VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

Post Title: Research Officer (Health Economics)

Job Nature: Contractual

Contract Length: 6 months

Vacancy: 01

Work Location: Dhaka with frequent field visits to the project area

Expected Start Date: As Earliest

Background

Drowning is a leading cause of death worldwide. It's a serious, neglected public health threat, claiming the lives of 236,000 people every year. More than 90% of drowning occurs in low- and middle-income countries.

In Bangladesh, drowning is the leading cause of deaths in children over the age of one. Globally, the country has one of the highest rates of drowning, especially among newly mobile children.

The risk of drowning in rural areas is twice that in cities, because there are significant numbers of water bodies like ponds and ditches, creating natural drowning hazards for very young children. Moreover, parents and caregivers have the constant challenge of supervising small children while working, preparing food, or doing household chores. This means that young children are often cared for by older siblings. In addition, despite the death toll, action to reduce and prevent drowning in rural areas has been not adequate and/or even absent.

A new project named “Sonamoni Project” to reduce the number of drowning deaths amongst newly mobile children in Bangladesh is being coordinated by Bournemouth University in collaboration with the University of the West of England, Bristol, and the Poole-based Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). The UK organisations will be working with the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh (CIPRB) to identify and trial methods to reduce drownings among newly-mobile children, generally under two years old. The project is funded by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) using UK aid from the UK government to support global health research.

The team will be working with communities in Patuakhali and Sherpur districts of Bangladesh. Utilising human-centered design techniques, they will identify and prioritize potential solutions, develop ideas into prototype interventions, and assess the acceptability and usability of the interventions with communities in these two regions.

The Role

CIPRB is looking for a Research Officer (Health Economics) position with a good understanding of statistical analysis, health economics principles, and proficiency in data manipulation software. This entry-level position will involve supporting economic evaluations of health promotion and drowning prevention interventions for U-2 child, with a focus on assessing the cost-effectiveness of new initiatives in Bangladesh.

Moreover, candidates with some experience in research in health economics are encouraged to apply, but we would welcome candidates with a master’s in general economics or health economics. This is an excellent opportunity for career development in the field of health economics and public health.

Educational Requirements

Master’s degree in Economics or Health Economics

Key Responsibilities

1. Advise the “Sonamoni Project” team on what economic data is available, how it can be best collected, stored and analysed.
2. Collect relevant cost and benefit data under the academic guidance from responsible study investigator (senior health economist) for day-to-day management.
3. Bring a health economics perspective to our interdisciplinary team of peers, project managers, and subject matter experts.
4. Develop and/or adapt cost-effectiveness and budget impact models for our range of drowning prevention interventions.
5. Gathering and cleaning health data from various sources (field research, administrative databases, secondary data source etc.) to conduct cost-effectiveness analyses.
6. Assisting in developing and maintaining economic models using standard health economic methodologies to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of proposed interventions.
7. Performing statistical analyses using relevant software.
8. Contributing to the preparation of clear and concise reports summarizing findings from economic evaluations, including methodology, results, and key conclusions.
9. Providing support to the relevant investigator (senior health economist) on various aspects of research projects, including data management, analysis, and presentation.

Required Skills & Experience

1. Proficiency on numeracy and quantitative skills, including in MS Excel and/or statistical packages (e.g., SPSS, STATA, or R).
2. Ability to tackle practical problems analytically and apply pragmatic problem-solving skills.
3. Excellent communication skills with the ability to build strong relationships with colleagues.
4. Strong communication skills in both English and Bangla. Proficiency in written English is required for report writing, while spoken Bangla is important for liaising with local stakeholders.

Additional Requirements

1. Able to work with and communicate across different levels of project staff from director team to field staff, including international members of the research and design teams.
2. Experience of project coordination or management in national or international NGO's/ Development Organizations will be an advantage.
3. Willing to travel in project areas at least once a month

Salary and Benefits

Salary: 35,000 BDT/month (negotiable)

Other Benefits: As per organization policy.

Application Deadline

Deadline: 15 March 2025

How to Apply

Send your CV, passport-size photograph, and cover letter to:

Email: info@ciprb.org (cc: notan@ciprb.org)

Mention the position name in the subject line.

CIPRB is an equal opportunity employer. All employees are required to comply with the HR policy & safeguarding policy of the organization.

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