Operations Research Officer needed at Malaria Consortium

Job purpose

The Operations Research Officer will support the technical design for operations research studies within the SMC programme. H/she will support the OR Specialist during the implementation, data management, reporting and dissemination of project key outcomes relating to OR, while ensuring standards and quality in project activities. The position holder will contribute to the evidence base and support the production of peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, conferences and meeting presentations.

Scope of work

The Operational Research Officer will support high quality operational research, including the conceptualization of OR topics and well as post-research implementation processes, within the SMC programme. The post holder will support the Malaria Consortium Technical team, work with selected vendors, and support the operational research activities within the states.

Key working relationships

The Operational Research Officer will report to the Operational Research & Surveillance Specialist supporting Technical team ,  liaise with stakeholders such as the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) through the National Malaria Elimination Programme (SMEP) State Ministry of Health (SMoH) and the State Malaria Elimination Programme (SMEP), partner organisations and subcontractors. The position holder will support the recruitment (especially CVs’ screening) and supervision of consultancy deliverables for OR in SMC supported states.

Key accountabilities

Operational Research contributions (75%)

• Work closely with the OR Specialist and other project team members to support the development of OR protocols as well as all pre-implementation activities such as securing ethical clearance and waivers where necessary.
• Support the day-to-day technical preparations, implementation and supervision of research activities in SMC states
• Support the OR Specialist and Data Analysis Specialist in statistical analysis of operational research data and contribute to reports and publications.
• Support the writing of periodic research-related reports for the SMC programme for donors and other audiences as maybe required.
• Support the implementation of in-country dissemination and research uptake activity plans, such as stakeholder consultations and country specific project learning outputs.
• Provide support to the OR Specialist and SMC state teams in managing activity plans, consultants and budgets for specific operational research activities. 
• Provide support to the OR Specialist for the documentation of operational research and lessons learnt from the project including the drafting of manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals, learning briefs, learning papers and other general documentation (e.g., narrative reports, infographics etc.)
• Support the post-research implementation processes such as ensuring research data is captured in the national data repository (NMDR) by sharing research data with NMEP
• Support the dissemination of lessons learned to national and global audiences through conference presentations, peer-reviewed publications, and technical reports.

Quality assurance of operational research (15%)

• Support the OR Specialist to ensure adherence to OR protocols during implementation and to flag any necessary changes to study protocols as well as seek approvals as appropriate either from the CTC or the research ethics committees.
• Support the supervision of SMC operational research project implementation and the quality control of data collection as planned and as required.
• Working closely with the OR Specialist, support the adherence to research guidelines and standards of operational research quality

1. External Representation (10%)

• Participate in national or regional technical working groups as relevant

Person specification

Qualifications and experience: 

Essential

• A Bachelor degree in Epidemiology, Statistics or Public Health.
• Minimum of 5 years post qualification and at least 2 years working in a research role with an excellent understanding of operational research approaches.
• Demonstrable knowledge of OR study design and significant experience in implementing research studies, including the design of qualitative and quantitative data collection tools.
• Good qualitative and quantitative data analysis skills.
• Previous public health sector experience in sub-Saharan Africa countries.
• Familiarity with Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) in low and middle-income countries and packages, e.g. DHIS2.
• Strong writing skills with at least one publication in an international peer-reviewed journal.

 Desirable

• Significant knowledge in communicable disease control, particularly malaria.
• Experience in working effectively with government and non-government partners.

Work-based skills:

Essential

• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively within a team, including with Ministries of Health and/or other government partners.
• Demonstrated verbal and written communication and presentation skills.
• Excellent statistical analysis skills including familiarity with software such as STATA, R or Statgraphics, CSPro, Atlas ti, NVIVO.
• Results-oriented attitude to work and competency in reviewing, understanding and synthesizing data.
• Practical organizational skills and the ability to prioritize and re-prioritize when necessary to meet tight deadlines.
• Able to travel to SMC supported states to support OR activities or other data collection activities.
• Excellent command of English with excellent writing and communication skills and the ability to present information in clear, concise, and compelling ways.
• Computer literacy, including high degree of skills in MS Office and Stata