Research Assistant - Surveillance - [Archived Advertisement]

The Opportunity

Do you have strong research support skills? Would you like to contribute to an important project with meaningful collaborations across Australia? Then this could be the role for you!

An exciting opportunity exists for a Research Assistant to join the Surveillance and Evaluation team at Burnet which conducts surveillance for bloodborne viruses (BBVs) and STIs on behalf of State and Commonwealth Governments.

In this role, you will provide research support to the Australian Collaboration for Coordinated Enhanced Sentinel Surveillance of Blood Borne Viruses and Sexually Transmissible Infections (ACCESS), which monitors blood borne viruses and sexually transmissible infections across Australia. ACCESS is a vital tool to assist the Commonwealth with monitoring and evaluating progress towards the goals and objectives of national BBVs and STI strategies. ACCESS also contributes important data to projects like EC Australia and PrEPX.

Some of your duties will include:

• Supporting project implementation, recruitment and project tasks: data collection, analysis and interpretation;
• Supporting the maintenance of ethics and governance approvals and relevant reporting requirements;
• Preparing abstracts and manuscripts for conferences and publications;
• Contributing to the preparation and dissemination of surveillance reports and other project documentation;
• Supporting the implementation of project communication and stakeholder engagement strategy
• Supporting the broader project data management team, by assistance with data quality checks, data cleaning and analysis requirements.

You will also be given the opportunity to grow your skills, lead analysis, write academic papers, present at conferences, and build on your understanding of statistical packages, coding, and data visualisation!

Refer to the attached position description for full details. This is a full-time position, initially for a 1-year period with the possibility of extension. You will have the flexibility to work from home with some in-office days preferred.

Let’s talk about you

The successful incumbent will have:

• A Bachelor’s (Honours) or Master’s degree relevant to the field of public health, surveillance and/or epidemiological research
• Previous experience in research administration and project support / coordination
• Excellent working knowledge of Stata, and other database and statistical packages.
• Demonstrated experience with report writing.

You will also possess strong organisation and prioritisation skills which allow you to handle multiple research related tasks at once. Your excellent written and oral communication skills allow you to engage effectively with other team members and stakeholders, and you work well under minimal supervision.

The following experience would also be a bonus!

• Experience with conducting health related research
• Experience with data cleaning, management and analysis.
• A driver’s license valid in the state of Victoria

The Burnet experience…

We want you to have a successful and meaningful career at Burnet and are committed to providing a supportive workplace environment for all our people. You will be part of a collaborative culture where progressive leadership, innovation, respect, and excellence are valued. Join a team of talented individuals who are passionate about what they do – improving the health of vulnerable communities around the world.

We offer:

• A monthly accrued day off for full-time staff
• Flexible working arrangements
• 12 weeks paid parental leave
• Generous salary packaging
• Opportunities for career and professional development

Who are we?

Burnet Institute is a leading Australian, unaligned, not-for-profit, organisation that uniquely links medical research with practical action to achieve better health for disadvantaged communities and help solve devastating global health problems.

Burnet Institute brings together a highly diverse skill base, with more than 400 staff and students working across cutting-edge research and projects to address some of the most relevant global health issues. Institute-wide interdisciplinary health programs Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, Disease Elimination, Behaviours and Health Risks, and Health Security, are at the heart of our daily decision making. Harnessing our international and local field presence, our laboratories, and our mixed development and research cultures drives a greater focus on the most relevant health issues and achieves a greater impact as a result.

Whilst our headquarters is in Melbourne, Australia, we also have offices in Papua New Guinea and Myanmar, and are actively involved in research and public health programs throughout Australia, the Asia-Pacific region and Africa. Burnet is the only unaligned organisation in Australia that has dual accreditation with both the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Bring your whole self to work

At Burnet, we foster a diverse and inclusive culture. We want our people to feel like they belong and are free to be themselves at work. We have an active Gender Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (GEDI) Council that works to promote and improve gender equity, diversity and inclusion across the Institute, by developing and implementing strategies informed by both national and international best practice and staff input. Burnet holds an Athena SWAN Institutional Bronze Award from Science in Gender Equity (SAGE).

Sounds great! How do I apply?

Apply below and attach the following documents:

• Statement addressing selection criteria 1-4 (as outlined and shaded in Section C of the attached position description)
• Resume including the names and contact details of three referees

Applications close at 11:59pm AEDT on Thursday, 24 June 2021.

As part of our commitment to gender equity, we have included a question in the application process on gender. This will allow us to monitor and report on gender in relation to our recruitment process.

Burnet is a child safe organisation. The successful applicant will be required to apply for a Working with Children check and/or National Police Check.