Job Description

Action Against Hunger-USA is part of the Action Against Hunger International network, which provides humanitarian relief in over 40 countries worldwide in the sectors of nutrition, health, water/sanitation, and food security. Action Against Hunger-USA, an independent NGO, currently manages operations in 9 countries: Kenya, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Tanzania, Uganda, Haiti. Action Against Hunger-USA has over $75 million in programs, and approximately 2,000 permanent staff based in New York City, Washington D.C, Nairobi, and country offices. Additional growth is anticipated.

About the Country Program in Ethiopia

Action Against Hunger has been operational in Ethiopia since 1984 responding to both chronic and acute needs through a multi-sectoral strategy where nutrition, Food Security and Livelihoods, WASH, and Gender, Protection and Mental Health Support activities are integrated to have a meaningful impact on people’s resilience. Action Against Hunger currently operates in 6 different regions (Oromia, Somali, Amhara, Benishangul Gumuz, Tigray and Gambella) with a portfolio of 20m USD/year of emergency, resilience building, research, and innovation programs. We have a country team of around 600 staff in 17 regional and satellite offices. Our main donors in Ethiopia in 2021/2022 are BHA, ECHO, Europaid, UNHCR, UNICEF, GFFO, BPRM, SIDA, EHF, WFP, CIAA, and others.

I.                    Summary of position (only for Ethiopian Nationals)

Action Against Hunger has received a five-year contract from the Power of Nutrition to conduct operational research in Ethiopia related to select innovations in the community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) (also known as integrated management of acute malnutrition (IMAM)) that aim to improve the coverage and cost-effectiveness of treatment. The operational research component is led by Action Against Hunger USA in partnership with partners, including UNICEF and the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, among others.

The Power of Nutrition (PON) Ethiopia operational research study aims to address critical gaps in linking knowledge to effective action on acute malnutrition, including how to scale proven innovative approaches to treatment, as well as their implications for the broader policy-level environment. As such, the study will focus on innovations in the management of acute malnutrition, primarily: modified dosage of RUTF in the treatment of acute malnutrition through IMAM programming. This approach consists of modifying the standard dosing of RUTF from a weight-based calculation to an alternative, ‘optimized’ dosing regimen whilst still maintaining comparable treatment outcomes. As current and projected resources are insufficient to meet the total burden of wasting in Ethiopia, there is need to explore ways to increase the cost-effectiveness of treatment. The use of a modified dosage protocol may contribute to achieving such advances by reducing the cost of product per child treated and cured. 

As the main point-of-contact for the study in Ethiopia, the Field Research Coordinator will be based in Addis Ababa, with significant travel to the field to oversee study design and implementation.

Purpose

The Field Research Coordinator will be the in-country lead accountable for overseeing the implementation of the research study in Ethiopia – across all stages, from study design, to ethical approval, training, data collection, analysis, documentation, and dissemination, working directly with the Action Against Hunger Ethiopia nutrition and health team and US-based research team.

Engagement

S/he will be the primary point of contact and central interface for the PON study on all matters in Ethiopia, including close collaboration with the Action Against Hunger Ethiopia country team, the PI and research team within the US Office, select academic/university partners, as well as all PON consortium partners (UNICEF, MoH, etc.) and donors (e.g. PON, Eleanor Crook Foundation, etc.). 

Delivery

The Field Research Coordinator will be responsible for ensuring the delivery of high-quality research design and implementation of research activities, including protocol trainings, all data collection and in-country data management, troubleshooting, data quality monitoring and tracking, supervising project-specific staff, and overseeing all logistics, communication, and coordination. S/he will support the project through coordination with external stakeholders, and management of the award through budget monitoring and quality reporting to Action Against Hunger donors and stakeholders in line with internal rules and regulations, funding regulations, and core values of the organization. 

II.                  Essential job roles

1.       Partnerships, Engagement, and Coordination (10%):

The Field Research Coordinator will serve as in-country lead interface between Action Against Hunger and other stakeholders in Ethiopia. This function is expected to include:

·       Strategically engaging in partnership with the Ethiopia MoH and UNICEF as implementing partners of the project, as well as with relevant donors, including PON, ECF and others

·       Regularly engaging with country-level nutrition coordination mechanisms (e.g., Nutrition Cluster, technical working groups) to ensure alignment with project activities and a clear pathway to uptake and scale-up, dependent upon results

·       Leveraging scientific partnerships with the Ethiopia-based research partner(s) with whom Action Against Hunger will engage closely to design and implement the study

·       Manage any potential conflicts of interest through effective engagement with concerned departments and sectors, disclosing to immediate supervisor and in-country senior management team on timely manner to find common ground and solution

·       Identifying and developing strategic collaborative relationships with other government, academic, and NGO partners implementing simplified approaches throughout Ethiopia as necessary

2.       Overseeing Study Implementation (45%):

The Field Research Coordinator will serve as the primary overseer for the implementation of the study protocol on a day-to-day basis in Ethiopia, putting in place measures to ensure quality delivery. This function is expected to include:

·       Ensuring all relevant national ethical approvals for the research scope are obtained, in collaboration with the Ethiopia-based research partner

·       Ensure proper implementation of all data collection tools, databases, and monitoring systems to track and monitor data collection and the protocol implementation through the study

·       Hiring, training, and managing all data collection staff, as well as monitoring of their data collection and other activities 

·       Review data as it is collected to ensure quality of data collected

·       Facilitating Action Against Hunger’s close collaboration with local authorities, including health extension workers (HEWs) and other health post staff, in the study activities 

·       Ensuring proper informed consent processes are followed and appropriate steps are taken to identify and enroll study participants

·       Tracking enrollment progression and participant completion of follow-up appointments, working across teams to minimize loss to follow-up

3.       PON Project Management (35%):

       The Field Research Coordinator will serve as the individual responsible for managing the project operations in-country. This function is expected to include:

·       Leading the day-to-day management of the PON project, in collaboration with all implicated teams, e.g., operations, finance, and logistics associated with the study

·       Providing technical input into the program design, development and implementation, in close collaboration and with support from the research team and nutrition team

·       Supporting the Project Coordinator in developing and implementing appropriate systems to track progress against delivery and in spending so that the project is implemented on-time, on-budget, and with the highest quality execution

·       Managing and oversee supply requests and timely procurement of supplies

·       Ensuring that all potential project risks are appropriately identified, and proactively managed and/or mitigated in a timely basis

·       Directly line-managing project-specific staff and collaborating with support staff

·       Supporting on-time reporting to partners and donors

4.       Study Sensitization & Dissemination (10%):

The Field Research Coordinator’s responsibilities will include:

·       Collaborating with the research team to analyze and contextualize the data, highlighting key results

·       Facilitating in-country meetings with project steering groups and/or events with other partners and stakeholders to discuss the study design, progress and/or results

·       Supporting the research team and nutrition team in thought leadership through communication of progress and/or results through various dissemination channels and working groups

·       Supporting the research team and nutrition team to prepare project-related reports and Policy brief on identified topics

III.            Supervisory Responsibilities

The Field Research Coordinator will be responsible for supervising all project-specific staff on the PON project. S/he will support in hiring and training the research team, directly line manage 1-3 Research Managers (when hired) and provide indirect supervision of base-level project team leaders.

IV.               Gender Equality Commitments  

• Foster an environment that supports values of women and men, and equal access to information.

• Provide a work environment where women and men must be evaluated and promoted based on their skills and performance.

·       Promote a safe, secure, and respectful environment for all stakeholders, particularly for children, beneficiaries, and members of staff.

·       Help to prevent any type of abuse including workplace harassment and sexual abuse and exploitation.

• Respect beneficiaries’ women, men, children (boys and girls) regardless of gender, sex orientation, disability, religion. race, color, ancestry, national origin, age, or marital status.

• Value and respect all cultures.

V.                 Fiscal Responsibility

S/he will be the primary focal person to provide day-to-day management of the PON budget in Ethiopia.

VI.               Physical Demands

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit for long periods and to concentrate on work, including typing, and turn out heavy volumes of work accurately, within short time frames under stressful situations in the context of an operational base. Must be able to proofread own work accurately so that only minor corrections are needed on an infrequent basis.

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

VII.              Working Conditions, Travel and Environment

• The duties of the job require regular job attendance.

• Must be available to work outside normal office hours or on the weekends as needed or required by contact with the PI or in-country partners.

• Must be able to travel coach fare for standard domestic and international business travel as well as to the country project sites if appropriate.

• While in the field, the employee may be exposed to precarious settings under high security risks and/or very basic living conditions and outside weather conditions, as well as to infectious diseases.

• The candidate must be able to travel to remote locations, often over poor road conditions, in areas of heightened insecurity.

Job Requirements

I.                    Required Qualifications and Professional Experience

• Required master’s degree from an accredited college or university in a major social or health science field of study, preferably nutrition and public health  

• The ideal candidate will have experience working in operational research projects or monitoring and evaluation related to acute malnutrition and IMAM/CMAM programming in Ethiopia.

• We are seeking an individual who is adept at following study protocols, who has good judgement and problem-solving skills, and has strong communication skills and documentation habits. 

• This person needs to have well-developed interpersonal skills (to be able to develop good rapport with data collectors and other in-country stakeholders) and have experience with community-based or public health nutrition or health programming. 

II.                  Required Skills & Competencies

• At least 5 years of experience working in clinical settings, research settings, or emergency program settings related to acute malnutrition in children

• Proven experience in collecting data, implementing surveys, conducting program evaluations, or part of a team implementing a research study.

• Have good understanding and experience on local research ethical approval steps and procedures.

• Proven knowledge of or experience with acute malnutrition programming in Ethiopia

• Strong experience in coordination with governmental, NGO, and UN stakeholders; experience in collaborating with academic partners as part of a research project preferred

• Proven experience managing budgets and overseeing other team members, clinic staff, or data collectors.

• Knowledge of MS Office Suite required and comfortable working with computers with minimal IT support.

• Experience with mobile data collection tools (e.g. Kobo) (preferred but not required)

• Ability and willingness to travel to remote locations for the duration of data collection

• Fluency in English is a requirement; Amharic and any other local languages are desirable 

• Possess strong organizational skills and attention to detail

• Ability to take initiative and prioritize multiple tasks with minimum supervision

• Genuine interest in and commitment to the mission and principles of Action Against Hunger

• Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to work both independently and as a member of a team

How to Apply

Interested applicants can apply using THIS LINK

 Deadline: 4 August 2022 before 5:00 PM

NB: Only shortlisted applicants will be communicated and the selection process includes a technical test and an interview.

Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply for this position.

Action Against Hunger-USA provides all staff with an attractive salary & benefits package. We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees & qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Action Against Hunger-USA complies with all applicable laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.