Introduction

The Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health at MUHAS, in collaboration with the University of North Carolina (UNC, USA), is planning to conduct a study in Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Kilimanjaro, and Mbeya Regions titled “Family Psychoeducation for Adults with Psychotic Disorders in Tanzania” and branded in Swahili as KUPAA (Kuwezeshana Kupata Uzima).

The study aims to reduce disability, improve quality of life, and reduce hospitalizations among adults living with schizophrenia, and to reduce the family burden for caregivers.

Job details

Job title: Research Assistants

Number of posts: Two (2)

Status of employment contract: Full-time for 6 months, Renewable

Start date: September 2026

Employee reports to: Principal Investigator(s) and/or Study Coordinator

Employment location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

The Research Assistant (RA) will support participant recruitment for both qualitative and quantitative data collection for the KUPAA study at designated hospital psychiatry clinics.

RAs will work closely with psychiatry clinic staff, clinicians, patients, and caregivers to ensure ethical, accurate, and participant-centered study procedures.

Key responsibilities

• Screen potential participants against protocol-specific inclusion and exclusion criteria before enrollment and document eligibility decisions and enrolled participants on the appropriate register, safeguarding sensitive information, per protocol.
• Conduct the in-person informed consent process, answering questions, allowing adequate time to review and confer with others as needed, and obtaining signatures and dates in the appropriate places as per SOP.
• Conduct in-depth interviews and administer surveys to patients and caregivers in accordance with the study protocol.
• Develop and maintain thorough familiarity with the KUPAA study protocol, including procedures, timelines, participant eligibility criteria, confidentiality, and privacy protections, and ensure all recruitment, consenting, and data collection activities/procedures comply with confidentiality.
• Complete and maintain all required research training and certifications (human subjects protection, good clinical practice, and other requirements as per Tanzania and US regulations, MUHAS, UNC, and sponsor policies).
• Attend study-related training, team meetings, and weekly Zoom study team meetings.
• Promote ethical research conduct and report any suspected misconduct in good faith.
• Coordinate scheduling of the clinician-rated PANSS with qualified clinical staff (psychiatrist with MMed and clinical psychologist with MSc), ideally within the same week as other assessments.
• Prepare, complete, and maintain accurate study materials and documentation, including consent forms, brochures, CRFs, registers, and adverse event logs, cross-checking CRFs for timely completion and keeping the regulatory binder and source documents organized and current.
• Assist with qualitative code book development, establishing level of agreement between coders, refining the code book, coding, and data analysis.
• Contribute to day-to-day study management (teamwork, shared problem-solving, communication, protocol adherence, scheduling) and help prepare IRB submissions, activity plans, and progress reports as required.
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the study team.

Qualifications and experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Nursing, Counseling Psychology, Social Work, Sociology/Demography, or other relevant field, with 3 or more years of experience.
• Previous experience in quantitative and qualitative data collection. Experience with REDCap software is not required but is a plus.
• Excellent communication and active listening skills, with the ability to explain information clearly and sensitively to patients and caregivers. Experience with transcription and translation (English/Swahili). Prior involvement in a health-related research program is a plus.
• Comfort and confidence working with individuals who may have cognitive decline or psychotic symptoms.
• Working knowledge of research governance principles and human subjects’ protection, including Good Clinical Practice (GCP).
• Experience working as part of a multidisciplinary team, with a flexible, collaborative attitude balanced by the ability to work independently and deliver.
• Well-organized with high attention to detail and the ability to manage time and prioritize tasks, including a flexible schedule aligned with clinic operating days.
• Basic computer skills (word processing, Excel, PowerPoint, email and internet).
• English and Swahili proficiency; familiarity with the study site communities preferred.

• Screen potential participants against protocol-specific inclusion and exclusion criteria before enrollment and document eligibility decisions and enrolled participants on the appropriate register, safeguarding sensitive information, per protocol.
• Conduct the in-person informed consent process, answering questions, allowing adequate time to review and confer with others as needed, and obtaining signatures and dates in the appropriate places as per SOP.
• Conduct in-depth interviews and administer surveys to patients and caregivers in accordance with the study protocol.
• Develop and maintain thorough familiarity with the KUPAA study protocol, including procedures, timelines, participant eligibility criteria, confidentiality, and privacy protections, and ensure all recruitment, consenting, and data collection activities/procedures comply with confidentiality.
• Complete and maintain all required research training and certifications (human subjects protection, good clinical practice, and other requirements as per Tanzania and US regulations, MUHAS, UNC, and sponsor policies).
• Attend study-related training, team meetings, and weekly Zoom study team meetings.
• Promote ethical research conduct and report any suspected misconduct in good faith.
• Coordinate scheduling of the clinician-rated PANSS with qualified clinical staff (psychiatrist with MMed and clinical psychologist with MSc), ideally within the same week as other assessments.
• Prepare, complete, and maintain accurate study materials and documentation, including consent forms, brochures, CRFs, registers, and adverse event logs, cross-checking CRFs for timely completion and keeping the regulatory binder and source documents organized and current.
• Assist with qualitative code book development, establishing level of agreement between coders, refining the code book, coding, and data analysis.
• Contribute to day-to-day study management (teamwork, shared problem-solving, communication, protocol adherence, scheduling) and help prepare IRB submissions, activity plans, and progress reports as required.
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the study team.

• Excellent communication and active listening skills
• Ability to explain information clearly and sensitively
• Transcription and translation (English/Swahili)
• Comfort and confidence working with individuals who may have cognitive decline or psychotic symptoms
• Working knowledge of research governance principles and human subjects’ protection, including Good Clinical Practice (GCP)
• Experience working as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Flexible, collaborative attitude
• Ability to work independently
• Well-organized
• High attention to detail
• Ability to manage time and prioritize tasks
• Basic computer skills (word processing, Excel, PowerPoint, email and internet)
• English and Swahili proficiency

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Nursing, Counseling Psychology, Social Work, Sociology/Demography, or other relevant field
• 3 or more years of experience
• Previous experience in quantitative and qualitative data collection
• Experience with REDCap software is not required but is a plus
• Experience with transcription and translation (English/Swahili)
• Prior involvement in a health-related research program is a plus
• Working knowledge of research governance principles and human subjects’ protection, including Good Clinical Practice (GCP)
• Experience working as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Well-organized with high attention to detail
• Ability to manage time and prioritize tasks
• Basic computer skills (word processing, Excel, PowerPoint, email and internet)
• English and Swahili proficiency
• Familiarity with the study site communities preferred