Consultor em demografia e saúde - Angola

Research Capacity Building Advisor, Angola

Population Services International

Apply By: 28 September 2010

Population Services International (PSI) is the world’s leading non-profit social marketing organization, with a mission to measurably improve the health of poor and vulnerable people in the developing world by influencing their behavior, principally through social marketing of family planning and health products and services, and health communications.   PSI has programs in more than 60 countries and works in malaria, HIV, reproductive health, child survival, and tuberculosis.  PSI’s core values are a belief in markets and market mechanisms to contribute to sustained improvements in the lives of the poor; results and a strong focus on measurement; speed and efficiency with a predisposition to action and an aversion to bureaucracy; decentralization and empowering our staff at the local level; and a long term commitment to the people we serve.  For more information, please visit www.psi.org

PSI seeks a Research Capacity Building Advisor (RCBA) as part of a program with multiple health interventions, namely in the area of HIV, malaria and diarrhea prevention. Working with the HIV and Child Survival Departments, the RCBA will lead key processes such as population segmentation, testing of communications materials and monitoring and evaluation processes in-line with PSI’s methodologies. The Advisor will also lead the recruitment and training of an accomplished team of researchers to serve the Angola operation longer-term. Additionally the position will be responsible for working with technical department heads to translate research into actionable programmatic inputs and the coordinated dissemination of research outputs to stakeholders and partners.   The emphasis in this program is on the development of data for management decision making, completing research work of high quality on a regular basis which serves to inform better project implementation and resource allocation. The RCBA is responsible for following the standard tools and methodologies of the global PSI/Research team and will be expected to participate in relevant PSI/Research meetings and workshops. 

The RCBA will be based in Luanda, Angola with anticipated funding for two years and will report to the PSI Country Representative. 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Strengthen the capacity of, and transfer skills to, PSI/Angola’s research team to independently implement, manage, and improve quantitative research activities by providing technical assistance in areas of research design, sampling strategy, data analysis, and dissemination of results to internal and external stakeholders
• Provide technical assistance in the design of qualitative studies, including the development of communication concepts and pretest of communication strategies
• Provide technical assistance to PSI/Angola’s research team to use mapping activities to measure coverage and access to PSI products, as well as helping to enhance reporting of PSI field activities through mapping
• Develop internal systems for cross-departmental institutional annual, semi-annual, and quarterly work planning and reporting
• Increase the capacity of, and provide technical support to, PSI/Angola program staff to build their skills in interpreting research results and using a research-to-action approach to guide programmatic decisions and activities
• Assess Angolan partner institutions for gaps in behavioral research approaches
• Develop and implement a training curriculum to strengthen identified gaps, along with a benchmarked calendar of implementation
• Develop annual research plans based on program requirements
• Assist with study implementation, including study design, data analysis, report writing and dissemination (through publications, presentations and workshops)
• Represent PSI/Angola to high-level partners, including donors and the Government of Angola

QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Master’s Degree in public health, behavioral sciences, population studies, psychology communication or marketing; PhD preferred
• 5+ years experience in the design, management, analysis, and dissemination of behavioral research in public health
• Experience in the implementation of a wide range of quantitative and qualitative methods
• Advanced statistical analysis of health survey data and strong multi-variate analysis skills preferred
• Experience in capacity building or training in foreign settings
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent studies
• Demonstrated ability to inform programmatic decisions using research results
• Experience working in developing countries and/or situations of political sensitivity

The successful candidate will have extensive knowledge of SPSS and/or STATA programming; ability to train, manage and develop research staff in cross-cultural settings; strong monitoring and evaluation research experience with programmatic implementation, demonstrated experience of capacity building, written and spoken Spanish or Portuguese, strong writing skills; the ability to work closely with program staff to deliver actionable and insightful research outputs; excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated experience of positive governmental relations. Preference will be given to candidates with experience working in resource poor settings, knowledge of public health issues, familiarity with the international donor community and experience using PDAs for data collection. 

*Position contingent upon funding

APPLY ONLINE at http://www.psi.org.  No calls or emails, please.

PSI is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from qualified individuals regardless of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or disability.