Position Title: Researcher (Maternal, Infant, Child Nutrition)
The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is a leading Africa-based, African-led, international research institution headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. APHRC conducts policy-relevant research on population, health, education, urbanization and related development issues in sub-Saharan Africa.
APHRC seeks to recruit a Researcher towork in the Nutrition and Food Systems Unit within the Research Division, mainly focusing on research on maternal, infant and child nutrition.
Duties/Responsibilities
- Conduct research on nutrition and related areas which may include community-based, school based or desk-based research. Tasks may include study conceptualization and design, project management and coordination including training of field workers, supervision of field work and data management, data analysis, report writing.
- Develop and test strategies to inform policy & practice to optimize breastfeeding, maternal & child nutrition, adolescent nutrition, and food security as appropriate.
- Lead and contribute to proposal development.
- Lead and contribute to scientific writing.
- Supervise, mentor and train junior research staff at the Center.
- Lead policy engagement, knowledge translation and communication to appropriate audiences.
Qualifications, Skills, and Experience
- PhD in Nutrition, Public Health or closely related fields.
- Strong writing skills and good record of publications on relevant areas in sub- Saharan Africa.
- At least three years’ post-doctoral experience in research in maternal, infant and young child nutrition/nutrition in the first 1000 days plus and nutrition of children under five years.
- Experience in developing proposals and attracting research grants, particularly in maternal, child and adolescent nutrition.
- Demonstrated experience in managing research teams and partnerships.
- Proven experience in conducting household surveys.
- Strong quantitative skills (managing, analyzing and interpreting data), with extensive familiarity with quantitative statistical packages (e.g. STATA, SAS or SPSS).
- Computer literacy in Microsoft packages (e.g. MS Word, MS PowerPoint and MS Excel).
- Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills and ability to work in a culturally diverse team.
Desirable
- Expertise/experience in adolescent nutrition.
- Expertise in nutrition of school going children.
- Expertise in human-rights based approach to food systems.
- Experience with work on climate change including linking climate change and nutrition and health.
- Expertise in qualitative methods, including familiarity with qualitative analysis software packages (e.g. NVivo).
The successful candidate may be appointed at Associate Research Scientist (3-5 years after PhD), Research Scientist (6-11 years after PhD) or Senior Research Scientist (12+ years after PhD) levels depending on experience and track record. These positions are classified under Internationally Recruited Positions (IRP), Grades II to V in our scales.
How to apply
Interested candidates are invited to submit their application in English, and include:
- A letter of application;
- A statement of research interests and goals (1-2 pages); and
- CV with contact details of three referees
through our recruitment portal https://aphrc.org/vacancies/. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled.Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Shortlisted candidates will be required to have a Police Clearance Certificate. Cover letters should be addressed to:
The Human Resources Officer
African Population and Health Research Center, Inc
APHRC Campus, Manga Close, off Kirawa Road, Kitisuru
P. O. Box 10787-GPO, Nairobi
Website: www.aphrc.org
APHRC is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to the protection of vulnerable persons