Job Openings at Palladium International

Background:

CRS, representing a consortium of international non-governmental organizations, local implementing partners and research institutions is leading the USAID Nawiri Project in Isiolo and Marsabit, a USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) funded 5-year Development Food Security Activity (DFSA) in Kenya. The overarc hing goal of this multi-sectoral activity is to sustainably reduce persistent levels of acute malnutrition in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs).

The activity will be implemented in two phases:

• Phase I (1.5-2 years) Research, test approaches and collaboratively design a context-sensitive, multi-sectoral activity that sustainably reduces acute malnutrition.
• Phase II (3- 3.5 years): Multi-sectoral Activity implementation and adaptation and Local System and Institutional Strengthening.

Job Summary:

The County Research Coordinator will ensure effective coordination and management of Nawiri formative and implementation research activities across Isiolo and Marsabit counties. S/he will provide both administrative and technical support to targeted CRS studies in both Isiolo and Marsabit counties. S/he will provide support to data collection teams and maintain key relationships with both local implementing partners and relevant county government actors.

Job Responsibilities:

• Support the Nawiri Research team to roll out strategic mix of research methodologies appropriate for the geographic and sociocultural context as well as the Nawiri timeframe.
• Provide technical and administrative support to external consultants and research field teams for specific research activities. Collaborate with the Nawiri Research team and external consultants to organize trainings for enumerators
• Analyze and evaluate project performance data following MEAL policy. Proactively identify issues and concerns and use participatory processes to overcome implementation obstacles.
• Manage partnerships with county research institutions
• Actively engage county government counterparts on Nawiri research agenda development and pilot study design, to facilitate on-going collaboration and buy-in.
• Conduct regular sub-county field visits to support research teams and enhance understanding of local contexts.
• Contribute to transition plan moving from Phase 1 (Research and Collaboration) to Phase 2 (Activity Implementation) by ensuring research results are useful, accessible, and applicable for making activity design decisions
• Coordinate and monitor financial and material resources relevant to project needs.
• Through planning and oversight, ensure efficient use of project resources

Required/Desired Foreign Language: English and Kiswahili required (Ability to speak one or more of the local languages an asset)

Preference will be given to candidates from either Marsabit or Isiolo County

Travel Required: 30% field travel

Personal Skills

• Very good strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment and decisions.
• Very good relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally. Strategic in how you approach each relationship.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.
• Manages financial resources with integrity.
• Excellent communication skills.

Key Working Relationships:
None

Internal: Nawiri Research & Design Lead, Nawiri Research & Design Manager, County Head of offices

External: Consortium partners, research institutions, government bodies at different levels

Typical Background, Experience & Requirements:

Education and Experience

• Masters degree in public health, economics, agricultural/development economics, statistics, bio-statistics, nutrition, applied sociology, anthropology, or another relevant subject. Bachelors degree in similar fields with additional experience may substitute for some education.
• Minimum of four years professional experience in research, including progressive experience in leading large participa tory, multi-disciplinary and multi-site research teams
• Demonstrated experience in qualitative and quantitative methods
• Experience working with research and academic institutions in Kenya.
• Experience and skills in networking and relations with donors, peer organizations, and faith-based and civil society partners. Understanding of partnership principles.
• Experience in MS Office package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio), Web Conferencing Applications, and information and budget management systems.
• Previous experience or familiarity with the local communities and counties

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Integrity
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation
• Builds Relationships
• Develops Talent
• Strategic Mindset
• Accountability & Stewardship

go to method of application »

Project Overview and Role:

Tupime Kaunti is a five-year USAID-funded project that contributes to national health sector goal for monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of one functional, sector-wide M&E system for improved decision-making, transparency, and accountability in health. The project works with county governments to strengthen outcome MLA systems to provide quality data and synthesized information for planning, implementation, policy development and decision making. Tupime Kaunti works in twelve counties including Baringo, Nakuru, Samburu, Turkana, Kakamega, Kisumu, Migori, Busia, Bungoma, Vihiga, Homa Bay and Siaya. The project focuses its support in HIV, malaria and RMNCAH programs.

Tupime Kaunti seeks to achieve its goal through activities that are structure d around two sub purposes:

• Increasing leadership, management and technical capacity of County Governments to use health outcome MLA systems effectively, and
• Increasing availability and quality, analysis and use of health sector data.

General Purpose:
Working under the supervision of the DCOP Public Health and Analytics, the short-term consultant will perform a variety of analyses that will be used to strengthen county and sub-county-level outcomes measurement, learning, and accountability systems.

The consultant will be required to take work in consultation with the project team to identify outcome measurement gaps in select counties as per program areas. The following guidance will apply for the duration of the consultancy.

The consultant will work in liaison with project focal person and the county proximate university team- Maseno university. The consultant will abide by the project operations and set guidelines if the consultant is required to have face-to-face interaction, considerations on the same will be discussed. It is desirable that the consultant should use open source software as a sustainable approach for the counties. The consultant is expected to possess a laptop for this work and not charge the project.

Specific duties and responsibilities:

• Review the identified priority indicators for outcome measurements from the national and county strategic plans. [The project team should have identified this];
• Review and validate the priority health issues as identified by the respective county health management teams for outcome measurement.
• Map out relevant stakeholders, potential data sources, and support the mining of the necessary data for outcome measurement.
• Review the updated outcome measurement data analysis plan.
• Conduct outcome estimations as per the data analysis plan.
• Work with the TK analytics team to develop an OM implementation roadmap for year 5 and finalization of the Outcomes Measurement Framework.
• Develop an OM capacity building package and orient the TK analytics team with the OM strategies and processes.

Deliverables:

• Report that details: validated priority indicators/outcomes identified from strategic documents and as prioritized by respective counties.
• Analysis reports and information products.
• OM Capacity building package.
• A finalized OM Framework.
• A CMLAP Year 5 implementation plan/Roadmap.

Period of performance: September - October 2020

Applications should be received no later than August 25, 2020. The successful applicant is expected to start work immediately.