Global Health Fellows Program II

Technical Advisor II: Technical Advisor for Research

Research, Technology, and Utilization Division, Office of Population and Reproductive Health, Bureau for Global Health, United States Agency for International Development

Location: Washington DC

Assignment: Two year fellowship

GHFP II-P1-045

The Global Health Fellows Program (GHFP-II) is a five year cooperative agreement implemented and managed by the Public Health Institute in partnership with CDC Development Solutions and Management Systems International. GHFP-II is supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

GHFP-II's goal is to improve the effectiveness of USAID health programs by developing and increasing the capacity of health professionals with tailored development opportunities. This is accomplished through the recruitment, placement and support of diverse health professionals at the junior, mid and senior levels, and performance management and professional development activities aimed to enhance the technical and leadership skills of fellows.

BACKGROUND:

The Research, Technology, and Utilization Division (RTU) of the Office of Population and Reproductive Health (PRH) provides technical leadership in building scientific and empirical knowledge and ensures its use in the design and implementation of effective, efficient, high-quality family planning and reproductive health programs. The objectives of USAID's research program in Family Planning and Reproductive Health RTU are to provide new and/or improved technologies; improve the quality, accessibility and cost-effectiveness of family planning and related reproductive health services; strengthen developing country institutional capabilities to use research to diagnose and solve service delivery problems; and enhance the dissemination and utilization of research results.

To achieve these broad objectives, the RTU Division is organized into three teams: implementation science, knowledge translation, and biomedical research and development.

The Implementation Science Team focuses on developing and testing innovative solutions to address gaps and barriers to family planning with emphasis on the following areas:

• Family Planning Systems, e.g. expanding method choice, reducing barriers to care, improving service delivery models including commodity supply and public/private partnerships, understanding and responding to the gap between unmet need and demand/use of services
• Normative Change, especially changing gender norms and other proximate determinants of fertility
• Reaching Special Populations, especially youth and underserved populations
• Cross-cutting work in cost analysis, demographic and epidemiological analyses, GIS mapping, evaluations and other types of scientific work in support of evidence-based decision-making

The Knowledge Translation Team aims to foster sustainable scale-up of evidence-based practices by focusing on:

• Accessibility and Use of Evidence, e.g., through data syntheses, case studies, reports and identification, documentation, and dissemination of high impact practices
• Scale-up of Evidence-based Practices, e.g., through monitoring and tracking scale up and supporting regional and country efforts

The Division's Biomedical Research & Development Team manages a portfolio focused on three key areas:

• Refining existing contraceptive methods to make them more acceptable, affordable and accessible 
• Developing new contraceptive methods that fill gaps in the existing method mix
• Developing new multipurpose prevention technologies (MPTs) that provide simultaneous protection from unintended pregnancy, HIV, and other STIs, and possibly other health benefits

The Biomedical Research & Development portfolio includes applied research, pre-clinical studies, clinical trials, pre-introductory studies and post-marketing surveillance carried out by a range of Cooperating Agency partners.

The RTU Division maintains close working relationships with other United States Government (USG) agencies involved with research and development (e.g., the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health), United Nations agencies (e.g., the World Health Organization) and the private sector (e.g., the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and pharmaceutical industry partners).

INTRODUCTION:

The Technical Advisor for Research (Technical Advisor) will serve as an integral member of the RTU Division and will provide technical assistance to the staff of RTU, and additionally as directed, to PRH, the Bureau of Global Health (GH), and other operating units within the Agency. The Technical Advisor will receive day-to-day guidance from the Chief of the RTU Division.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The primary responsibilities of the Technical Advisor include:

• Provide technical support to the RTU Division's implementation science research projects and staff. Technical support includes providing programmatic guidance in regular management meetings, reviewing subproject documents and research protocols for technical quality, contributing to the design and methodology of proposed research, and monitoring and providing oversight of research activities
• Participate in knowledge translation activities, such as the design and execution of syntheses or analyses of existing research and data to develop recommendations for the use and scale up of evidence-based practices, and to address key questions to inform programmatic decision-making. This activity may involve reviewing existing research results according to criteria related to rigor of research methodology; conducting secondary data analysis; and working with technical advisory groups to reach consensus on "best practices" in family planning programming  
• Participate in reporting, documentation and materials review. This may include preparing documentation, including financial reports; assisting with reports to Congress; and responding to other requests for information. It might also involve reviewing training materials and tools to ensure they incorporate up to date technical knowledge
• Provide technical assistance to country programs through short-term trips to the field. These trips may involve monitoring projects; evaluating research activities or FP programs; conducting short-term studies and analyses to inform strategic design of country FP research or programs; and participating in regional and international meetings
• Participate in strategic planning and technical leadership activities that contribute broadly to the work of the RTU Division, PRH Office and Global Health Bureau. Such activities may involve prioritizing potential new research topics and technical approaches; identifying implementation issues; identifying and exchanging best practices; dissemination of lessons learned; and participation in efforts to address technical and strategic opportunities to improve FP/RH services and technologies
• Contribute to the strategic development of new and innovative implementation research strategies; disseminate information regarding progress in research in these areas; and present on this research at domestic and international scientific meetings
• Participate in research-related Working Groups within the PRH Office and/or the GH Bureau; contribute to RTU coordination with other research-related initiatives and activities across the PRH, GH, and other bureaus within the Agency; serve on a range of interagency and international research committees, as needed

Other tasks or responsibilities may be assigned based on organizational and programming needs and/or the Advisor's own interests.

REQUIRED SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master's or Doctoral Degree in Social Science, Health Economics, Demography, Public Policy, Public Health, or related field
• Minimum 5 years' relevant experience working in research, analysis, family planning or related health programming, or other related experience, with at least 2 years' experience working in an international or resource challenged setting
• Excellent understanding of research, research methods, and biostatistics and modeling
• Experience in synthesizing, communicating, and disseminating evidence-based practices and research results
• Excellent communication skills, including writing and presentation
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Comfortable with multi-tasking in a complex environment
• Good computer skills including PowerPoint, Excel, and statistical software preferred
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally
• Ability to work under pressure, individually and as part of a team
• Foreign language fluency (French, Portuguese) preferred
• US citizen or US Permanent Resident

SALARY AND BENEFITS:

Salary based on commensurate experience and earnings history. The Public Health Institute offers a comprehensive benefits package including professional development programs  http://www.ghfp.net/docs/2012_Benefits_Booklet_GHFP.pdf 

TO APPLY:

All applicants are required to apply for this position through GHFP-II's online recruitment system at  https://www.ghfp.net/recruitment/, which allows you to store your CV, profile and bio data form in our database. A separate cover letter describing your qualifications and experience, interest and familiarity with issues relating to this position, and how this position relates to your career goals is required for each application. All applications must be submitted by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on June 7, 2012. We are proud to be an EEO/AA Employer.