Research Associate – Maternal & Child Health Community

The Research Associate is expected to carry out the following tasks:

·        Supports the Resource Person in Community mailgroup management.  Conducts desk research, mainly through web and document searches and networking, to enhance depth of response to member’s queries; follows up with community members to obtain material.

·        Drafts material posted on Community mailgroups and websites under the guidance of the Resource Person (Consolidated Replies, e-discussion summaries, Updates, Newsletters etc.)

·        Provides the Community with operational support.  Organizes Community events and initiatives; updates the website with documents and links; indexes content under the appropriate keywords and categories; maintains member lists, performance indicators, and reporting information.

·        Contributes to work addressing cutting edge issues of concern to the Community, under the guidance of the Resource Person.  Helps to prepare ToRs and organizes the work; participates in assignments and events in a supporting role; drafts minutes and reports of events

·        Participates in Solution Exchange collective activities and collaborative initiatives.  Promotes team-building; contributes to systems development; ensures conformity and compatibility with agreed systems norms and guidelines; shares information on Community initiatives

• Graduate degree in medicine or post-graduate degree or equivalent in relevant disciplines e.g. public health, social development, home science.

Experience:

• More than 4 years of practical substantive experience in relevant development specialization at the field or national levels, or experience in a research or academic capacity in the field of maternal and child health.
• Basic experience in carrying out desk research

Knowledge and Skills:

• Motivated, energetic, positive, thorough, and responsive to the needs of clients
• Good knowledge of the key concerns and challenges facing development practitioners in the areas to be addressed by the Community listed above.
• Highly effective at securing relevant information through desk research; effective at applying web search tools and conventions
• Excellent drafting skills
• Excellent analytical, organizational and presentational skills
• Proficient with all basic MS Office applications; proficient with or quick to learn new applications; e.g., mailgroup management and web design

Languages:

• Fluency in spoken and written English.  Knowledge of one of the regional languages would be an added asset.