Project Manager, Local Engagement for Eradication Endgames; Term-limited Consultancy

Although the Africa Regional Certification Commission recently certified the World Health Organization (WHO) African region free of wild polio, circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPVs) have been detected in multiple countries, including countries where Guinea worm remains endemic. Building on the shared goals of disease eradication, The Carter Center is initiating a nine-month project in December 2020 to examine how the Global Polio Eradication Initiative may leverage and adapt the Guinea Worm Eradication Program’s community engagement and mobilization approach in Chad for enhanced ownership of community-based acute flaccid paralysis surveillance and cVDPV outbreak prevention & response.

The Project Manager will manage this nine-month project, which includes the execution of qualitative exploratory research to explore, identify, and diagnose current conditions, and elucidate factors and considerations that should be taken into account when adapting/refining community-based surveillance and outbreak response structures for polio eradication and enhanced Guinea worm programming. The Project Manager will travel to Chad for approximately half of that time to attend stakeholder meetings, and train and directly support the field-based project team as they execute project activities. When not in the field, the Project Manager will maintain direct communication with the project team and manage the execution of project activities remotely.

FORMAL JOB DESCRIPTION

• Manages the Local Engagement in Eradication Endgames project, including the execution of related qualitative exploratory research activities in Chad
• Conducts a desk review of relevant publications, reports, and documents
• Conducts informational interviews with global strategy partners
• Assists the in-country Project Supervisor to conduct landscape and stakeholder analyses
• Develops qualitative data collection tools (e.g., landscape and stakeholder assessment tools, in-depth interview guides, focus group discussion guides)
• Trains in-country project staff, including the Project Supervisor and data collection team on qualitative research methods and specific data collection instruments to be deployed via exploratory research activities
• Provides technical support and manages the execution of focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders
• Organizes, curates, and analyzes data from exploratory research activities
• Writes the final project report and contributes to related publishable articles and papers
• Serves as a project focal point and liaises with other organizations that support related programs
• Travels internationally to Chad to train the project field team and supervise project activities
• Performs other related duties, as required

QUALIFICATIONS

*Minimum:

· Master’s degree (MPH, MSc, MS, MA) in a field related to the area of research or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience in health and/or development programming

· Experience conducting and leading qualitative research in low- and middle-income countries, including management and coordination of field teams

· Written and verbal fluency in English and French

· International travel required

Preferred:

• A doctoral degree (PhD, DrPH) in neglected tropical diseases – particularly those scheduled for eradication, community engagement, or a related area of public health/community development
• Strong qualitative research skills, including proficiency in theoretically-informed data collection instrument design and qualitative analyses
• Experience conducting mixed-methods assessments of community engagement programs, and/or community-based surveillance and outbreak response systems
• Experience in research and/or program implementation related to polio, Guinea worm, and/or other neglected tropical disease eradication/elimination/control programs
• Five or more years of relevant experience, including work in international settings
• Demonstrated record of scientific publication
• Strong writing and communication skills and competency with Microsoft-suite computer applications (Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Teams)

NOTE: This role will require travel to and within Chad during the COVID-19 pandemic. A successful candidate will need to sign an informed consent form prior to travel.