Research and Learning Officer

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity, and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

The International Rescue Committee has been working in Somalia since 2006, providing essential services to conflict and disaster-affected communities. The IRC has been operational in South Central Somalia (Mudug, Galgadud, and Banadir regions), implementing interventions in the areas of livelihood, WASH, Governance, peacebuilding, GBV, Nutrition, education, and health, reaching out to more than 200,000 conflict and drought-affected people.

CBMNC PROJECT OVERVIEW

Under the supervision of the Research Project Coordinator, the Research and learning officer will be the focal point for executing research and learning activities around a new community based maternal and newborn care program that will be implementedin Dhusamreeb.

The community-based maternal and newborn care program consists of multiple phases:

1. Formative phase: Using existing global evidence and innovative and localized mechanisms such as mathematical modeling, user-centered design, and behavioral insights, a preliminary model of a community-based program will be developed
2. Stakeholder inputs phase: The preliminary model will be discussed with key technical experts at national and global level to arrive at a model that will be piloted
3. Pilot/implementation phase: The program will be implemented, on which research, monitoring, and evaluation will be conducted.

The Research and Learning Officer is expected to mainly contribute to this third phase of work, supporting relevant process evaluation and M&E work of the pilot program.

We anticipate this project to be approximately three years long. This project will work in parallel with a multicounty research project called Ensuring Quality Access and Learning (EQUAL) which aims to produce rigorous, operationally relevant research and evidence to improve maternal and neonatal health in low-income, conflict-affected contexts.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as a focal point for all monitoring and evaluation activities, progress reviews, assessments and developing reports, etc.
• Provide technical oversight of the M&E of the CBMNC project and support the monitoring of MNH intervention implementation, as per the program M&E plan.
• Build the key partners’ capacity by preparing supervision instruments and processes based on the program M&E plan and support the implementation of these instruments in the Supervision of Community Health Workers.
• Distribute reporting materials; support regular data collection supervision with the design and implementation of agreed tools and processes.
• Support research partner focal points to ensure accurate report completion and provide technical support to the analysis of program performance and provide advice for improvements.
• Support consolidated reports from each village and provide feedback to the key technical staff.
• Build partner capacity by assisting in developing and implementing mechanisms for supervision and monitoring.
• Participate in the required performance review meetings with the government and partners.
• Monitor progress in the implementation and results of the projects against the strategic objectives and indicators, as well as promote and support the quality assurance of all project interventions.
• Oversees all the data collection and analysis processes, and facilitates baseline, progress studies, and surveys as required.
• Conducts qualitative and quantitative data analysis and information evaluation, contributing towards the situation analysis, progress, constraints and gaps assessments, and evaluation of the program performance.
• Provide technical support and training to project partner(s) to strengthen M&E systems, including the development of systems, the recommended reporting and monitoring formats & guidelines or/and provides any on-site support.
• Provides appropriate comments and prepares consolidated high-quality analytical and visualized reports in collaboration with the project team.
• Assists in the collection and dissemination of lessons learned, actioning evidence-based programming informing the project approach, and adapting the M&E systems and framework as required by the context.
• Participate in strategic program discussions on the planning of the project.
• Maintenance of data platform for the project.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• University Degree in public health, development studies, research methods, or statistics from a recognized institution with a minimum of 2 years of experience in health and community health programming.
• Strong experience in M&E and research work, especially quantitative surveys for maternal newborn health, or community health, is preferred.
• Advanced proficiency in the English language, both oral and written, and the ability to use Microsoft Excel functions effectively
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to lead, train and motivate a team
• Proven analytical, communication/ negotiation skills and ability to think strategically.
• Willingness/ability to travel to locations and live in challenging environments
• Experience in working collaboratively with the local and national government