JOB SUMMARY

As a member of Action Against Hunger Horn and Eastern Africa Regional Team and within the Knowledge and Innovation Hub, the Deputy Hub Director, Research and Learning will drive the research and learning agenda within Action Against Hunger USA, connecting technical knowledge from programming in the field with academic research. As the focal point for Action Against Hunger-USA research initiatives within the international network; this function will diversify and deepen engagement with research partners; and encouraging and documenting learning and research-related learning within Action Against Hunger-USA.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Technical and operational oversight to on-going research to ensure coherence, coordination and effective management.
• Provides technical support to the development of new research projects and proposals, expanding quantity and diversity of research driven by Action Against Hunger-USA.
• Leads and/or supports the identification, prioritization and elaboration of research needs and interests at various levels of the organization.
• Supports coordination and engagement on research efforts with the Action Against Hunger International network.
• Ensures Action Against Hunger -USA staff have opportunities to provide feedback and inputs into research initiatives such as strategies, policies, guidelines
• As focal for research efforts with Action Against Hunger USA, participates in and supports the work of the Action Against Hunger International Scientific Committee.
• Develops strategic and innovative research partnerships with a variety of stakeholders, with a focus on expanding engagement to new and strategic academic partnerships.
• Leads knowledge management activities: documentation of best practices and lessons learned; systematization of signature approaches; collection of case studies; provide guidance in building Action Against Hunger USA’s library.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in relevant field (Public Health, Nutrition, Economics, Sociology or other related field); PhD encouraged. With/or
• At least 10 years of experience in managing research and research projects (as a Principal Investigator) facilitating collaborative and productive partnerships between operational and research partners.
• At least 7 years’ experience working in humanitarian and development contexts desirable (experience in nutrition-specific and nutrition sensitive sectors preferred).

REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE ESSENTIAL

• Experience in proposal development and grant acquisition
• Experience in working with partners (especially academic partners) and consortium members; as well as various levels and layers within an organization
• Experience writing scientific reports & articles for peer reviewed & non-peer reviewed publications
• Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to work both independently and as a team member.
• Knowledge of methods of program evaluation and/or implementation research;
• Experience with donor contracts, management, tight reporting and budgetary restrictions.
• High proficiency working with MS Office Suite; comfortable working with computers and a broad range of software with minimal IT support.
• Experience being proactive and taking initiative to move complex projects forward
• Must be comfortable working from remote locations, managing and prioritizing own workload autonomously & reliably.
• Fluent written and spoken English, knowledge of French and/or as asset
• Experience communicating in different cultural work environments & with a wide diversity of culture
• Highly organized, detail oriented and able to work under pressure; especially in changing work contexts; Strong communication (verbal and written) & coordination skills a necessity. Diplomatic skills are a plus.

Summary of position

Action Against Hunger-USA seeks a Research Coordinator-Preferably PHD Student who will serve as part of the core team for the GFFO-MERIAM project and focal point for nutrition. As Research Coordinator, he/she will support the Project Director and the country teams in the implementation of the GFFO-MERIAM. Additionally, the Research Coordinator will support the activities of the Research Team, contributing to the publication strategy and providing expertise in nutrition and data analysis.

For this role, it is required an active research agenda (PhD level) in nutrition, public health, data science or related discipline. This individual must have the ability to fully understand the theory of the model, its implementation and correctly operationalize it into viable practices for the field, with trainings, and knowledge products like user handbooks.

Since collaboration is the key to success in research at Action Against Hunger, this individual must have a strong desire to work on interdisciplinary teams; collaborate internally with M&E, operations, research, and technical colleagues across the Action Against Hunger Network; and liaise externally with academic partners and other scientific organizations. Finally, the individual must also have an interest in contributing to the global level impact through leadership in the publication of our research in peer review journals and presentation at various conference and working groups

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Be accountable, under the leadership of the Project Director, for all-aspects of implementation of the project from inception through completion.
• Lead on data analysis, in adherence to the pre-planned protocol analysis plan, using appropriate quantitative and/or qualitative analyses to produce technically sound and robust results.
• Performs data pre-processing including data manipulation, transformation, normalization, standardization, visualization and derivation of new variables/features as needed to operationalize the MERIAM model.
• Ensure that academic partners, technical teams and country offices are collaborating in the most impactful way, coordinating uptake of the research and ensuring that the model is applied into viable practices for the field teams.
• Ensure that monitoring, collecting and reporting of information from field teams and country offices happens in accordance with donor requirements and research protocols.
• Ensure MERIAM model is understood and adopted relating to data collection, integration and retention requirements incorporating business requirements and knowledge of best practices.
• Ensure all data is managed in accordance with data protection regulations of the relevant jurisdiction; ensure that all applicable approvals have been obtained for trial registration and ethical review.
• Provide support for overall knowledge management of the project.
• Training and technical oversight of Field Coordinators and other relevant stakeholders, such as government officials and other humanitarian actors.
• In collaboration with the Project Director, the Associate Director of Research, and other members of the research and technical teams

Gender Equality Commitments

• Ability to foster an environment that reinforces values of women and men, and equal access to information.
• Provide a work environment where women and men must be evaluated and promoted based on their skills and performance.
• Respect beneficiaries’ women, men, children (boys and girls) regardless of gender, sex orientation, disability, religion. race, color, ancestry, national origin, age, or marital status.
• Value and respect for all cultures.

Requirements

• MA in nutrition, epidemiology, public health, data science or related discipline;
• Proficient with “R” statistical analysis software - essential
• Prior experience in conducting studies requiring primary data collection and analysis of nutrition- related program interventions; enrollment in a PhD program preferred;
• Record of peer-reviewed publications - preferred
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and multi-task
• Ability to travel 20% internationally as needed for business development and project management

Summary of position

Action Against Hunger-USA seeks a Research Coordinator Fellow – Preferably PHD Student who will serve as part of the core team for the GFFO-MERIAM project and focal point for climate resilience. As Research Coordinator, he/she will support the Project Director and the country teams in the implementation of the GFFO-MERIAM. Additionally, the Research Coordinator will support the activities of the Research Team, contributing to the publication strategy and providing expertise in climate resilience and data analysis.

For this role, it is required an active research agenda (PhD level) in environmental/climatic/agricultural sciences, data science or related discipline. This individual must have the ability to fully understand the theory of the model, its implementation and correctly operationalize it into viable practices for the field, with trainings, and knowledge products like user handbooks.

Since collaboration is the key to success in research at Action Against Hunger, this individual must have a strong desire to work on interdisciplinary teams; collaborate internally with M&E, operations, research, and technical colleagues across the Action Against Hunger Network; and liaise externally with academic partners and other scientific organizations. Finally, the individual must also have an interest in contributing to the global level impact through leadership in the publication of our research in peer review journals and presentation at various conference and working groups.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Be accountable, under the leadership of the Project Director, for all-aspects of implementation of the project from inception through completion.
• Lead on data analysis, in adherence to the pre-planned protocol analysis plan, using appropriate quantitative and/or qualitative analyses to produce technically sound and robust results
• Performs data pre-processing including data manipulation, transformation, normalisation, standardisation, visualisation and derivation of new variables/features as needed to operationalize the MERIAM model.
• Ensure that academic partners, technical teams and country offices are collaborating in the most impactful way, coordinating uptake of the research and ensuring that the model is applied into viable practices for the field teams.
• Ensure that monitoring, collecting and reporting of information from field teams and country offices happens in accordance with donor requirements and research protocols.
• Ensure MERIAM model is understood and adopted relating to data collection, integration and retention requirements incorporating business requirements and knowledge of best practices.
• Ensure all data is managed in accordance with data protection regulations of the relevant jurisdiction; ensure that all applicable approvals have been obtained for trial registration and ethical review.
• Provide support for overall knowledge management of the project.
• Training and technical oversight of Field Coordinators and other relevant stakeholders, such as government officials and other humanitarian actors
• In collaboration with the Project Director, the Associate Director of Research, and other members of the research and technical teams, this role will:
  • Lead on peer-review publications and other forms of communication and dissemination of results, including oral presentations to maximize the uptake of evidence generated.
  • Provide technical expertise in data analysis for other research project or case studies from country or regional offices

Gender Equality Commitments

• Ability to foster an environment that reinforces values of women and men, and equal access to information.
• Provide a work environment where women and men must be evaluated and promoted based on their skills and performance.
• Respect beneficiaries’ women, men, children (boys and girls) regardless of gender, sex orientation, disability, religion. race, color, ancestry, national origin, age, or marital status.
• Value and respect for all cultures.

Requirements

• MA in environmental/climatic/agricultural sciences, data science or related discipline;
• Record of peer-reviewed publications - preferred
• Prior experience in conducting studies requiring primary data collection and analysis of climate change/adaptation/resilience- related program interventions; enrollment in a PhD program preferred;
• Proficient with “R” statistical analysis software - essential
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability to travel 20% internationally as needed for business development and project management
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and multi-task