Field Research Associate

About Progressive Health Partnership:

PHP is a small but growing health and human rights organization that applies a scientific, systems-based, community-driven approach toward improving the well-being of marginalized populations.  With a focus on governance and a commitment to local partnership, the organization has implemented several major health programs in Uganda, in areas ranging from maternal health to water, sanitation, and hygiene.  Recognizing that good intentions are not enough to create an impact in the global development field, PHP has developed a multifaceted approach built on the three pillars of service, research, and advocacy.  Working hand-in-hand with communities to implement research-driven strategies, our core objective is to unlock the knowledge, power, and agency of people themselves to achieve genuine development.  Our innovation is not so much what we are doing but how we are doing it.

About the Project:

In collaboration with the University of Michigan, PHP is seeking a Field Research Associate to work on scaling a governance and accountability project in the Ugandan health sector.

Limited accountability in the healthcare system contributes to healthcare delivery failures such as health worker absenteeism, low health worker performance, and diversion of supplies and medications.  Together, these factors ultimately contribute to poor maternal and child health.

The Community-Centered Development Project aims to mitigate such accountability gaps by exploring interventions that (1) facilitate grassroots dialogue between citizens and political leaders on the quality of local health services and (2) enable local politicians to more effectively use their roles to incentivize higher-quality care in the health sector. Ultimately, we envision that enhanced accountability within health service provision will improve health outcomes. We have successfully completed a pilot project of two interventions, and we are now finalizing the design and plan for a scale-up across a much wider geographic area of Uganda. We will test the impacts through a rigorous randomized control trial. 

Project Leadership:

The project is led by an interdisciplinary team of Principal Investigators:

• Assistant Professor Elisa Maffioli, PhD, School of Public Health, University of Michigan

• Josh Greenberg, MD, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Michigan, and CEO, Progressive Health Partnership

• HaEun Lee, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Center for Global Health Equity, University of Michigan

Mr. Jordan Bateisibwa, Director of Programs at PHP, also plays a lead role in coordinating the project activities. In addition, this project is supported by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and faculty from the Makerere University School of Economics.

Job Description:

The Field Research Associate will manage the implementation and evaluation of the project from beginning to end, functioning as a link between PHP and the Principal Investigators. He/she will primarily report to Dr. Greenberg and Prof. Maffioli. He/she will closely collaborate with the Director of Programs to manage the project in the field. The Field Research Associate will also collaborate with government officials, manage research partnerships, and engage local communities throughout the project.

We are looking for candidates with experience in the implementation of randomized evaluations, familiarity with quantitative measurement techniques and software, ability to clearly communicate both verbally and in writing, and experience engaging a broad range of stakeholders, including government officials, community members, and researchers. This opportunity will allow candidates to gain expertise conducting rigorous impact evaluation, be exposed to a variety of data collection and analysis methods, and gain experience working on community-based health interventions. We expect the work to be excellent preparation for a PhD in economics, public health, or public policy, or for more advanced quantitative work in global development at large.

Location: While the Field Research Associate may have some opportunity to work remotely, she should be prepared to spend a substantial portion of the position in Uganda. Applicants must be willing to travel frequently to remote areas of the country.

Start date: Approximately September 2023

Timeframe: Preferably 18 months, but other timeframes will be considered based on availability and qualifications.

Responsibilities:

Research and management:

• Contribute toward the development of grant applications.

• Assist in field work preparation, including survey tools development and testing, piloting, and sample selection.

• Manage the core implementation of the project, which includes supporting the intervention implementation, data collection, progress tracking, data cleaning, and data analysis.

• Help to directly oversee and provide mentoring to in-country field interviewers, and contribute to building systems that facilitate good research practices.

Reporting and communication:

• Communicate on an on-going basis with the PHP team and the Principal Investigators on the progress of the project, including flagging potential problems such as delays, data quality issues, or threats to validity and recommend solutions to the problems.

• Establish and maintain effective communications with on-the-ground team members and government officials.

• Coordinate the preparation of policy reports and dissemination materials.

Organizational:

• Apply sound judgment to accomplish project goals through instated procedures, practices, and policies.

• Prioritize effectively and handle multiple components and sites of the project simultaneously.

Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in economics, public health, international development, international affairs, or closely related, quantitatively rigorous field.

Experience:

• Experience interacting and collaborating with government officials, non-governmental organizations, and key stakeholders in low- and middle-income countries.

• Experience managing staff and working on complicated projects in low- and middle-income countries.

• Experience presenting research findings at public forums to both research focused and non-research focused audiences. 

• Experience living in an East African country is a plus.

Skills:

• Analytical, managerial, and communication skills (both oral and written).

• Leadership and relationship-building skills.

• Attention to detail, organizational skills, and time management skills.

• Proficiency in STATA or R.

• Proficiency in SurveyCTO.

• Fluency in English.

Successful candidates will:

• Have a start-up mentality, doing what it takes to get the job done.

• Demonstrate an ability to quickly pick up new skills.

• Be proactive asking for help and guidance when needed, but move with urgency and focus to achieve project milestones and goals.

• Have a natural curiosity as to how governance plays a role in improving access to high-quality health care.

• Be able to manage high-level relationships with governments and local partners.

 How to apply:

All applications will be received and Reviewed through Brightermonday Portal by Clicking on the 'Apply Here' section