Vacancies

Position           : Material Developer
Date                  : 19 April 2023

Background

EthiXPERT aims to build responsible and ethical research capacity in and for Africa. Research Ethics is fundamental for health, quality of life and social development. To this end, EthiXPERT is devoted to building capacity in responsible conduct of research by providing training and developing relevant tools to facilitate knowledge and skills development to health and social research stakeholders in Africa.

One of the strategic objectives of EthiXPERT is to support research institutions, institutions of higher learning, researchers, research integrity officers, research ethics committees and research administrators to develop skills and knowledge in Research Ethics, Responsible Conduct of Research and Research Integrity. In particular, we hope to provide training to research ethics stakeholders on best practices in ethics review, protection of research participants and responsible conduct for research.

In Africa, Research Ethics Committee Administrators (RECAs) play a critical role in the operations and governance of Research Ethics Committees RECs). However, initiatives for capacity building have traditionally focussed on other cadres of staff and relegated RECAs as office administrators and support staff of RECs at the expense of the efficiency of RECs. This call provides the opportunity for EthiXPERT to develop training and capacity-building material for RECAs, with the aim of upscaling their knowledge, skills and expertise to contribute meaningfully to the running and operations of RECs.

Composition:

This Not-for-Profit company has seven directors of whom five are delivering their services voluntarily. Non-Executive Directors consist of a Chair, Vice-Chair, Director for Finances, Director for Research and Innovation and the Director for Business and Strategic Development. The Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operational Officer are receiving compensation for the work they are doing for EthiXPERT. As a start-up company, EthiXPERT relies on funding agencies that are interested in building capacity in research in Africa.

Objectives of the assignment:

  1. To develop training material of international standards targeting current operational and skills gaps for Research Ethics Committee Administrators in Africa.
  2. To validate the training material for professional quality assurance.
  3. To standardise the training material for face-to-face and online delivery.

Scope of work:

  1. Develop the methodology and activity plan for the assignment.
  2. Hold an inception meeting with the EthiXPERT team and present the proposed methodology and activity plan for approval.
  3. Develop the first draft RECA training curriculum and guide.
  4. Present the first draft training curriculum and guide to EthiXPERT for feedback.
  5. Review and validate the draft RECA training curriculum and guide based on feedback received.
  6. Conduct quality assurance of the material for professional certificate/accreditation
  7. Curate and standardise the training material for offline and online delivery.
  8. Present the final draft RECA training curriculum and guide to EthiXPERT for approval.

Outputs/Deliverables:

  1. A proof of concept for material development
  2. Activity plan for all tasks involved
  3. First draft RECA training curriculum and guide
  4. Quality assurance and professional accreditation report

Skills and knowledge required

  1. The suitable material developer must be an expert in public health, health research ethics and postgraduate education.
  2. The developer should be conversant with health research and have significant experience in developing curriculum and training guidelines.
  3. The developer must hold an advanced level degree: at least a master’s degree in a relevant field for this assignment.
  4. Must have at least 10 years of experience in the relevant field.
  5. Project Management will be an added advantage.

Submission of proposals:
The following must be addressed in the proposal:

  1. The Developer’s capacity statement including relevant experience related to the assignment and contact details of previous organisations/clients
  2. A company profile if applicable
  3. List of previous assignments related to this assignment
  4. Contract details of at least three referees
  5. Detailed Curriculum Vitae of all the consultants who will be involved in the assignment
  6. A project plan that states the methodology and approach for accomplishing the task, time-frames and outputs
  7. Financial breakdown of costs based on the proposed methodology and assignment. The financial proposal should be detailed and should indicate whether the rates are negotiable or not.

Successful Developer:

All resources, equipment and technical skills will be the responsibility of the Developer and may be sourced by the Developer at no cost to EthiXPERT. The project may also be outsourced to ensure successful execution of the project at a cost to the Developer.

Evaluation Process and Criteria

Only proposals of Developers who comply with the requirements of these Terms of Reference will be evaluated.

Deadline date and submission of proposals:

19 May 2023 / info@ethixpert.org.za

Send application documents to info@ethixpert.org.za