National Research Consultant, Human Rights and Healthy Diets (East Africa) - 3 positions

The Assignment

The Human Rights and Healthy Diets (HR&HD) Research Support Initiative is a research project aimed at identifying knowledge gaps, capacity needs, and other barriers and opportunities for researchers, civil society organizations and policymakers to promote healthy diets through human rights-based approaches in three countries in East Africa: Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

Under this project, a scoping review of international and regional human rights frameworks, legal instruments, and local and global actors within and outside of the health sector will be undertaken to assess how these can be leveraged to promote healthy diets in East Africa. 

The findings of the scoping review will inform the development of a conceptual and analytical framework which will serve to engage with selected implementing partners to understand, through desk-based research and key informant interviews, their experiences in and the opportunities for applying human rights-based approaches in policy and advocacy activities.  

The HR&HD Initiative adopts a collaborative approach, relying on an extensive network of experts, including the National Researchers, who will be involved in the research project at its different stages and in different capacities.

The core research will be guided by the Law & NCD Unit at the University of Liverpool, in collaboration with IDLO and the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University. This core research group will be supported by an Advisory Board​ composed by both national and international experts with various and complementary expertise which will advise, enrich and support the development and delivery of the project research outputs.

The research group will rely on three National Researchers (one per target country) for the data collection and knowledge synthesis at country level through the administration of interviews and the production of a synthesis report.

Under the supervision of the IDLO Health Law Team and in close collaboration with the Law & NCD Unit, the National Researchers will perform the following core tasks:

•  Actively participate in the inception workshop organized by the Law & NCD Unit at the outset of the work;
• Contribute to the identification and categorization of key informants, including relevant informants at country level;
• Upon request, support the finalization of the interview protocol (questionnaire), in particular facilitate the identification of relevant context-specific information;
• Plan, schedule, organize and undertake interviews with key informants at country level, based on the stakeholder mapping validated by the research group. The number of interviews will be determined as a result of the stakeholder mapping (between 10 and 15 key informant interviews). This should include: communicate with key informants to schedule interviews, administer the questionnaire validated by the research group, carefully record and transcript each interview and make the recording and transcriptions available to the research group through a shared drive;
•  Prepare a comprehensive high-quality synthesis report, which will include:

1. the methodology used;
2.  the knowledge synthesis of the collected data presented in the format that will have been agreed with IDLO at the inception workshop run by the Law & NCD Unit;
3. relevant country specific information identified under the research group’s guidance;
4. the transcripts of all interviews administered in an Annex; and
5. any other relevant information that the National Researcher considers important for the successful completion of the project.

•  Review and finalize the synthesis report based on inputs and comments received by the research group.

 The planned timeline is:

•  the data collection phase should be completed by the end of December 2021.
•  the synthesis report should be submitted by mid-January 2022.

IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE

Academic qualifications

• Master (or equivalent) degree in law, public health, political studies, development, or related field is required.

Experience and Expertise

• Proven ability to conduct in person and remote key-informant interviews;
• Proven experience in qualitative and quantitative analysis; experience in data collection and in conducting mixed methods research in the field of public health;
•  Proven expertise in quality report drafting;
•  Sound expertise in public health, especially in development contexts;
• Demonstrated knowledge of human-rights based approaches to development; and
• Knowledge of specific country context.

Desirable

• Knowledge of legal and fiscal approaches to NCD prevention or a similar multisectoral public health issue; and
• Specific NCD expertise is an advantage.

 Languages

• Excellent drafting, writing and research skills in English are required.

Specific knowledge, skills and behavioral competencies

• Strong research and analytical skills;
• Demonstrated ability to work proactively and independently, as well as collaboratively as part of a research team, and doing so in a well-organized manner and exercising sound judgment;
• Proven ability to interact in a timely, constructive and professional manner with colleagues from government, civil society organizations and academia; and
• Keen sense of ethics, integrity and commitment to IDLO's mandate.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This is a short-term consultancy (“Single Engagement Agreement” according to IDLO’s employment model). Fees willbe paid upon receipt of deliverables of a high quality and approval by IDLO. Subject to qualifications and experience, IDLO offers a fee in the maximum amount of EUR 3,900 for successful completion of the assignment.

The period of engagement will be of approximately 2 months (December 2021 – January 2022). The selected candidates are expected to start immediately.

IDLO is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity in all areas of its operations. We welcome applications from qualified and diverse candidates.Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for IDLO vacancies and consultancies.

IDLO does not tolerate sexual exploitation or abuse, any kind of harassment, including harassment of a sexual nature; or discrimination. As such, IDLO will conduct careful reference and background checks of all selected candidates as part of its selection process, even for short term consultancies.

DISCLAIMER AND CLOSING DATE 

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by the contractor assigned to this work. This is not an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities.

The Director-General of IDLO reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities or even to cancel the recruitment to meet business and organizational needs as necessary.