Research Assistant - Climate and Health Data Services

About the role

The Ministry of Health and Sanitation, in collaboration with MUBAS and PATH, is developing data services to strengthen climate-informed decision-making in Malawi's health sector, funded by the Wellcome Trust. MUBAS invites applications for a Research Assistant in the Department of Public and Environmental Health Sciences, reporting directly to the Malawi Co-Principal Investigator. The position is for one year and renewable up to three years based on performance.

Key responsibilities

• Coordinate and oversee day-to-day implementation of research project activities.
• Assist in co-designing services with health, climate, environment and disaster risk management stakeholders to define user needs and service requirements.
• Provide financial reports of project activities.
• Coordinate participatory workshops and consultations so that data services are user-driven, context-specific and policy-relevant.
• Collaborate with data producers and end-users to define data standards, interoperability requirements and service specifications.
• Oversee the deployment and routine operation of integrated climate and health data platforms, dashboards or decision-support tools.
• Support routine monitoring, evaluation and learning.
• Establish and maintain multisectoral coordination among government ministries, research institutions and development partners, and facilitate knowledge exchange and communities of practice.
• Support integration of services into national systems, policies and budgetary frameworks.
• Supervise and support field data collectors, document lessons learned and best practices, and perform other duties assigned by the Project Leadership.

Required profile

• Advanced university degree (Master's) in Data Science, Health Informatics, Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Environmental Management and Protection or a closely related field.
• Basic qualifications in accounting, finance and administration.
• Desired: at least 3 years' experience in climate-health, public health informatics, environmental health or related fields.
• Desired: experience designing, implementing and managing data-driven services or decision-support systems; multisectoral coordination; applied research on climate-sensitive health risks; donor-funded programme work; integrating heterogeneous climate, environmental and health datasets; monitoring and evaluation frameworks; leading multidisciplinary teams; knowledge of national and international climate and health policy frameworks.

Applications with copies of qualifications and a detailed CV with two traceable referees must be sent by 30 January 2026; late applications will not be considered.