Job Title: Health Researcher
Sector: Research &
Development
Employment Category: Fixed Term
Employment Type: Full-Time
Open to Expatriates: No
Location: Nairobi, IHUB,
Kenya
Job Description
This role is open to
candidates in New York, USA or Nairobi, Kenya.
Job Overview:
Over the past 80 years,
the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has developed unparalleled expertise
in responding to emergencies and helping uprooted communities to rebuild.
Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC’s mission is to help
people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to
survive, recover, and gain control of their future. The IRC is on the ground in
more than 40 countries, providing emergency relief and rebuilding lives in the
wake of disaster. Through 28 regional offices in cities across the United
States, the IRC also helps refugees resettle in the US and become
self-sufficient. The IRC is committed to a culture of bold leadership,
innovation in all aspects of our work, creative partnerships and, most
crucially, accountability to those we serve. The IRC is a tireless advocate for
the most vulnerable.
Research and Innovation
Department
The IRC’s vision is to
lead the humanitarian field by implementing high-impact, cost-effective
programs for people affected by crisis and by using our learning and experience
to shape policy and practice.
The Research and
Innovation Department (Airbel Impact Lab) supports the various technical units
across the IRC to conduct or backstop research studies and innovation projects,
and also leads initiatives that provide resources for country programs to
design and implement programs based on existing evidence.
Health Technical Unit
The Health Technical
Unit is organized in four sectors; primary health, reproductive health,
environmental health, and nutrition. The structure emphasizes a clear division
of roles between staff focusing on comprehensive technical assistance to
countries and staff providing specialized support and thought leadership.
Major Responsibilities
We seek candidates with
strong epidemiological and statistical methodological expertise, with capacity
to run field-based health implementation / operational research studies focused
on maternal and newborn health in low-resource, conflict-affected contexts. An
ideal candidate will have mixed methods experience with evidence of strong
quantitative skills or experience in complex evaluations. It is expected that
the researcher has the capacity to independently lead research projects
(equivalent of assistant professorship or above). They will also be expected to
cover research in sexual and reproductive health and rights, as opportunities
arise. The researcher will support analyses, design survey tools and protocols;
provide business development support for proposals; disseminate research and
support in the development of research findings in articles and reports; lead
data collection trainings; efficiently handle partnerships; and make sure to
research standards and work independently on specific projects. They will also
develop personal professional development plan including leadership and
management skills; host and lead student interns or student researchers as part
of academic team; lead work force planning for specific projects; trouble shoot
problems with minimal oversight
We are specifically
looking for someone who have strong methodological experience with:
- Population-level / cross sectional surveys
- Cohort studies
The candidate should
therefore demonstrate competence in various relevant techniques such as survey
design, sampling, data management, digital data collection, enumerator
training, descriptive and inferential statistics, among others.
The work breakdown is
expected as follows:
50%: Research and
evaluation of community-based maternal and newborn care programs
The IRC leads the FCDO
funded Ensuring Quality Access and Learning (EQUAL) for Mothers and Newborns in
Conflict-Affected Contexts Research Consortium. The objective of this project
is to produce rigorous, operationally relevant research and evidence to improve
maternal and neonatal health in low-income, conflict-affected contexts. This
project will produce evidence that is accessible to decision-makers influencing
strategic investment, policy and programming to improve MNH, at the national
and global level. The Researcher will be PI for co-leading two large
implementation research studies within this project, in Somalia and in South
Sudan, that evaluate the effectiveness of a community-based maternal and
newborn care program, using a prospective cohort study design (with pre-post
survey) + process evaluation.
30%: Other sexual and
reproductive health research projects
Sexual and reproductive
health and rights (broad of maternal and newborn health) is an organizational
priority for research and innovation. We have ongoing research and innovation
projects in maternal and newborn health, safe abortion care, and contraceptive
access, and we expect the hire to lead or backstop new and ongoing research
projects.
20%: Business
development and thought leadership
The MNH Researcher will
be expected to develop and submit proposals around IRC’s priority research
questions in MNH, as well as in sexual and reproductive health and rights. They
will also be expected to advance the MNH cause through internal and external
representation of results from research conducted.
Key Working
Relationships:
Position reports to:
SRMNH Research and Innovation Lead (who is also the EQUAL Consortium Research
Director)
Position indirectly
reports to: N/A
Position directly
supervises: N/A
Internal contacts:
Regular contact with consortium staff, Research and Innovation department
teams, and Health Technical Unit teams, and country program staff.
External contacts:
Researchers from partner organizations in the consortium.
Job Requirements
- Education: PhD with 4-6 years of experience or
Master’s with at least 6-8 years experience conducting research
- Work Experience: At least 5 years’ experience in
public health, and at least two years in developing countries and relevant
research. Experience leading a targeted portfolio of research.
- Field Experience: At least two years of field
research experience in humanitarian or low-resource settings, with
demonstrated experience in leading their own research (e.g.
Assistant/Associate Professor equivalent in experience)
- Technical Expertise: Demonstrated technical
expertise in conducting population-based quantitative research (with
experience in qualitative research) and analyses. Expertise in
epidemiologic and/or statistical methods. Preferred expertise in maternal
and newborn health.
- Collaboration: Able to work with remote,
multi-cultural, and multi-disciplinary teams
- Social Skills: Excellence in writing and
presentation
- Training Skills: Able to transfer technical
knowledge and skills
- Willingness to travel to fragile /
conflict-affected contexts (currently expected study locations include
Somalia and South Sudan).
- Language Skills: English required, and French
proficiency strongly preferred
Work Environment: Expected Travel
30% of the time.
How to Apply
The IRC and IRC workers
must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for
Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In
accordance with these values, the IRC operates and carries out policies on
Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti
Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.
US Benefits:
We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the
US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days
(depending on role and tenure), medical insurance starting at $145 per month,
dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for
healthcare, childcare, and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with
up to 4.5% immediately vested matching contribution, plus a 3-7% base IRC
contribution (3 year vesting), disability & life insurance, and an Employee
Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to
support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health
struggles.
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement: In
accordance with IRC’s duty to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of
known hazards and our commitment to safeguard the health of our employees,
clients, and communities, IRC requires new hires to furnish proof of
vaccination against COVID-19 in order to be considered for any in-office or
hybrid positions. All IRC US offices require full vaccination to attend
any in-office functions (e.g., meetings, trainings).
Commitment to Diversity
and Inclusivity: IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a
climate of inclusivity. We strongly encourage applications from
candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.
Equal Opportunity
Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our
company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national
origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital
status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals
with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the
job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and
to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to
request accommodation.