Research Officer Job in Kenya

Senior Research Officer

Overall Purpose of the
Job

The
Senior Research Officer I will
take the lead in evaluating the contribution of new agricultural approaches on nutrition and food safety towards
a One Health Approach. The candidate is expected to develop, coordinate and implement longitudinal
studies to assess household determinants of nutrition and quality of life. The candidate will design
protocols and data collection tools based on the study objectives and ensure that all study arms are
well examined. He/she will report directly to Lead Investigator (Human Health) within a one-health
multisectoral project team and is expected to take the lead in strategy development to assess human
health determinants within this structure.

In particular,
the Senior Research Officer I is expected to have a well-established background
in nutrition, the potential
values and habits that drive families’ nutrition priorities, dietary assessment
and food security measures.
The candidate will have excellent social science skills. He/she will be
responsible for planning and
overseeing the implementation and productivity of enumerators and interviewers,
will

provide team
training on qualitative survey tools and ethical conduct of research, and will
lead qualitative data
compilation and analysis using NVivo software, prepare reports and manuscripts,
and present research findings
through various forums.

Specific Duties

• Liaising with
the lead investigator (Human Health) to develop a research implementation plan
and community engagement
strategy based on proposed research objectives.

• Develop
protocol for ethical approval from KEMRI SERU and NACOSTI.

• Lead in
developing and refining research protocols, data collection tools and
translations for ethics approval
from KEMRI SERU and NACOSTI.

• Develop guides
and tools for the implementation of qualitative surveys.

• Implement
surveys to assess food availability on dietary diversity.

• Identify the
role of household decision-making on dietary diversity.

• Identify
household determinants of nutrition, health, quality of life and subjective
well-being in households
practising different farming systems.

• Link
anthropometric measurements assessing growth and development for infants,
children

adolescents and
adults with farming systems and household decision making.

• Lead the
development of behaviour change interventions and women empowerment strategies

based on
formative work to enable agricultural technologies to have an impact on
nutrition and

well-being.

• Manage field
research activities and supervise field teams.

• Help with
ensuring meeting audio files are transcribed and translated.

• Qualitative
data management, data analysis and report writing.

• Contribute to
manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Requirements/Qualifications

• Masters’ Degree in
Nutrition with a Public Health or Global Health context.

• At least 5
years of research experience at the intersection of nutrition, agriculture and
health.

• Experience in
the identification and measurement of health and livelihood indicators.

• Conversant in
gender-informed dynamics in household metrics.

• Proficient in
designing and implementing mixed methods research, including developing and applying empirical social science tools, and
facilitating activities.

• Highly
experienced in conducting thematic analysis using NVIVO software and publishing
data output.

• Training in
behaviour change intervention and communication strategies.

• Skilled in
stakeholder analysis and mapping.

• Training in
responsible research conduct, ethics and safeguarding.

• Excellent
written and oral skills in English and Kiswahili.

• Excellent
communication and interpersonal skills.

• Excellent team
player willing to work in a multicultural and transdisciplinary research team.

Other Desirable
Attributes

• Enjoys field
work even under challenging conditions.

• Outgoing
individual who is happy to contribute to other projects outside the main
responsibility.

• Self-driven
individual who recognizes the importance of completing work within timelines
and budget.

• Accountable.

Reporting

This position reports to
the Lead Investigator, Human Health Theme and Overall Project PI.

How To Apply

Applications will be
accepted up to8th September 2023. Interested applicants should submit (a) a

confidential
cover letter; (b) a detailed CV with names and addresses of 3 referees,
including e-mail

addresses; and
(c) a statement illustrating suitability against the listed
qualifications/competencies/abilities, and skills.

Candidates are required to
apply online through: http://recruit.icipe.org
or by Email:

recruitment@icipe.org

icipe is an
equal-opportunity employer. It fosters a multicultural work environment that
values

gender
equity, teamwork, and respect for diversity.