Research Advisor, Consumer-focused research

About the Role

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is seeking a Research Advisor, Consumer-focused research to ensure high-quality design and implementation of research and learning initiatives to support GAIN programming. This role will be on a 2 years’ fixed-term contract basis, subject to availability of funding. This position is open to GAIN’s country offices in New Delhi, Nairobi and London.

Reporting to the Senior Technical Specialist, Knowledge Leadership, the Research Advisor will be a member of the Healthier Diets research unit under our Knowledge Leadership team. You will be responsible for ensuring high-quality design and implementation of research and learning initiatives to support GAIN programming. These programs are aimed at directly reaching individuals with the goal of enhancing nutrient adequacy and improving diet quality. In particular, the position will provide strategic and technical leadership through evidence to inform the design, implementation, and evaluation of consumer-level projects, including those with a demand creation and/or Social Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) component at GAIN.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Overseeing and delivering technical advice to country projects and supporting on the integration and development of research questions and methods
• Conducting literature reviews or data searches relevant to food and nutrition issues, as relevant to the projects
• Leading the selection, managing and engaging with key technical partners (e.g., local data collection firms, think tanks) for the high-quality design, implementation, and dissemination of the research
• Leading the implementation of research activities (e.g., surveys, evaluations, implementation research and other assessments) throughout all stages, design (protocol and questionnaire development), implementation (training, data collection and quality assurance), data analysis and reporting
• Leading the development of a learning agenda to strengthen the methods, tools, and resources available for the design, implementation and evaluation of projects (e.g., demand creation, SBCC
• Developing and reviewing reports, papers, briefs, blogs, and presentations related to the research methods and results
• Ensuring the delivery of high-quality technical outputs from external partners and team members by conducting comprehensive technical reviews and collaborating with them to enhance quality as necessary. Collaborating closely with project teams to interpret these technical outputs and translating their implications for project design and/or revision
• Representing GAIN at technical and non-technical events as appropriate. Presenting research findings to stakeholders in country workshops and at scientific or other relevant conferences to facilitate the uptake of results for decision making
• Leading or supporting monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) activities, including working with monitoring specialists to advance the development of standard indicators that can be used for tracking progress on consumer-focused projects
• Collaborating with programmes colleagues (programme services and country programmes teams) and communications teams on development of manuscripts, publications, blogs, white papers, articles, factsheets, and briefs on relevant topics

About You

The ideal candidate will have substantial experience in research design and implementation using either quantitative or qualitative methodologies, in nutrition or a related field. Experience should encompass design of research methodologies, analysis of data and reporting of results. You will also possess hands-on experience of programmatically relevant research in a low- or middle-income country, in collaboration with local research counterparts.

The postholder will possess strong report writing and presentation skills, including on technical topics and demonstrated experience in critical analysis skills to support evidence generation and reporting. In addition, you will be proficiency in interpreting consumer-focused research results and integrating key findings into the development of communication campaigns and strategies. Candidates with proven research project management experience in complex and diverse environments, including delivering projects on time and within budget and using project management processes and tools would be an asset.

In addition to this, you will have excellent communications skills and able to work with diverse groups/individuals and comfortable working in multicultural and multi-lingual environments. You will be fluent in both written and verbal English. Candidates with proficiency in French or Portuguese would be an additional advantage. The postholder should also be highly flexible and willing and able to travel internationally regularly

A Master’s degree in consumer research, marketing, nutrition, public health, sustainable development or related field. Candidates with PhD in marketing, nutrition, sustainable development, economics, development studies, policy or related field would be an advantage. You will be computer literate in Microsoft Office, with demonstrated skills in data analysis software, such as R, Stata, SAS, or SPSS; or nVivo or ATLAS.ti. would be an asset.

About our Offer

The starting salary for each office is as follows, depending on experience:

• India: From INR 2,103,036 (gross) – INR 2,406,324 per annum
• Kenya: From KES 4,668,456 (gross) – KES 5,337,360 (gross) per annum
• United Kingdom: From GBP 51,396 (gross) – GBP 55,080 (gross) per annum

GAIN has a fair and competitive salary structure that allows for annual progression subject to good performance. In addition, GAIN offers a total of 37 days holiday per year (including annual leave, public holidays and additional office closure days), an attractive pension scheme and competitive insurance cover including health, travel and life assurance.

We are committed to the health of our staff, especially in these challenging times, and have developed a programme of wellbeing that includes flexible working, additional leave allowances, wellbeing days, mindfulness coaching and access to independent and confidential counselling.

GAIN also has a strong commitment to professional development. We will support you to grow in your career through both formal and informal training, and are committed to providing opportunities through internal recruitment, secondments and promotion. All of this is delivered in a supportive and collaborative environment.

About GAIN

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is a Swiss-based foundation launched at the United Nations in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition. Due to COVID19, conflict in Ukraine and climate change, malnutrition and hunger have worsened significantly since 2019, reversing a decade of progress. There is growing recognition that our food systems need to change if we are to reverse these trends.

GAIN’s Strategy aims to transform food systems to make healthier diets from sustainable food systems accessible to all people and especially those whose are most vulnerable to shocks. By 2027, we aim to improve the access of 1.5 billion people to nutritionally enhanced staple foods, improve the access of 25 million people to healthier diets, and support positive food system change in 10 countries. This is bold and complex, and the only way to achieve this is to work together with partners including governments, businesses, and civil society at the country and global level. These goals, and the ways of achieving them, build on our twenty-year legacy of transforming people’s lives with improved nutrition through concerted action and effective policy change.

Our Working Culture and Environment

We provide a flexible working environment that includes a combination of home and office working opportunities through our global hybrid working policy. This encourages our staff to have a healthy work-life balance and increases staff motivation, enriches employee wellbeing, and improves performance and productivity.

All of our positions are based in one or more of GAIN’s designated offices as stated on our job advertisements. Successful candidates will be based in one of GAIN’s country offices and must have the existing right to live and work within a reasonably commutable distance of the relevant city / cities in which the role is advertised. Please note, that GAIN does not sponsor working visas and relocations.

GAIN reserves the right to withdraw an offer of employment for candidates who are considered to ineligible under the above conditions during or after the recruitment process.

This advert closes on 13th September 2024. Early applications are encouraged. GAIN reserves the right to close this advert early should we receive suitable candidates ahead of the closing date.

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition is committed to equality of opportunity and creating an inclusive environment where diversity is valued. We are keen to reflect the diversity of our society at every level within our organisation and therefore welcome applications from talented and committed people from all backgrounds, representing the diverse societies we operate in.