Role mandate
Strengthen the evidence behind prevention programs, needs assessments and program decisions.
Why this role exists now
HIF requires transparent, proportionate evidence to decide which programs should proceed, change, scale or stop.
All opportunities
Research & innovationDemonstration listingHIF-EVD-PHR
Public Health Research Volunteer
Strengthen the evidence behind prevention programs, needs assessments and program decisions.
- Location
- Australia
- Arrangement
- Remote
- Commitment
- 3–5 hours per week
- Duration
- Six-month project
- Level
- Student / professional
- Contribution track
- Create evidence
Outcomes you would own
- 01
A current, approved workplan for the Research & innovation contribution.
- 02
Clear decisions, risks and dependencies recorded where the team can use them.
- 03
A traceable evidence product that answers a real program decision.
- 04
Assumptions, limitations and recommended next questions made explicit.
Core responsibilities
- Conduct focused literature and policy reviews.
- Maintain a traceable evidence register for public claims.
- Support ethical survey, interview or evaluation design.
- Translate findings into practical recommendations for program teams.
Your first 90 days
Listen, learn and locate the work
- Complete HIF induction, role boundaries and required checks.
- Review the Research & innovation brief, evidence, partners and unresolved decisions.
- Agree a 90-day workplan, communication rhythm and escalation map.
Build the first useful thing
- Complete the first evidence synthesis, method or analysis.
- Invite review early from the people who will use or be affected by the work.
- Record changes, risks and decisions instead of hiding uncertainty.
Deliver, learn and hand over
- Complete the agreed first milestone or document why it should change.
- Review progress against success measures with your supervisor.
- Publish a next-quarter plan and keep files ready for another volunteer.
What you need
Essential criteria
- Relevant study or experience in public health, epidemiology, evaluation or research.
- Ability to critically appraise sources and communicate uncertainty.
- Reliable documentation and citation habits.
Desirable, not required
- Qualitative research experience.
- Experience with research ethics processes.
How good work will be judged
Success measures
- The output answers a defined decision and cites traceable sources.
- Methods and limitations are clear enough for independent review.
- No more data is collected than the decision genuinely requires.
Decision rights & escalation
- Set day-to-day priorities within the approved role brief and agreed hours.
- Recommend changes to scope, timing or method and document the rationale.
- Pause your own activity and escalate when safety, consent, quality or capacity is unclear.
- Escalate budget commitments, external promises, partner agreements and material changes to Research & Program Development Lead.
- Clinical, safeguarding, privacy and public-claim decisions remain with the named qualified approver.
Role boundaries
- This is an unpaid volunteer role. It does not create an employment relationship or expectation of future paid work.
- Do not represent HIF publicly, sign agreements or commit money unless authority is explicitly documented.
- Use only approved systems for personal, partner or program information.
- The agreed weekly commitment is a ceiling to manage, not a minimum to exceed silently.
- This role does not provide clinical advice, diagnosis, treatment or unsupervised patient contact.
- No travel is assumed. Any future travel would require a separate brief, risk review and written approval.
Support, learning and wellbeing
- Fortnightly research supervision.
- Access to approved project briefs and evidence templates.
- Peer review before external publication.
Scope and safety
Volunteers must not work outside their competence. Clinical, safeguarding and community-facing work requires role-specific supervision and escalation pathways.
Checks before you begin
- Identity and right-to-volunteer confirmation.
- One or two role-relevant references for leadership or higher-trust appointments.
- Confidentiality, conflict-of-interest, privacy and code-of-conduct declarations.
How selection works
Evidence to include
- A short statement explaining why this role and HIF’s health-equity mission fit your experience.
- One specific example showing how you handled work relevant to research.
- Your realistic availability against the published commitment of 3–5 hours per week.
- Any required qualifications, registrations, portfolio links or work samples.
- Conflicts, access needs or support adjustments you want the selection panel to consider.
Selection stages
- Eligibility and completeness review
- Assessment against the published essential criteria
- Structured interview or practical conversation, if required
- Relevant reference, credential and safeguarding checks
- Outcome, induction and role-specific onboarding
Final selection decisions are made by people. AI is not used to automatically reject applicants.
Ready to contribute?
Preview application