Job Title: Officer, Research and Innovations (01)
Department: Research and Innovations
Unit: Research and Innovations
Grade: UICT/07
Reports to: Manager, Research and Innovations
Supervises: Nil

Main Purpose of the Position:

The main purpose of the role will be to contribute to the coordination activities required for research projects undertaken by the Institute. It will be mainly performing research i.e., data collection, data entry; compiling specific parts of the project, interpreting and applying rules and regulations, and participating developing innovative solutions to enable meeting the department’s key deliverables.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Research and Innovation Officer will perform be responsible for following duties:
1. Develop research activities and implement in line with the strategic focus of UICT and Lead the automation of Research Management
Create applied research models and innovative solutions or tools through the application of academic research and theory.
3. Develop plans for implementation of identified opportunities for action research that UICT will participate in and present to the respective supervisor.
4. Participate in implementation of approved research ventures and lead a team of research assistants where necessary.
5. Participate in drafting research reports, executive summaries, policy briefs and the preparation of research abstracts and publication of research findings and other documents for internal and external use.
6. Participate in identifying knowledge gaps within UICT projects and suggest how these can be filled within action research, Plan and develop research project proposals (needs assessments, appraisals, and pre‐project studies)
7. Participate in conceptualizing, designing and implementing action research projects and facilitate the creation of a platform/forum for regular stakeholder engagement and knowledge sharing.
8. Prepare informed and standard research papers with guidance from supervisor and support from the Monitoring and Evaluation team
9. Present research findings for background research and implementation of the projects in internal or external meetings when called upon and coordinate the undertaking of research, storage and dissemination such as publication of the research in reputable journals
10. Coordinate, collate, and conduct research (including research on innovative approaches) to inform and include in the development of norms, standards, guidelines, tools and new technologies for the advancement of UICT’s programmes.
11. Collaborate with other departments to incorporate technical aspects of their ICT efforts to (1) assess and enable digital educational technologies, and support them to make decisions about
how to prioritize, integrate, implement and regulate them and (2) identify, foster and scale up ready evidence-based innovations at national level, to address gaps in primary health care and accelerate impact.
12. Support research and innovation within partnerships and technical cooperation initiatives of the Institute.
13. Perform all other related duties as assigned.

PERSON SPECIFICATIONS

A. Academic Qualifications

i. Bachelor’s in computer Science, Information Technology, Information Systems, Statistics or their equivalent;
ii. A Master’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Systems,
Software Engineering or a closely related field will be an added advantage;
iii. Professional/ Industry IT Certification such as ITIL, MCSE, CISSP, CISM, CGEIT, CRISC, PMP etc. are an added advantage
iv. Certification in Research Administration such as Certified Research Administrator (CRA) is an added advantage

B. Skills and Attributes

i. Clear understanding of research processes and methodologies;
ii. Experience in analyzing qualitative and quantitative data
iii. Very good command of English language with Superior Presentation Skills iv. Strong interpersonal skills, supporting a tactful and collaborative approach;
v. Demonstrate commitment to organization’s values and principles.
vi. Knowledge and understanding of innovation in ICT solutions and systems development including technology innovations, business modelling and process innovations, and the various enablers of innovation, including digital tools plus requirements for scaling and sustaining of innovations
vii. Should have relevant experience with statistics and statistical software
viii. Experience in implementation of an ERP system would be an advantage.
ix. Good specialized knowledge of the business processes in the company.

C. Experience

i. A minimum of 2 years serving in a university, higher education learning institution, research facility and/or ICT related Organization with research led focus.
ii. At least 2 years of demonstrable post-graduation experience linked to research activities, preferably conducted in an international context is desirable.

Interested candidates should submit to the email below indicating their telephone and email address to the                        Institute Secretary, P. O. Box, 7187, Nakawa Kampala, on bettes.nyongyera@uict.ac.ug not later                                  than Monday, 22nd April, 2024 at 5.00 pm.

The email should indicate the position applied for in the subject line and the attachment should either be PDF or Microsoft Word document.

Attach detailed curriculum vitae indicating two professional and one-character referees indicating their contacts and valid email address, certified copies of transcripts and certificates cited in the CV, proof of previous employment, and a copy of National Identification.