Netherlands: Senior Epidemiologist

KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the fight against tuberculosis (TB), the deadliest infectious disease in the world. KNCV is an international center of expertise for TB control that promotes effective, efficient, innovative and sustainable tuberculosis control strategies in a national and international context. We are an organization of passionate TB professionals, including doctors, researchers, training experts, nurses and epidemiologists. We aim to stop the worldwide epidemic of TB and to prevent the further spread of drug-resistant TB.
Over the past century we have built a wealth of knowledge and expertise, initially by successfully controlling TB in the Netherlands. Since the 1970s, we have also shared our knowledge and expertise with the rest of the world. We operate from a central office in The Hague, the Netherlands, a regional office in Central Asia and country offices worldwide. KNCV raises funds from private, institutional, corporate and government donors.
KNCV is the lead partner in Challenge TB, the USAID-funded 5-year global program to decrease TB mortality and morbidity in high burdened countries. We lead an international consortium with eight partner organizations. The overarching strategic objectives of Challenge TB are to improve access to quality patient centered care for TB, TB/HIV, and drug-resistant TB services; to prevent transmission and disease progression; and to strengthen TB platforms.
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Purpose of the position **KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation aims to generate a solid evidence base for existing and new tools and interventions through generating evidence about the TB epidemic, the control response and specific interventions; helping countries to apply these and facilitate the sharing of knowledge. Your work will be diverse. You may conduct intervention studies, surveys, support analysis of surveillance data, carry out operational research, and provide epidemiological support to complex projects to enhance evidence-based decision-making.
Organizational position The Senior Epidemiologist reports to the Technical Coordinator of Team Evidence, based within the Technical Division. Team evidence has as main activities creation, collection and dissemination of tuberculosis and methodological knowledge.
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Profile **
As Senior Epidemiologist you will:

· Carry out and support epidemiological TB research abroad;

· Develop and evaluate project plans for research projects;

· Conduct epidemiological research;

· Maintain research contacts with national and international organizations and with various local and external organizations such as universities or medical research institutes;

· Write grant proposals for operational and epidemiological TB research in collaboration with other KNCV staff and external partners;

· Give formal and on the job training on operational research related to TB control. This may include supervising local MSc and PhD students;

· Advise and support government authorities and institutions abroad in setting up and conducting TB research in a national and international context;

· Formulate recommendations for implementation of TB control interventions to national TB control programs and other institutions or organizations based on research results;

· Promote the expertise of KNCV colleagues by presenting research results and their relevance for policy making;

· Publish scientific articles based on the research conducted;

· Give presentations at conferences and scientific meetings;

· You are expected to travel frequently (25%-30% of the time).
KNCV works closely with University of Amsterdam and the position will include an honorary affiliation with the Academic Medical Centre (AMC) Amsterdam.
Who are we looking for?

Education:

· MSc or corresponding degree in epidemiology or in public health with extensive experience in epidemiology;

· Holds a doctorate degree (PhD) in epidemiology.

Knowledge/experience:

· At least 4 years’ relevant post-qualification professional experience in research;

· In-depth knowledge of and experience with quantitative and qualitative epidemiological research techniques, specifically implementation research;

· In-depth knowledge of and experience with epidemiological and statistical analysis;

· Knowledge of and experience in training and capacity building;

· Ability to work as part of a team and independently;

· Ability to cope with stress and to organize and prioritize workload;

· Ability to work in an international team;

· Demonstrated skills in software for research data analysis and statistical programs such as STATA or SPSS;

· Excellent oral and writing skills in English.
Assets:

· Experience with working in resource-poor countries;

· Familiarity with infectious diseases, specifically tuberculosis;

· Experience with cost-effectiveness studies and/or health economics;

· Work or travel experience in developing countries.
What does KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation offer?

· A full-time (38 hours per week) fixed-term contract for a year, with the intention to extend the contract, dependent upon funding and performance;

· An informal work atmosphere in an international environment where initiative is the norm;

· A highly-motivated team of experienced, self-driven colleagues;

· The salary is dependent upon education and relevant working experience;

· KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation has its own Employment Conditions Scheme.

You can apply for this position, including a motivation letter and 3 professional references, via www.kncvtbc.org/nl1622 before 5 December 2016. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our HRM Team in The Netherlands: +31(0)70-41672222 or mail to recruit@kncvtbc.org.

KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation is an equal opportunity employer offering employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, citizenship, physical or mental handicap, or status as a disabled.