Careers

Description:

The Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (MNTD) program is a leader in the effort to end malaria illnesses and deaths, refines and develops tools and approaches, invests in national programs, and builds data to empower national governments to pursue malaria elimination. PATH leads the the Malaria Control and Evaluation Partnership in Africa (MACEPA) project which works closely with National Malaria Control programs in Africa to strengthen data systems and data use to better inform strategies and targeting of resources to reduce burden. Key components of this work are to generate evidence on novel and existing malaria tools to guide decision-makers, and to work with donors to ensure the resources needed to implement these interventions are available.

PATH seeks to recruit a Program and Research Associate for the MNTD portfolio. The Research Associate will primarily support research and other project activities for MACEPA. Reporting to the Senior Scientific Advisor, the Program and Research Associate will provide technical assistance, coordinate research activities across partners, and provide oversight for the implementation of research, with initial projects including an assessment of mobile and migrant populations in Ethiopia and an evaluation of intervention targeting for high-risk populations in Senegal. This role will be responsible for working in close partnership with academic and implementing partners as needed to help oversee studies by providing key analytical, logistical, partnership, and administrative support to ensure the overall smooth facilitation of the research projects.

Responsibilities:

Logistical and Administrative coordination

• Support the development and monitor the implementation of research and/or assessment work plans, including multi-country interventions on simultaneous timelines
• Coordinate and facilitate or participate in investigator, research project team, and partner meetings; develop agendas and track action items
• Coordinate communication with study and/or assessment team, administrative staff, and local and national partners
• Identify any possible upcoming logistics and administration issues and raise them in a timely manner with study and/or administration teams
• Participate in development of data collection tools and forms, informed consent forms, standard operating procedures, and training manuals and materials
• Maintain an in-depth knowledge of the protocol and ensure accurate implementation
• Lead comprehensive and transparent knowledge management for assigned projects/assessments//studies, including maintaining project repositories that are shared across project partners
• Coordinate Institutional Review Board (IRB) submissions (including modifications) for research activities in the projects
• Support the management of contractual arrangements for study budgets, including developing scopes of work for contracts, and tracking and reviewing contractor deliverables
• Conduct supervisory field visits and/or provide support to other PATH staff to conduct field visits
• Support data collection activities such as field surveys and qualitative interviews and focus groups; participate in data management and analysis; track and archive data and research results
• Provide additional ad-hoc support to the research team as needed

Technical Writing and Communication:

• Support the technical team in drafting reports including annual and ad-hoc reports on project progress
• Prepare and collaborate on research/project/technical briefs, manuscripts, and PowerPoint presentations
• Deliver presentations on projects, study progress, and/or research findings
• Ensure strong communication within the project teams
• Identify and solve, in collaboration with partners, programmatic, technical and/or communications bottlenecks as they arise to support implementation of project activities

Required Experience

• Master’s degree in Public Health, Social Work, Health Administration, or a related field
• Minimum of two years of experience working on research and/or assessment activities implemented in LMIC countries with responsibilities including: protocol and/or study and/or assessment instrument development, IRB submission, and managing/supervising data collection in-country
• Background/training in public health field research design and implementation (e.g., quantitative and/or qualitative survey methods, assessments, disease surveillance) preferred
• Experience managing malaria research activities preferred
• Exceptional skills in project management and/or coordination, including development and management of workplans, milestones/targets, and budgets
• Experience in or strong knowledge of qualitative and quantitative methods in research design, implementation, and analysis
• Excellent interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills; adept at working closely with others over geographical distance
• Strong organizational skills, high level of attention to detail, and effectiveness under deadlines
• Ability to work both independently with limited supervision and as part of a team
• Ability to review existing research, literature, and resources to contribute to the creation of evidence-based materials and research instruments
• Advanced computer skills including use Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
• Professional French language skills (written and oral) preferred
• Willingness and ability to travel estimated at 25% of the time