Costing Research Assistant

Job Details

Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), in collaboration with Jhpiego, is implementing the Scaling the Optimal Use of Multiple ACTs to Prevent Antimalarial Drug Resistance (STOP-AMDR) Project. The project includes an economic and costing study to examine the resources required to introduce and scale up Multiple First-line Therapies (MFT) in Uganda. The School is seeking 2 Costing Research Assistants for the first phase of the study.

• Duty Station: Buikwe and Busia districts, with national-level data collection as required
• Location: Uganda (field-based in Buikwe and Busia + national stakeholders)
• Duration: Approximately two months during the first phase (short-term, full-time contract)
• Reporting to: Project Coordinator / Principal Investigators, STOP-AMDR Project
• Employment Type: Full-time Contract
• Number of Positions: 2
• Posted: 2 days ago

This role is ideal for health economists and public health researchers interested in costing, economic evaluation and health systems research, with direct exposure to health facility, district and national-level data systems for malaria control.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• To collect and manage economic, financial and resource-use data from health facilities, district offices, implementing partners and national-level stakeholders
• Attend study training and pretesting activities
• Facilitate entry into study sites
• Collect costing and resource-use data in accordance with the study protocol
• Extract data from financial records, budgets, expenditure reports, procurement and inventory records, payroll records and supervision documents
• Interview programme managers, health workers, accountants, store managers, procurement officers and other relevant personnel
• Administer informed consent and respond to participants' questions
• Complete costing tools and electronic forms accurately and promptly
• Verify and reconcile costing data and resolve identified discrepancies
• Organise, clean and document costing datasets
• Provide progress updates during team debriefing meetings
• Ensure the confidentiality and secure handling of study data
• Perform other duties assigned by the Project Coordinator or investigators

Qualifications, Skills and Requirements

• A bachelor's or master's degree in Health Economics, Health Services Research, Public Health, Health Services Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, or a related field
• Training in economic evaluation
• Experience collecting costing or economic-evaluation data
• Familiarity with costing methodologies
• Ability to review and extract data from financial, procurement, inventory and administrative records
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and electronic data-collection platforms such as ODK, REDCap, SurveyCTO or KoboToolbox
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills and ability to work with diverse stakeholders
• Ability to work independently and meet strict deadlines
• Certification in Human Subjects Protection and/or Good Clinical Practice is desirable

About the Company

Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) - Shaping Health, Empowering the Future

• Founded in 1954 as Department of Preventive Medicine, now a constituent School of Makerere University College of Health Sciences located at New Mulago Hill Road, Mulago, Kampala, Uganda.
• Vision: A thought leader of knowledge generation for societal transformation and development.
• Mission: Committed to providing transformative and innovative teaching, learning and research services responsive to dynamic national and global needs.
• Core functions: Training, Research, and Community Service. Runs 9 academic programmes (Master of Public Health, MHSR, Biostatistics, PhD and others), 50+ Fellowships annually, and produces ~200 peer-reviewed publications per year.
• Relevance to this role: MakSPH has a strong track record in health economics, health systems research, and large-scale field research with Ministry of Health, UN agencies, US Government and global university partners (Johns Hopkins, Karolinska, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and others). The STOP-AMDR costing study directly aligns with the School's expertise in economic evaluation and evidence generation for policy.
• Website: https://sph.mak.ac.ug | Twitter: @MakSPH | Contact: +256 414 543872, communications@musph.ac.ug

Application Procedure

• Complete the online application form via the official application link: Apply
• Prepare an application addressed to the Dean, Makerere University School of Public Health
• Attach the following documents:
  • Updated curriculum vitae (CV)
  • Names and contact details of two referees
  • Valid Human Subjects Research training certificate (required)
• Submit all documents through the online portal before the deadline
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview

Job Summary

• Job Category: Research
• Job Type: Full-time (Short-term Contract - approx. 2 months)
• Deadline of this Job: 2026-09-02
• Duty Station: Buikwe and Busia districts, with national-level data collection as required
• Posted: 2 days ago
• No of Jobs: 2
• Application Link: Apply
• Location pin: New Mulago Hill Road, Mulago, Kampala, Uganda (MakSPH Headquarters) | Field work in Buikwe and Busia districts, Uganda