Research Coordinator at International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Responsibilities

• Under the supervision of the Nutrition Researcher based at IRC London and the Senior program Coordinator of IRC Nigeria and in close collaboration with the Nutrition coordinator and the Senior MEAL Coordinator IRC Nigeria, the Research Coordinator - Nutrition will be responsible for the timely and high-quality implementation of the study.
• The research coordinator will contribute to the development of research protocols, the adaptation of data collection and program implementation tools as well as tools for project monitoring and evaluation. S/he ensures that the interventions are guided by evidence base, cost-effective solutions, through ideation, research, innovation, prototyping and scale
• The research coordinator will supervise the study personnel, provide technical assistance to the study personnel and continuously monitor the quality of implementation and data collection.
• The research coordinator will coordinate data entry and transcription, assist in the interpretation and write-up of results and ensure the dissemination at national level.

Specific Responsibilities

Coordinate preparation and implementation of studies (10%):

• Participate in strategic discussions to define key research questions, ensure alignment of research questions with local priorities.
• Contribute to the development of the sub-study protocols.
• Coordinate the engagement of different stakeholders (IRC staff, academics, authorities, Tom Brown working group, etc) at different phases of the research (research question development, study design, implementation, research uptake) and act as the focal point for the project in the country.
• Contribute to the development of standard operating procedures for the research project (SOPs);
• Coordinate submission of study protocol for ethical approval (if not already completed) and ensure ethical considerations are taken into account at every stage of the project (and consent procedures followed);
• Develop and review project implementation plans (including budgets, timelines)
• Coordinate logistics for study implementation (including purchasing materials, equipment, transport);
• Prepare and lead IRC's internal project cycle meetings, monitor and if necessary, adapt the budgetary consumption of the research grants;
• Promote a culture of learning whereby lessons-learned and good practices are documented and shared for institutional memory.
• Collaborate closely with the Nutrition Research team and participate in weekly or bi-weekly calls with the Nutrition Research team to provide project updates as needed.
• Support relationship building with local research institutes.
• Lead in writing progress reports and other internal/external products for monitoring the implementation of the research project as well as any other type of report requested by the various donors (narrative, budget monitoring, and appendices);
• Facilitate dissemination of IRC health and SRH research at national and sub-national.

Oversee quality implementation of studies (40%):

• Plan, recruit, on-board, and supervise the research team in charge of implementing the studies in the field and ensure sufficient training of all research staff before starting any research activities;
• Oversee the implementation of data collection in collaboration with the IRC Nutrition research team and ensure high-quality support
• Ensure regular supervision of the research team and ensure data collection according to research protocols and standard operating procedures.

Produce and disseminate evidence (50%):

• Lead the analysis of the qualitative data, including developing and validating a code book for coding the data, coding the data, and summarizing the findings
• Synthesize research data and findings for internal and external purposes.
• Support the write-up of peer-reviewed manuscripts in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
• Work with the communication team on documentation provided as part of external communication activities and be the focal point for field communication activities.
• Represent IRC Nigeria’s nutrition research with the various partners (academics, technicians, authorities);
• Coordinate closely with MoH and national stakeholders on research uptake and dissemination

Qualifications And Expériences

• Professional Diploma (master’s level) in Health / Nutrition/ Social Science
• Minimum 3 years of research experience in the field of health/nutrition / or a related field, preferably on research projects implemented in the field in a low-income context;
• Previous experience in supervising and supporting field research teams.
• Experience in project management, including in budget management and logistics.
• Professional experience in NGOs and management of acute malnutrition is a plus.
• Experience in qualitative research is a plus.
• Demonstrated competence in writing research articles is a plus (add references to CV);
• Ability to write clear and concise reports, while respecting fixed deadlines.
• Good communication skills to engage with local partners.
• Ability to work independently while being an active member of the country team and the global research team.
• Computer skills required: Windows environment, Microsoft Office package, a qualitative research software (Nvivo, Dedoose etc), statistical software (STATA and R) is a plus; knowledge of Commcare is an asset
• Ability to work in and travel to unstable security environments.
• Fluency in English is essential