Research Assistant

About BHSBasic Healthcare Services (BHS) is a not-for-profit organization working to improve access to quality, people-centred primary healthcare for underserved rural and tribal communities in southern Rajasthan. Founded in 2012 by public health practitioners, academics and development professionals, BHS is grounded in the principles of equity, health as a human right, community participation and human dignity.BHS operates six AMRIT clinics and provides preventive, promotive and primary healthcare across maternal and child health, tuberculosis, chronic respiratory disease, non-communicable diseases, mental health and physiotherapy. Alongside service delivery, BHS has a growing portfolio of practice-based and implementation-oriented research spanning maternal and child health, tuberculosis, occupational health and silicosis, sexual and reproductive health, early childhood development, and primary healthcare systems.Our research is grounded in questions that emerge from clinical and programme practice and is intended to generate evidence that can improve services, inform programmes and contribute to wider policy and practice.Position Overview:BHS is participating in a multicentric research study that aims to evaluate population-specific approaches for estimating gestational age during pregnancy. The study will prospectively follow pregnant women receiving antenatal care and collect information on maternal characteristics, pregnancy, fetal growth, ultrasound assessments and birth outcomes. The research will contribute to understanding the performance and potential applicability of these approaches in rural and underserved primary healthcare settings.The study will also generate data to address research questions relevant to BHS and the communities it serves, with a broader interest in maternal and child health, primary healthcare, and factors influencing pregnancy and birth outcomes. We are seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Research Assistant to support the implementation of the research study at the BHS site.The Research Assistant will work closely with the Principal Investigator, research team, clinicians, nurses, ultrasound personnel, field staff, programme teams, and other members of the organization. The role will involve participant recruitment and follow-up, field-based data collection, coordination of study procedures, data management and quality assurance, analysis and dissemination of research findings.The ideal candidate will have a strong interest in public health research and experience or training in maternal and child health, epidemiology, community-based research, or related fields. The candidate should be comfortable working in rural communities and have strong interpersonal skills and an ability to work collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary team.Key Responsibility:Support day-to-day implementation of the study, including participant screening, recruitment, enrolment, consent and follow-up.Coordinate with clinicians, nurses and ultrasound personnel to ensure timely completion of study procedures.Supervise and support field investigators in participant recruitment, follow-up and data collection, including training and routine review of their work.Collect and document demographic, clinical, antenatal, ultrasound and pregnancy outcome data from participants and clinical records.Ensure data quality through regular review, cleaning, coding and maintenance of study databases.Support quantitative and qualitative data analysis and contribute to interpretation and sensemaking of findings.Conduct literature reviews and contribute to the development of research tools and study documents.Contribute to site-specific research questions relevant to BHS and its communities.Support dissemination of research findings through reports, papers, manuscripts, abstracts, presentations and other outputs.Conduct field-based interviews and verbal autopsies using standardised tools and protocols, including sensitive interviews with bereaved families.Ensure all research activities adhere to study protocols, ethical standards, confidentiality and principles of dignity and respect.Work collaboratively with research, clinical and programme teams and contribute to research meetings, problem-solving and overall study learning.Experience and Qualifications:Masters’ degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Social Sciences, Health Sciences or a related field.Prior experience (1-2 years) in public health research, maternal and child health, community-based research or a related field is desirable.Familiarity with quantitative and/or qualitative research methods.Experience in data collection, interviews and field-based research is desirable.Experience with R, Stata, SPSS or other data analysis software is an advantage.Excellent organizational, analytical and problem-solving skills.Strong written and verbal communication skills.Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.Sensitivity and maturity to work with communities and conduct interviews on sensitive subjects.Willingness to travel for fieldwork as required.Fluency in Hindi is desirable; knowledge of local languages is an advantage.Location: Your will be based in Gogunda (~30 kms from Udaipur), with frequent travel in Gogunda, Dist. Udaipur Rajasthan. Remuneration: The compensation will be based on the candidate’s experience and qualifications, in alignment with industry benchmarks for similar non-governmental organizations. In addition to the salary, BHS offers opportunities for learning and professional growth.Application Process: If this role aligns with your experience and aspirations, please submit your updated CV to jobs@bhs.org.in with the subject line: Assistant Research.Last date for receipt of applications: 15 Sep 2026