IFAKARA HEALTH INSTITUTE (IHI)
JOB VACANCIES
Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) is a leading research organization in Africa with a strong track record in developing, testing and validating innovations for health. Driven by a core strategic mandate for research, training and services, the Institute's work spans biomedical and ecological sciences, intervention studies, health-systems research, service delivery and policy translation.
IHI invites applications from suitably qualified, experienced, and motivated Tanzanians for the following positions:
1. CLINICAL OFFICER – 1 POSITION
Duty Station: Dar es Salaam Office
Project: JaundiceCARE
Reporting to: Principal Investigator
Position Summary
The Clinical Officer will provide clinical and implementation leadership for the JaundiceCARE project across three participating hospitals. The successful candidate will coordinate the introduction and implementation of innovative neonatal jaundice screening and management interventions, including the Picterus Jaundice Pro application, strengthening health worker capacity, improving quality of care, and generating implementation evidence to inform national scale-up.
Key Responsibilities
- Support the Principal Investigator in the management, technical supervision, and quality control of research assistants.
- Support hospitals to implement evidence-based neonatal jaundice care management guidelines.
- Develop relevant Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure smooth implementation of project activities.
- Ensure appropriate screening, diagnosis, treatment, referral, and follow-up of newborns with jaundice.
- Provide orientation, in collaboration with the GOAL 3 team, on IMPALA spot check functionality, Picterus Jaundice Pro application, and clinical training for health workers and research assistants.
- Coordinate implementation activities across Bugando Medical Centre, Mbeya Zonal Referral Hospital, and Mwananyamala Regional Referral Hospital.
- Develop and monitor detailed implementation plans.
- Organize regular coordination meetings with the PI, Co-PIs, and hospital focal persons.
- Coordinate communication among hospitals and project team partners.
- Monitor appropriate use of bilirubin screening devices and phototherapy equipment.
- Conduct regular supervision visits.
- Ensure compliance with study protocols.
- Support development of scientific publications and policy briefs.
- Work professionally and ethically with competence, accountability, and integrity.
- Undertake any other duties reasonably assigned by the Principal Investigator/Coordinator.
Required Skills
- Training and facilitation skills.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Flexibility in working hours.
- Willingness to travel to project sites.
Qualifications
- Diploma in Clinical Medicine.
- Valid practising license recognized by the Medical Council of Tanganyika.
Experience
- Minimum of three (3) years of clinical experience after internship.
- Experience working with hospitals and Ministry of Health programs.
- Experience coordinating multi-site health research projects.
Language Skills
- Good verbal and written communication skills in English and Kiswahili.
Opening Date: 14 August 2026
Closing Date: 27 August 2026
2. LABORATORY SCIENTIST – 1 POSITION
Project: National Micronutrient Biomarker Surveillance (NMBiS)
Position Summary
Ifakara Health Institute, in collaboration with the Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre (TFNC), Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), is implementing the National Micronutrient Biomarker Surveillance (NMBiS) initiative.
A nationwide mapping study is being conducted to assess the availability, quality, and suitability of remnant biological samples stored in health facilities, research laboratories, and biobanks for future micronutrient surveillance.
The Laboratory Scientist will support implementation of the Remnant Sample Mapping Study across selected regions in Tanzania Mainland.
Key Responsibilities
- Participate in planning and implementation of remnant sample mapping activities across study sites.
- Support supervision of teams conducting laboratory, health facility, and biobank assessments using standardized study tools and SOPs.
- Assess availability, types, volumes, and storage conditions of remnant biological samples.
- Verify sample inventories and evaluate sample quality indicators, including storage temperatures, freeze-thaw history, and metadata completeness.
- Conduct interviews with laboratory managers, biobank coordinators, and facility staff.
- Support digital data collection using Open Data Kit (ODK) and other study platforms.
- Ensure compliance with study protocols, SOPs, ethical requirements, and quality assurance procedures.
- Prepare field reports and contribute to data cleaning and validation processes.
- Support stakeholder engagement meetings, training workshops, and dissemination activities.
- Assist in developing technical study reports and presentations related to study findings.
- Perform any other project-related duties assigned by the Project Coordinator.
Required Skills
- Strong understanding of laboratory quality management systems and specimen handling procedures.
- Knowledge of biological sample storage requirements and cold chain management.
- Excellent analytical, organizational, and documentation skills.
- Ability to work independently and within multidisciplinary teams.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
- Ability and willingness to travel extensively within Tanzania.
- Commitment to IHI core values: Integrity, Initiative, Equity, Excellence, and Accountability.
Qualifications
Master's or Bachelor's degree in any of the following or related fields from a recognized institution:
- Laboratory Sciences
- Medical Laboratory Sciences
- Biomedical Sciences
- Clinical Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Public Health Laboratory Sciences
Experience
- At least two (2) years of experience in laboratory research, specimen management, biobanking, or public health biomedical research.
- Experience working with biological specimens including serum, plasma, whole blood, dried blood spots (DBS), and urine samples.
- Experience in field-based research and health facility assessments will be an added advantage.
- Experience with electronic data collection systems such as ODK, KoBoTool or similar platforms is desirable.
Language Skills
- Fluent in both English and Kiswahili.
Opening Date: 14 August 2026
Closing Date: 23 August 2026
3. MEDICAL ATTENDANT – 8 POSITIONS
Project: National Micronutrient Biomarker Surveillance (NMBiS)
Position Summary
The Medical Attendants will support implementation of the Remnant Sample Mapping Study under the NMBiS Project.
They will conduct facility assessments, administer structured questionnaires, support key informant interviews, document laboratory and storage infrastructure, collect high-quality data using electronic data capture systems, and transcribe field interviews into transcripts.
Key Responsibilities
- Conduct data collection activities according to approved study protocols and SOPs.
- Administer structured questionnaires using Open Data Kit (ODK) on tablets.
- Conduct qualitative interviews with laboratory managers, facility heads, biobank coordinators, and other key informants.
- Verify and document sample storage infrastructure, including freezers, refrigerators, and laboratory facilities.
- Record sample inventory information, storage conditions, and metadata availability.
- Ensure completeness, accuracy, and consistency of collected data.
- Transcribe interviews into transcripts ready for analysis.
- Upload data daily and address quality queries from supervisors.
- Maintain confidentiality and adhere to ethical research standards.
- Participate in study training, pilot testing, and debriefing sessions.
- Prepare field activity reports and submit them to supervisors on time.
- Perform any other project-related duties assigned by the study team.
Required Skills
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to conduct interviews professionally and respectfully.
- Good understanding of research ethics and confidentiality.
- Strong attention to detail and data quality.
- Ability to work independently under minimal supervision.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
- Ability and willingness to travel extensively within assigned regions.
- Ability to work under tight timelines and meet project targets.
- Commitment to IHI core values: Integrity, Initiative, Equity, Excellence, and Accountability.
Qualifications
- Higher education than secondary education, specifically in Medical Laboratory Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Clinical Medicine, and/or related fields from a recognized institution.
- Minimum of Advanced Level secondary education with experience in qualitative and quantitative data collection.
Experience
- Prior experience in health research, surveys, monitoring and evaluation, or public health data collection will be an added advantage.
- Experience using electronic data collection platforms such as ODK or KoboCollect is desirable.
- Experience conducting interviews, transcription, and facility assessments is an added advantage.
- Recent graduates with strong academic records and relevant field experience and ethical principles in application are encouraged to apply.
Language Skills
- Fluent in Kiswahili and English.
Opening Date: 14 August 2026
Closing Date: 23 August 2026
4. RESEARCH OFFICER – 2 POSITIONS
Duty Station: Dar es Salaam Office
Project: Map EA Node Project
Reporting to: Senior Research Scientist
Position Summary
The Research Officer will support core researchers in improving data science capability while contributing to the development of analytical models, preparation of input data, deployment of workflows, and dissemination of results, including reports, peer-reviewed papers, posters, and engagement with relevant collaborators.
Research Officers are also expected to lead, design, and implement small projects with deliverables contributing to the overall objectives and scope of the MAP project.
Applicants from Africa, especially females and those from malaria-endemic countries, are strongly encouraged to apply.
Key Responsibilities
- Undertake and support literature reviews, data searches, and data extraction, including extraction of metrics required for modelling work from published literature and official reports.
- Obtain, manage, and conduct preliminary processing and analysis of various datasets.
- Utilize software including Excel, ArcGIS/QGIS, STATA, R, Python, and others to examine, manipulate, analyze, and process data.
- Create graphs, reports, maps, and other visualizations of results.
- Select, follow, and adapt data extraction and manipulation protocols.
- Promote best practices in data use and analytics.
- Support IT housekeeping, maintenance of backups, documentation of protocols, data processing procedures, and review of procedures.
- Take reasonable care of personal safety and health and avoid harming the safety and health of others through any act or omission at work.
- Identify and assess workplace hazards and apply hazard controls.
- Report every workplace injury, illness, or near miss, regardless of how insignificant it may appear.
- Abide by institutional policies and procedures.
Required Skills
- Strong computer, organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent numeracy skills and ability to use numerical analysis methods and perform computations.
- Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to self-scrutinize outputs.
- Proven project and time management abilities.
- Ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team with minimal supervision.
- Understanding of epidemiology of vector-borne diseases such as malaria and other infectious diseases, and public health.
- Ability and experience to write codes in RStudio, develop packages, and create dashboards.
- Interest in career development, including joining an MSc or PhD program in advanced modelling.
- Adherence to IHI core values.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Proficiency in one or more programming languages such as R/Python or Stata, with knowledge of other statistical software and data visualization applications.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in a relevant subject area such as:
- Statistics
- Mathematics
- Data Science
- Computer Science
- Engineering
- Similar quantitative discipline
Experience
- Experience managing, analyzing, interpreting, wrangling, and manipulating data using a variety of software platforms.
- Skills in the use of R software are essential for this role.
- Experience in developing and/or delivering training for different audiences.
- Experience working with spatial data and geometry files using GIS tools.
Language Skills
- Ability to communicate verbally and in writing in English.
- Knowledge of other languages including French, Spanish, or Portuguese is an advantage.
Opening Date: 10 August 2026
Closing Date: 23 August 2026
REMUNERATION
An attractive and competitive remuneration package shall be offered to successful candidates as per IHI salary scales.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
Ifakara Health Institute is an equal employment opportunity employer committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. IHI prohibits discrimination of any kind during recruitment and employment. All employment decisions are based solely on job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications, in compliance with the labor laws of Tanzania.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Ifakara Health Institute does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process. Applicants should disregard any written or oral request for a job offer or interview that they believe is fraudulent or suspicious.
APPLICATION
Interested and qualified candidates should apply through the official IHI recruitment portal:
Apply Online – Ifakara Health Institute Careers
Total Vacancies: 12 Positions
- Clinical Officer – 1 Position
- Laboratory Scientist – 1 Position
- Medical Attendant – 8 Positions
- Research Officer – 2 Positions
Application Deadlines:
- Clinical Officer: 27 August 2026
- Laboratory Scientist: 23 August 2026
- Medical Attendant: 23 August 2026
- Research Officer: 23 August 2026