Project coordinator 'Caribbean RSV implementation and policy readiness'

Functieomschrijving

Job description

As Project Coordinator for the Caribbean VIMP project, you will play a central role in translating scientific evidence into actionable, context-specific policy and implementation pathways for RSV prevention in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This position is explicitly oriented towards the Caribbean context. We particularly encourage applications from candidates with lived, cultural, or professional experience in the Caribbean, and especially from candidates who are originally from the Caribbean region.

The VIMP project builds on the ZonMw-funded CARE-SAFE study and focuses on decision and implementation readiness for RSV preventive strategies (such as infant prophylaxis or maternal vaccination) on the CAS islands (Curaçao, Aruba, and Sint Maarten). The project supports Ministries of Health and public health authorities in making evidence-informed, locally grounded decisions, rather than implementing medical interventions directly.

You will coordinate the project on a day-to-day basis, connect stakeholders across islands and disciplines, and ensure timely delivery of concrete outputs such as stakeholder round tables, decision criteria frameworks, and island-specific implementation roadmaps. This position is ideal for a candidate who enjoys working at the interface of research, policy, and international collaboration, and who is interested in developing towards a PhD trajectory in global health, infectious diseases, or implementation science.

Role and scope of work
The position spans the full implementation research cycle, including:

• Collection and synthesis of epidemiological, health-system and policy-relevant data.
• Supporting structured stakeholder consultations and decision-making processes.
• Contributing to context-specific implementation research, including feasibility, affordability and organisational readiness;.
• Translating evidence into practical implementation roadmaps and policy-relevant outputs.

Your main responsibilities include:

• Coordinating the overall execution of the VIMP project and monitoring progress against milestones.
• Organising and facilitating stakeholder Round Table meetings with Ministries of Health, clinicians, public health professionals and other key actors on the CAS islands.
• Supporting the development of island-specific implementation roadmaps for RSV prevention.
• Liaising with Caribbean partners, researchers, and external experts.
• Preparing meeting agendas, summaries, and project documentation.
• Drafting reporting, knowledge translation products, and handover documents for Ministries of Health.
• Identifying opportunities for follow-up research and funding, including alignment with a potential PhD project as a continuation of your work.

About the department

Bij de afdeling Anesthesiologie, Pijn en Palliatieve Geneeskunde werk je aan veilige, betrouwbare en patiëntgerichte zorg vóór, tijdens en na operaties. Je draagt bij aan de preoperatieve beoordeling, kiest samen met patiënten de meest passende vorm van anesthesie en zorgt tijdens ingrepen voor optimale bewaking van vitale functies. Daarnaast behandel je chronische pijn en ondersteun je patiënten met ongeneeslijke ziekte en hun naasten met advies, pijnbestrijding en palliatieve zorg. Je werkt nauw samen met collega’s uit verschillende specialismen — onder andere in de preoperatieve polikliniek, op de operatiekamers en binnen het pijn- en palliatieve behandelcentrum — om continu de kwaliteit en veiligheid van zorg te verbeteren. De afdeling biedt daarnaast consultatie en ondersteuning aan huisartsen, specialisten en verpleegkundigen bij complexe zorgvragen. Met aandacht voor individuele behoeften en samenwerking in multidisciplinaire teams help je de zorg van morgen vorm te geven.

Place of work

You will be embedded within a team of laboratories, hospitals, blood banks, public health services and Ministries of Health across all six Caribbean islands of the Kingdom. The working environment is highly international, interdisciplinary and impact-driven, combining research with real-world policy relevance.

A key strength of the CARE-SAFE consortium is its deep embedding in Caribbean health systems and institutions. As Project Coordinator, you will work closely with clinicians, laboratories, public health professionals and Ministries of Health across the Caribbean islands. Cultural sensitivity, contextual understanding and trust-based collaboration are therefore essential elements of this role.