Researcher, Maternal & Newborn Health at International Rescue Committee

The IRC is seeking an experienced researcher to support field-based implementation and operational research studies in Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health in low-resource contexts. Specific expertise in Maternal and Newborn Health (MNH) in conflict-affected areas is strongly preferred. The Researcher, Maternal & Newborn Health will support field-based research on MNH programs, backstop new and ongoing research projects across the IRC’s MNH/SRH portfolio, and develop and submit proposals around IRC’s priority research questions.

We seek individuals who have a growing degree of external recognition as an expert in this field, and should have qualifications that resemble those in an Assistant Professor/Scientist-level position. For those who are looking for an Associate Professor/Scientist-level position, please refer to a separate job posting titled “Associate Director of Research, Maternal and Newborn Health” - req37737

We welcome quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method researchers to apply, but we especially welcome those with methodological experience in population-level surveys and/or large-scale program evaluation.

Major Responsibilities

• Support two large implementation research studies in Somalia and 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) and process evaluation.
• Design survey tools and protocols, and support analysis of research findings.
• Backstop new and ongoing research projects in maternal and newborn health, safe abortion care, and contraceptive access.
• Provide business development support for proposals.
• Disseminate research and contribute to the development of research findings in articles and reports.
• Support the use of evidence across the organization in the MNH technical area.

Job Requirements

• PhD with 4-6 years of experience or Masters with at least 6-8 years’ experience conducting and leading research.
• At least 5 years’ experience in public health, with at least two years' experience conducting relevant research in developing countries.
• At least two years of field research experience in humanitarian or low-resource settings, with demonstrated experience in leading their own research.
• Demonstrated technical expertise working on complex field-based health research studies in low-resource contexts. Preferred experience in or familiarity with maternal and newborn health and in conflict-affected contexts of Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Able to work with remote, multi-cultural, and multi-disciplinary teams.
• Excellent communication skills, particularly in writing and presentation.
• Ability to train others and transfer technical knowledge and skills.
• Willingness to travel to fragile/conflict-affected contexts.
• Language Skills: English required, and French proficiency preferred