HPS) and HPS research
• familiarity with health policy processes and/or health system strengthening
• experience and expertise in qualitative and quantitative research skills, literature reviews, research prioritization
• an peer-reviewed publishing

Advantageous skills

• prior engagement in health policy processes and/or policy advocacy and/or health system strengthening
• experience with embedded or co-produced health research
• project management experience and ability to liaise with a range of stakeholders
• experience organising online and face to face workshops and engagements

The fellowship is initially tenable for one year starting in 2023, and is valued at a maximum of R333,000 per annum (tax-free). Renewal for a second year will be considered depending on satisfactory progress and continued funding.

Application procedure

Eligible candidates should apply using the Application Form, which requires the following:

• A cover letter motivating for the candidate’s suitability to the positions available
• A one page summary outlining their research interest/project
• A CV including all conference attendance, publications and other scholarly research output
• Copies of PhD certificate or letter of completion; and an academic transcript
• Copy of ID or passport
• Copy of SAQA certificate (where applicable)
• Evidence of publication record and writing skills (which can be copies of or a link to a relevant peer- reviewed publication)
• Names and contact details of at least 3 referees who have supervised or worked with the candidate and can speak to their experience and skills

Enquiries can be forwarded to Carnita Ernest, soph-recruitement@uwc.ac.za Please Use subject heading: SARChI Postdoctoral Fellowship

Completed  applications  need to  submitted through the Google Form, which is accessible at https://forms.gle/rFMiqMm2FHe4Xd3c8 no later than 5pm on 28 February 2023.

The University the Western Cape reserves the right to change the conditions of award, or to make no award at all. The award will be dependent on final approval of the applicant by the National Research Foundation.