Nutrition Researcher at International Rescue Committee

Major Responsibilities
New Project Development

•  Lead the conceptualization, design, and development of new research projects, including writing study protocols, drafting analysis plans, developing, and validating tools for implementation, monitoring, and collecting data.
•  Lead the identification and engagement of international and local scientific partners to enhance scientific rigor, credibility, and local uptake.
•  Participate in funding acquisition via contributing to proposal writing and preparing study budgets in close collaboration with country teams.
•  Lead the engagement with country teams to ensure alignment of study idea and proper planning and contribution during the design, funding acquisition and field preparation phase
•  Lead ethical approval processes for new studies, including writing, submitting, and managing ethics approval requests at national and international levels.
•  Advise on the set up of data collection, monitoring, and study implementation.
•  Provide hands-on support to the set up and roll out of studies and surveys via visits to the field and collaborating with local partners and field teams.
• Study Implementation and Field Team Support
•  Supervise the Research Coordinators/Managers in country via Management in Partnership arrangements with country office counterparts.
•  Oversee the planning of studies including the set-up of spending, HR, procurement and implementation plans and the monitoring of the timely execution.
•  Provide on-going training on implementation, data collection and monitoring to field teams. 
•  Partner with data management and analysis teams to ensure regular data monitoring and provide concrete action steps for field teams to improve implementation and data quality.
•  Participate in on-site supervision of ongoing studies and provide training via regular field visits.
•  Work with our communications team on documentation and materials for external communication and be the focal point between field and HQ in communication activities.
•  Ensure thorough documentation of learning from research projects.

Evidence Production

•  Draft analysis plans for answering priority research questions with the existing data in collaboration with scientific advisors and the IRC nutrition research team.
•  Perform data analysis using Stata or R according to validated analysis plans and including step-by-step explanations and interpretation of output.
•  Lead and contribute to the write up manuscripts for peer-reviewed and practitioner journals, including the submission and revision of manuscripts in collaboration with co-authors.
•  Identify and connect with internal and external experts for guidance and collaboration on different evidence pieces.
•  Oversee consultants and students working on specific evidence production pieces.
•  Present findings from studies to internal and external audiences including in conferences and webinars and other appropriate platforms

Job Requirements
Education and Experience

•  Masters/PhD in Public Health, Nutrition, or related field.
•  A minimum 6 years (if master’s level) or 4 years (if PhD level) of experience in research project design, implementation, and production of evidence in the field of health/nutrition.
•  Experience in nutrition programming and/or research.
•  Experience leading research projects in the field in fragile and development settings. 
•  Experience in community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) strongly preferred.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies

•  Strong data analysis skills including data manipulation in statistical software (STATA or R), analysis, sampling, and epidemiology. 
•  Demonstrated competency in writing quantitative research articles (please add references to CV). 
•  Competency in qualitative research is a plus. 
•  Good coordination and communication skills to collaborate with scientific advisors in the development of protocols and write up of peer-review manuscripts. 
•  Ability to take decisions and advance in situations with potentially diverging opinions. 
•  Good IT skills required (Windows environment, Microsoft Office package
•  Working knowledge of mobile data collection software (CommCare, ODK preferred). 
•  Ability to work independently while being an active member of the research team. 
•  Committed to upholding diversity, equality and inclusion principles.

Language skills: Fluency in English and working proficiency in French is required.