I. Job Summary
Action Against Hunger-USA seeks a Deputy Project Director to support a 3-year research project on Operation & Maintenance (O&M) for water service delivery in rural humanitarian contexts. The research will look into alternative models to the traditional community-based governance of water supply infrastructure that is often applied in humanitarian contexts. The project is expected to identify and compare O&M models for rural water supply through a comprehensive mixed-methods approach in up to 10 countries spanning Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and South-East Asia, before designing and testing specific models in up to three country office where Action Against Hunger operates and responds to humanitarian crises.
The Deputy Project Director for Research Operations will support the Project Director in all aspects of technical, operational, and administrative oversight of the research. As the secondary point of contact and back-up support to the Project Director, the Deputy Project Director will contribute to the research and will work with research staff and partners across multiple countries. The Deputy Project Director will serve as the secondary point of contact between the project and the donor, and will manage specific elements of the research as assigned in the annual work plans. The Deputy Project Director will support the overall technical strategy and direction for all project activities and staff, and will closely contribute to the administrative, fiscal, and regulatory oversight of the project.
The O&M research project is expected to require approximately 50% of the level of effort (LOE) from the position. The remaining LOE will be allocated to other WASH and/or research projects, including business development, technical assistance, and/or knowledge management, based on needs and profile.
The position is contingent on receiving the funding, and on a final approval by USAID/Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs of the applicant.
Requirements
II. Essential Job Duties
The Deputy Project Director for Research Operations will:
(A) Serve as the secondary point of contact to lead and implement of the Water Supply O&M research (min 50% LOE).
As a senior leader of the project, this role will:
• Support key aspects of study design and implementation from inception through completion.
• Manage allocated project resources adequately to conduct high-quality research and ensure donor compliance.
• Support with the obtention of applicable approvals for trial registration and ethical review, at international and country-levels before starting the study and enrolling subjects.
• Support the submission of all required reports to IRB and/or the donor, as applicable.
• Provide oversight over delegated study activities, to ensure that the research is conducted in alignment with its protocol, in compliance with all donor and ethical rules and obligations, and all guidelines and standards within Action Against Hunger.
• Ensure that each subject’s valid, voluntary informed consent will be obtained and documented using an IRB-approved tool.
• Support in training and technical oversight of research personnel and consultants in study sites and at global level.
• Ensure supervisory duties of research analyst(s) or other staffs as required, according to Action Against Hunger’s procedures.
• Coordinate and ensure quality inputs from local and global partners, stakeholders, and all actors involved in the research.
• Support on data analysis, in adherence to the pre-planned protocol analysis plan, using appropriate quantitative and/or qualitative analyses to produce technically sound and robust results.
• As delegated by the Project Director, represent Action Against Hunger-USA to donor(s) to instill confidence in the organization’s scientific leadership and project management.
• Support the animation of the project steering committee.
• Timely contribute to work planning, interim and final reporting, and any contractual or requested deliverable are timely developed, submitted, and revised to the highest quality, and meets donor’s expectations.
• Work with administrative, operation and finance functions at Action Against Hunger and at partners to ensure close oversight of compliance requirements and appropriate allocation and use of project resources.
• Coordinate with Action Against Hunger’s country offices and headquarters (France, Spain) involved in the research, ensuring efficient research delivery and monitoring collaboration protocols.
• Support the Project Director’s collaboration with administrative, operation and finance functions at Action Against Hunger and at partners to ensure close oversight of compliance requirements and appropriate allocation and use of project resources.
• Support with Pause & Reflect workshops, learning reviews, or other exercises fed by project monitoring to ensure up-to-date decisions and revisions to the research questions or methodology.
• Support the dissemination of project results as appropriate through publications, presentations in conferences and webinars, and organization of learning and dissemination events.
• Delegate management of USAID project resources.
• Act as Acting Project Director during absences of the Project Director.
Based on evolving priorities established by Action Against Hunger, the Deputy Project Director will be involved in the following functions:
(B) Contribute, support, or implement strategic WASH and/or projects at Action Against Hunger.
• Support or direct project management of small or medium research or project evaluation from survey design to completion.
• Directly implement components of research such as literature review, desk work, consultations, field work, dissemination of results.
• Contribute and review methodologies, reports, and dissemination products.
• Produce data analysis and propose the presentation of results and findings
• Contribute to the dissemination of results, including through participation and presentation in conferences or webinars, workshops, learning events.
• Provide ad hoc technical assistance to country offices for WASH projects (research or direct implementation), including field visits, capacity building of teams, review of documents and findings, identification and coordination of sector experts and partners.
• Identify and contribute to the development of learning opportunities and other technical resources that support the implementation and scaling up of WASH interventions, based on internal experience in Action Against Hunger’s country offices, as well as on innovative or relevant initiatives external to the organization.
• Supervise junior research analyst(s), intern(s), and consultants
• Work with administrative, operation and finance functions at Action Against Hunger and at partners to ensure close oversight of compliance requirements and appropriate allocation and use of project resources.
• Contribute to improving knowledge management of the WASH sector within the organization.
(C) Contribute to new business development in research and/or WASH:
• Contribute to positioning, capture, program design, proposal development, and resourcing for funding opportunities to support the development of research or strategic WASH interventions.
III. Physical demands
· While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit for long periods and to concentrate on work, including typing, and turn out heavy volumes of work accurately, within short time frames under stressful situations in the context of a moderately noisy office with many interruptions. Must be able to proofread own work accurately so that only minor corrections are needed on an infrequent basis.
· Travel to humanitarian contexts will be required. To travel to the field, the employee must attest to a level of physical fitness capable of enduring physically difficult, highly stressful situations which may include the necessity to walk long distances, to eat a limited diet and/or to reside in potentially uncomfortable housing or tents.
· The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
IV. Working Conditions, Travel and Environment
· The duties of the job require regular job attendance in New York and/or Washington DC and/or Nairobi, as well as field visits, attendance to external meetings and conferences.
· Must be available to travel to work and travel outside normal office hours, on or weekends as needed or required.
· Must be able to travel coach fare for standard domestic and international business travel as well as to the country project sites.
· While performing the duties of this job in the field, the employee may be exposed to precarious settings under high security risks and/or very basic living conditions and outside weather conditions, as well as infectious diseases
V. Gender Equality Commitments & Zero Tolerance to Abuse
· Foster an environment that reinforces values of people of all genders equal access to information.
· Provide a work environment where people of all genders must be evaluated and promoted based on their skills and performance.
· Promote a safe, secure, and respectful environment for all stakeholders, particularly for children, beneficiaries, and members of staff.
· Help to prevent any type of abuse including workplace harassment and sexual abuse and exploitation.
· Respect beneficiaries’ women, men, children (boys and girls) regardless of gender, sex orientation, disability, religion, race, color, ancestry, national origin, age, or marital status.
· Value and respect all cultures.
VI. Required Qualifications
· Master’s degree or higher in a relevant field to the study (international development, WASH-related studies, governance, private sector development, project management, operational management, etc.);
· At least seven (7) years of demonstrated technical experience in a combination of multiple cross-cutting areas, such as social science, humanitarian WASH response, and data analytics;
· Minimum of three (3) years of demonstrated leadership and managerial experience overseeing a team (or teams) of support staff and/or consultants.
VII. Required Skills & Experience
· Experience working in humanitarian contexts emergency and in post-crisis recovery context.
· Familiarity with all steps of project cycle management.
· Strong understanding of operational, administrative, and financial oversight of donor funded projects (USAID preferred).
· Experience in the international WASH sector preferred.
· Experience with operational research, ideally in the WASH sector.
· Genuine interest in and commitment to the humanitarian principles of Action Against Hunger
· Capacity to represent the organization within the Action Against Hunger network and externally to other humanitarian actors and donors.
· Must possess strong organizational skills, and be able to pay attention to writing and reviewing detailed reports, as well as preparing and editing technical documents.
· Ability to take initiative and prioritize multiple tasks with minimum supervision.
· Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to work both independently and as a member of a team
· Good working knowledge of various computer software including MS Office
· Excellent written and verbal English communication skills are essential
