Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Research Manager (National Position)

Background/IRC Summary:  The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is at work in over 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. The IRC has been operating in Thailand since 1975 and currently provides assistance to displaced persons in Tak, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi and Mae Hong Son provinces

The IRC’s programming in Thailand focuses on five core programming areas – primary health care, protection, women’s empowerment and the prevention and mitigation of gender-based violence, education, and livelihoods. These programs reflect IRC’s guiding principles of capacity-building, participation, partnership, protection and promotion of human rights as well as holistic programming.

Job Overview/Summary:
The Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Research Manager is in charge of the overall research management and technical oversight of the project Integrating An Evidence-Based Mental Health Intervention Into Non-Communicable Disease Care, funded as part of ELRHA’s Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) to International Rescue Committee, and partners Johns Hopkins University, Khon Kaen University. The project aims to examine the integration of an evidenced-based mental health intervention into existing non-communicable disease (NCD) care models, implemented by IRC in Thailand refugee camps to compare health outcomes, factors influencing treatment compliance, and costs between intervention and control groups. The MHPSS Research Manager will take primary responsibility for the RCT study, as well as work with the partner teams and key IRC staff and consultants (Senior Health Coordinator, Health Coordinator, MHPSS Manager, MHPSS Lead Research Consultant, etc.) to ensure key milestones of the project are designed and implemented. The position will be based in Mae Sot and the MHPSS Research Manager will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of all study activities. The Research Manager will report directly to Senior Health Coordinator for RCT-specific work and to activity/ research management of the overall project. 

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:
Technical and Research Management

• Lead and participate in designing and implementing key milestones across the project timeline and maintaining good flow of information with all partners such as community agencies and local/national government agencies.
• Manage the research plan effectively and efficiently aligned with research methodology and ethical behavior, including managing random allocation to study arms and managing enrollment tracking (completed, drop out, etc.)
• Build and provide sufficient support for the research team to enhance research capacity.
• Consistently track progress against plans, based on project agreements and contractual obligations.
• Contribute to modifications to the design (as appropriate), in collaboration with all partners.
• Conduct weekly research meetings and development of research reports, learning papers and other documents and submission of regular reports on all study activities to IRC
• Work with IRC Thailand finance and Senior Health Coordinator team to monitor IRC program expenditures. This will be done in close coordination with the MHPSS Lead Researcher and MHPSS Technical Advisor.
• Conduct field visits regularly for monitoring and evaluation, relationship building, capacity building and service quality assurance.
• Contribute to development of, high-quality and timely IRC/ donor reports, research reports, learning papers, and other documents, as requested by IRC.
• Provide strategic leadership and administrative management of the implementation of the study. This may include but is not limited to directing and overseeing development of appropriate strategies for intervention provision, participant recruitment, logistics and research administration; leading and/or overseeing meetings related to the activities of the grant; research training; and directing grant-related personnel on tasks.
• Achieve the objectives as stated in the study research protocol. This may include documentation of steps taken when clinical safety protocols are enacted and appropriate reporting as per the research protocol, working with the PI to update research protocols (e.g., the IRB), and helping lead project actions that are needed and following up on these to assure time requirements dictated by the research.
• Data management and reporting system. Attend training on the data management and reporting system (e.g. CommCare mobile data collection system or Kobo Toolkit) and stay updated on the use of this for research to be able to oversee data collection and help with troubleshooting.
• Train, co-train, and/or oversee data collectors working on the RCT.Specifically, the person in this position would train and oversee data collectors to conduct qualitative and quantitative data collection.
• Aid in carrying out the statistical plan, setting up the data management system, and ensuring data are organized and kept on file for data analysis.
  
  Staff Supervision & Development
• Participate in internal meetings and coordinate with other programs.
• Directly supervises the MHPSS Research Officer
• Manage direct reports according to legal requirements and the HR Handbook, and support with recruitment of MHPSS staff as needed.
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.
• Conduct trainings to staff members of other departments to introduce the project to teams (Health and Clinical staff, MHPSS team, Psychosocial Workers, etc)
  
  Other
• Other duties as assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs.
  Professional Standards
• All IRC staff are required to adhere to THE IRC Way Standards for Professional Conduct and the IRC country employment policies.
  
  Key Working Relationships:
  
  Position Reports to:  Senior Health Coordinator
  Position directly supervises:  MHPSS Research Officer , CETA Trainers
  Indirect Reporting: Qualitative and intervention Data collector
  Other Internal and/or external contacts:
  Internal: Country Director, Deputy Director of Programs, Mae Sot Field Coordinator, Health Coordinator, IRC Headquarters health technical advisor(s), IRC health staff in all Thailand sites, Bangkok-based program unit, IRC Women’s Protection and Empowerment program team in all Thailand sites; IRC protection team in all Thailand sites; sub-grants compliance unit; finance unit; Operations/Logistics/Supply Chain unit
  External: Local community-based partner organizations, CCSDPT Health Sub-Committee, Thai public health authorities, non-governmental organizations, World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations agencies engaged with IRC programs.