Job Title: Research Communication and Uptake Officerfor the COUNTDOWNConsortium – Nigeria

Full/Part time:Part-time

Location:Kaduna

Line Manager:The role will have full responsibility for ensuring the findings of the research arising from the COUNTDOWN consortium is taken up by policy makers and practitioners nationally and to work with the international team. The role will report to the Nigeria country management team. The role will advise senior consortium staff on prioritisation of key tasks to support the take up of research and will provide support to staff with implementing communication strategies.

BackgroundCOUNTDOWN brings together an innovative and multidisciplinary UK (LSTM, Pamoja Communications), USA (FHI 360) and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Sightsavers partnership (Ministries of Health in Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria and Nigeria) of high profile Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) researchers, key NTD policy makers and practitioners and specialists in implementation research (IR) and research uptake.

COUNTDOWN will contribute to reducing the morbidity, mortality, and poverty associated with NTDs through increasing knowledge and evidence for cost effective scale-up and sustainable control and elimination of NTDs as a public health problem in line with the WHO 2020 NTD Roadmap.

COUNTDOWN Nigeria, will consist of a multi-disciplinary team working on evidence synthesis, health economics and qualitative research to answer implementation research questions that will be identified in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health (Neglected Tropical Disease and Non-Communicable Disease Unit). The post will be supported in the delivery of these activities by the Nigerian COUNTDOWN management team and the research uptake lead for COUNTDOWN based at Pamoja communications.

Job Aim:The purpose of the post isto maximise the impact of the research generated by the COUNTDOWN Consortium in Nigeria in building a more effective NTD programme and stronger health system. The role will identify research and support the development of relationships with key stakeholders in health systems decision making, who can apply the research findings. It will be responsible for co-ordinating, and overseeing the development, production and distribution of research uptake and communication products. It will support others in the consortium in developing their skills in research uptake. It will monitor and evidence impact of research uptake.

Competencies:Experience in health, science or international development policy and building influence with stakeholders. Knowledge translation in a health/development context. Stakeholder insight development.

Summary of role:Manage the public face of the consortium partners in Cameroon and the uptake of research work produced by it. Implement the consortium’s research uptake strategy through strategic planning processes, intelligence gathering, relationship management andinfluencing activities.

Main duties:

Implementation of the consortium’s research uptake strategy to include

Understanding context

  1. Identification and engagement of key stakeholders, potential users of the research findings and decision makers
  1. Developing insight into the information needs of potential users, stakeholders and decision makers with a view to understanding and influencing their agendas, understanding their decision making context and their research priorities
  1. Seeking out opportunities for engaging with stakeholders, users and decision makers, including online fora, meetings and conferences.

Capacity development

  1. Supporting research leads in Nigeria through desk research to understand their stakeholder and potential user agendas.
  1. Supporting research leads in partner organisations with horizon scanning to understand the political agenda and opportunities within it for the uptake of research
  1. Supporting partners in packaging and communicating research findings for different target audiences, through producing guidelines, briefs, web updates, social media streams and other products.

Offering tailored products

  1. Co-ordinate between the different strands of research across the consortium partners, making links between different findings and the implications for target audiences and producing tailored products such as themed newsletters, online discussions, policy briefs.
  1. Ensure all research reports are written so as to be accessible and in the house style, contracting elements of this work where necessary.
  1. Have an oversight of the COUNTDOWN website and maintain this.

Building influence

  1. Briefing research directors and researchers as to opportunities to present their research and ensure this is presented in the most appropriate way to have impact for the audience.
  1. Observing and providing feedback to researchers on approaches used.
  1. Attending meetings, conferences or other fora alongside researchers to provide support in how to achieve impact.

Monitoring and evidencing impact

1.Lead on data collection showing the applications and use of COUNTDOWN research. Developcase studiesto highlight progress, process, challenges and successes.

2.Lead on the reporting of communications and research uptake work to the COUNTDOWN coordinator, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

Contract management

  1. To manage external contractors and consultants,for example printers and photographers, as and when required.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Criteria / Competencies / Essential/
Desirable / Assessment
Education & Training /
  • First degree or Masters in a health, politics or development related subject(or equivalent professional qualification)
/ E / Application and interview
Experience /
  • Experience of working with governments and NGOs in a development context
  • Experience of working with the media and knowledge of development media
  • Working in a research setting or of evidence based practice
/ D
D
D / Application and interview
Skills, Abilities and Knowledge /
  • Entrepreneurial ability in finding opportunities to engage with audiences and see where research is relevant to them.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills in the English and French language.
  • Strong skills in analysing complex information or situations and in communicating complex research findings in the fields of economics, statistics, social science, health or development
  • Proof reading and copy editing skills and the ability to translate complex research evidence into simple and accessible formats for different audiences
/ E
E
E
E / Application, written submission and interview
  • Knowledge of current debates in global health, particularly relating to NTDs and health systems
/ D
  • Understanding of the barriers to research uptake by decision makers and the challenges of communicating research to them
  • Skills in developing a range of outputs for communicating research
  • Familiarity with Web 2 technologies and online social media
  • Strong interpersonal skills with an ability to communicate effectively with staff from academic, technical, government and practitioner backgrounds.
  • Good networking and relationship management skills with an ability to work with a range of stakeholders including donors, government officials, research organisations, NGOs and the private sector.
  • Ability to work as part of a team
/ D
E
D
E
E
E
  • Service contract management for contractors
supporting communications work such as
designers and copy editors
  • Ability to build and maintain relationships with
the media
  • Good networker, with the ability to make links
between issues and organisations and build
relationships
/ D
D
E
Interests and Disposition /
  • Health and NTDs
/ E / Application and interview