Job Description-Overview :
The Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, established in 1981, is the only self-governing graduate and professional school of nutrition in North America. Its mission is to improve
the nutritional well-being of people worldwide through:
• the creation of new knowledge
• the application and dissemination of evidence-based information and
• the education and training of future leaders in the field
This mission is fulfilled by bringing together experts from the areas of clinical nutrition, social and public policy, and biomedicine. Faculty at the school include biomedical scientists, economists, epidemiologists, nutritionists, physicians, political scientists and psychologists who focus on a myriad of issues with the common thread of nutrition and its role in fostering the growth and development of human populations.
The Friedman School of Nutrition is seeking a full-time Field Research Coordinator to work on a project relating to the assessment of the quality and programmatic uses of fortified food products used in U.S. Title II food aid programs. The project, called the Food Aid Quality Review, ( www.foodaidquality.org) is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Office of Food for Peace (FFP).
The project was established in April 2009 to review the quality of Title II food products and programming through literature review, expert consultation, industry consultation, survey methods, and studies. The project completed its second year of research in April 2011 and submitted a final report to USAID with recommendations on changes to U.S. food aid products and programming. The next phase of the Food Aid Quality Review will involve presenting findings and recommendations, implementing many of the recommendations, and testing recommendations through follow-on studies or trials.
The Field Research Coordinator will work closely with the Principal Investigator (PI) and co-PI of the Food Aid Quality Review. The Field Research Coordinator will manage a study of the uses of Corn Soy Blend (CSB) in USAID Food for Peace Title II programs. The purpose of the study is to assess the feasibility of delivering CSB with oil to beneficiaries in Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition (MCHN) programs administered by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in developing countries that use Title II commodities, and to assess the effect of modifying the packaging of CSB to improve communication of appropriate uses. Two consecutive studies will be conducted; the Field Research Coordinator will be responsible for both studies in the country.
The research will take place in communities surrounding Blantyre, Malawi.
The Field Research Coordinator’s responsibilities will include:
• Work with the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) procurement staff to ensure oil and CSB are procured together.
• Work with the NGO program staff (MCHN program) to make sure CSB and oil are distributed together.
• Work with local nutrition professionals (possibly including the NGO program staff) to develop acceptable recipes/methods for cooking CSB with oil for babies/children under age two and pregnant/lactating women.
• Contract with and supervise a local research firm to conduct qualitative interviews with beneficiaries on the acceptability of the oil/CSB combination and what (if any) difficulties they face in preparing/feeding CSB with oil, and on their use (especially intrahousehold allocation) of the CSB/oil.
• Conduct (and/or contract with a local research firm to conduct) interviews with the NGO program and procurement staff on the ease of procuring/programming CSB consistently with oil and what (if any) difficulties they face in ensuring that (a) oil and CSB are always available together; (b) oil and CSB are always distributed together; (c) appropriate recipes for oil/CSB are available and beneficiaries accept them.
• Work with NGO procurement staff and program staff to plan for the procurement and distribution of CSB in small (1.5 – 2.5 kg) bags.
• Contract with a local communications firm to develop appropriate messaging and package design to promote appropriate use of the CSB (messaging to appear on the smaller bags).
• Contract with a supplier to produce the bags with the selected messages/designs.
• Contract with a supplier to bag the CSB in the smaller bags (This could be re-bagging in the country, or bagging before shipping from the US).
• Work with NGO program staff to fine-tune methods of distribution of CSB in the smaller bags.
• Work with NGO program staff to randomly assign beneficiary communities to receive CSB in smaller bags or to receive the distribution (as they have been) scooped into their own containers from larger (25 kg) bags.
• Work with Tufts team to develop question guides for program beneficiaries.
• Contract with and supervise a local research firm to conduct baseline and follow-up interviews with beneficiaries on their uses of CSB including preparation methods and intrahousehold allocation.
• Write periodic progress reports throughout the project with interim results.
• Monitor and record the costs of each intervention.
• Work with the Tufts team to write a report on the results of the study on feasibility of combining CSB with oil (operational feasibility, acceptability, ease of use).
• Work with the Tufts team to write a report on the results of the pre/post study of the feasibility, acceptability and effects of the changed packaging and messaging (ease of use, intrahousehold allocation and correct preparation).
The Field Research Coordinator will be located in Blantyre, Malawi. This position begins immediately and is expected to continue for approximately 18 months.
Job Requirements
Job Description – Requirements :
Basic Requirements:
Masters in relevant social science field (or equivalent field research experience) with a minimum one year working in a related field. Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite. Familiarity with data analysis program (such as STATA or Nvivo) is a plus. Familiarity with survey research in field settings. Willing to live and travel internationally. Field research experience required.
Preferred Qualifications:
MS in food policy/nutrition or MPH desirable; Experience working in less developed countries in nutrition, health, or related programs at the community level. Experience with Title II programs is a plus. Excellent demonstrated organizational and managerial ability, attention to detail, and ability to multitask; excellent research skills; excellent writing and editing skills.
Special Work Schedule Requirements:
This position is based overseas during the period of data collection (about one year), with periodic trips to the US. The remainder of the time, the coordinator will be based in Boston at Tufts. The needs of field research are erratic; there will be periods of intense activity as well as regular internal travel to research sites in the country. During analysis and report writing (in Boston), the schedule will be more predictable but still may require overtime when reports are due.
Please apply online at http://www.tufts.edu/home/jobs/
JOB REQUISITION # 1122
Tufts University is an AA/EO employer and actively seeks candidates from diverse backgrounds.
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