Position Title: Senior Technical Advisor, Research and Learning
Position Type: Full-Time
Department: Program Impact and Quality Assurance, Overseas Operations (HQ)
Job Location: Baltimore
Band: E
FLSA: Exempt
Reports To: 4Children Evidence Building Technical Director
About CRS
Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.
Job Background/Summary
Coordinating Comprehensive Care for Children (4Children) is a five‐year USAID‐funded project implemented by a consortium of organizations led by Catholic Relief Services with partners IntraHealth, Maestral, Pact, Plan and Westat. 4Children is designed to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) affected by HIV and AIDS and other adversities.
4Children’s work utilizes global evidence establishing that HIV and other adversities are best prevented and addressed when families and children have access to both high quality health and social welfare services. The project supports systems and structures at country and regional levels to implement evidence-based interventions that protect against risk, interrupt cycles of vulnerability, and build pathways to resilience leading to an AIDS Free Generation and contributing to overall improvements in quality of life and productivity for vulnerable children and their families. Evidence building sits at the core of 4Children. 4Children supports research about interventions for children affected by HIV/AIDs and other adversities to identify those that show evidence of success. In addition, it works to increase the number of countries that regularly collect information about children affected by HIV and other adversities and how their needs are being met, and implements strategies to create, share, and use this knowledge. The types of evidence that are generated and methods to do so vary by project and activity, ranging from empirical case studies to randomized control trials.
Catholic Relief Services is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Senior Technical Advisor, Research and Learning to provide technical assistance and quality assurance supporting 4Children for research and learning activities in 4Children’s program designs and workplans, including 4Children’s Keeping Children in Healthy and Protective Families (KCHPF) Project. The Senior Technical Advisor, Research and Learning will provide robust research guidance and oversight, building on the evidence and learning of earlier activities and on changing demands that may occur in the environment. This position requires strong demonstrated experience in the areas of research design and implementation, especially with vulnerable children and families, solid academic writing skills and experience in facilitating exchange and learning between a wide variety of stakeholders at national, regional and international levels.
Specific Job Responsibilities and Duties
Program Quality:
· Provide leadership, guidance, and technical assistance in research and learning for OVC programming, with a particular emphasis on child protection and the needs of children living outside of family care, including children affected by AIDS.
· Lead design and quality assurance of research protocols in select 4Children country programs, including the KCHPF Project, particularly during project design and research/evaluation phases
· Provide quality assurance and technical support to all 4Children and KCHPF research partners, including daily management of KCHPF’s partnership with Westat in relation to all technical research aspects
· Conduct and/or lead the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, providing oversight and technical support to all research partners involved in the project, including liaising with KCHPF and other external Research Advisory Groups
· Develop and/or review appropriate instruments, scales and metrics to deploy in research activities, including 4Children and KCHPF research concept notes and protocols for country projects, supervising the process of submission to and approval by local ethical review boards
· Identify and support country-level research and/or data collection partners in close collaboration with 4Children and KCHPF country teams and Westat, depending on project design and local context;
· Support the documentation of 4Children results including but not limited to drafting project briefs, project reports, developing conference and/or webinar presentations and articles for peer reviewed journals;
· Systematically promote cross-fertilization and learning between 4Children or consortium members’ research initiatives, identifying areas for collaboration and further investment;
· Actively promote information exchange with other international and local organizations and projects working to produce similar evidence as or relevant to 4Children, identifying areas for potential collaboration and joint learning;
· Participate in relevant 4Children team meetings, including with partners, country teams and the donor
Representation and Advocacy:
• Actively liaise with USAID Office of HIV and AIDS and the Displaced Children and Orphans Fund, and cultivate strategic relationships and alliances with relevant global and regional multilateral and international agencies, bilateral donors, NGOs and other civil society partners, host country government partners, key stakeholders and other organizations to maximize and leverage resources and avoid duplication of effort
• In collaboration with CRS country offices and Consortium Members, strengthen linkages with key stakeholders in targeted countries
• Support the program communication strategy, including compliance with USAID branding and marketing requirements as well as CRS marketing and communication procedures
Management and Supervision:
The STA has no supervisory responsibilities
Key Working Relationships
Internal: 4Children: Project Director, Deputy Project Director, other key personnel and Senior Technical Advisors; Program Specialists
CRS: Vice President for Program Impact and Quality Assurance; Director for Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning; Director for Health and Social Services; Country office project directors and teams
External: USAID Office of HIV and AIDS and Displaced Children and Orphans Fund, Consortium member agencies, technical advisory groups, other key stakeholders ,Multilateral and bilateral agencies and donors
Agency-wide Competencies
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:
• Serves with Integrity
• Models Stewardship
• Cultivates Constructive Relationships
• Promotes Learning
Qualifications
· Master’s Degree or higher public health, epidemiology, biostatistics, demography, social sciences or related field. PhD preferred
· Five years’ experience working in research and monitoring and evaluation in multiple regions of the world, including:
Proven experience in designing/supporting operational research with vulnerable children and families;
Strong quantitative research skills with an ability to communicate technical information clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical colleagues both orally and in written formats.
Demonstrated experience collecting and analyzing qualitative data, with the ability to present data-rich reports both orally and in written formats
Experience working with Institutional Review Boards
· Proven management skills in coordinating project teams and/or consultants in operational research implementation and reporting
· Demonstrated expertise with Microsoft Office package applications and data analysis software for quantitative and qualitative data analysis e.g., Epi Info, Stata, SPSS, NVivo, or similar packages
· Experience engaging effectively with USAID/PEPFAR, and other bilateral agencies; the United Nations and other international agencies; host-county governments and counterparts; and other key stakeholders
· Ability to travel extensively internationally
· Excellent English language oral and written communication skills; fluency in French, Spanish, Portuguese, or Arabic a plus
Requirements:
ALL APPLICANTS MUST BE LEGALLY AUTHORIZED TO WORK IN THE U.S. AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION
Disclaimer Clause:
This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skills, efforts, duties and responsibilities associated with this position.
CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.
EOE/M/F/D/V
EmoticonEmoticon