Research Assistant – WIL & MNCH Programs

🏫 Institution: University of Global Health Equity (UGHE)
🌍 Location: Kigali, Rwanda
🏢 Program: Consortium of Medical Schools–Africa (COMS-A)
📄 Contract Type: Full-time (1 year, renewable depending on funding)
📍 Workplace: COMS-A Secretariat hosted at UGHE

About COMS-A

The Consortium of Medical Schools–Africa (COMS-A) is a continent-wide initiative launched in March 2025 during the Medical Education 2025 Conference in Kigali.

The initiative brings together 135+ medical schools from over 30 African countries to:

• Strengthen medical education and research

• Harmonize medical curricula

• Foster collaboration between institutions

• Influence policy aligned with continental and global health frameworks

About the SHINE Initiative

COMS-A is launching the SHINE Initiative, focusing on two strategic priorities:

1️⃣ Women in Leadership (WIL)

Strengthening women’s leadership across African medical education institutions.

2️⃣ Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (MNCH) and GSRHR

Advancing research, education, and simulation-based training in:

• Maternal health

• Newborn and child health

• Gender, sexual and reproductive health

Position Summary

The Research Assistant will provide research, data, and monitoring & evaluation support across both SHINE workstreams.

The role includes:

• Supporting baseline and follow-up studies

• Managing quantitative and qualitative data

• Coordinating research activities across COMS-A institutions

• Contributing to literature reviews, policy briefs, and academic manuscripts

The Research Assistant will work closely with program leads and the COMS-A Secretariat team.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the continental baseline study on women in leadership in African medical schools.

• Assist with qualitative and quantitative research activities, including:

  • Instrument development

  • Data collection

  • Transcription and coding

  • Data cleaning and analysis

• Coordinate online and institutional surveys across COMS-A member schools.

• Maintain data quality and research databases.

• Support the COMS-A MNCH Research Mentorship Program, including:

  • Tracking research projects

  • Supporting training activities

  • Assisting with ethics and reporting requirements

• Contribute to MNCH and gender-responsive educational resources and curricula.

• Prepare literature reviews, policy briefs, technical reports, and academic manuscripts.

• Support Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) activities including:

  • Indicator tracking

  • Data visualization

  • M&E reporting summaries

• Provide administrative and logistical support for meetings, workshops, and webinars.

• Facilitate communication with COMS-A institutions and partners.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in:

  • Public Health

  • Global Health

  • Education

  • Social Sciences

  • or related field

⭐ Master’s degree preferred

Skills & Competencies

• Experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods

• Familiarity with academic or programmatic research

• Knowledge of data tools, such as:

  • Excel

  • STATA

  • R

  • SPSS

  • NVivo

• Strong writing and editing skills

• Excellent organizational and time-management ability

• Ability to collaborate with international teams

• High professionalism, integrity, and discretion

• Commitment to COMS-A values:

  • Excellence

  • Equity

  • Collaboration

  • Integrity

  • Sustainability

  • Social accountability

🌐 Language Requirements

• Fluency in English (required)

• French or Portuguese (advantage)

Terms of Employment

• Full-time position based in Kigali, Rwanda

• Initial 1-year contract

• Renewable based on performance and funding

• Competitive salary and benefits

How to Apply

Applicants should submit:

1. Curriculum Vitae (CV)

2. Degree certificate

3. Cover letter describing your interest and relevant experience

Applications must be uploaded through the application page under the “Additional Files” tab.