Associate I & GIRL Center Manager

Position description

The Population Council’s Girl Innovation, Research, and Learning (GIRL) Center is seeking a dynamic researcher to grow a portfolio of adolescent-focused work, as well as support day-to-day strategic operations as the Center manager. The GIRL Center is a cross-cutting research hub that brings together today’s leading scholars in adolescence to generate, synthesize, and translate evidence effectively for decision-making. The Center envisions a gender-equitable world where girls and boys make a healthy and safe transition into adulthood and reach their full potential. We contribute to this vision by: 1) generating evidence on adolescence, 2) convening key stakeholders and communicating evidence to drive evidence-based policy and practice and 3) growing current and future talent and networks of adolescent researchers and scholars. 

This Associate will be part of a dynamic and multi-disciplinary team focused on conducting policy and program-relevant research on issues related to adolescents, especially girls, including child marriage, education, sexual and reproductive health, economic empowerment, migration, and climate change. Areas of research may include: documenting disparities, understanding how girls’ lives evolve during adolescence, and identifying interventions that are most effective at delivering the best outcomes for girls. We are looking for a researcher with a track record in adolescent wellbeing and development, both in the US and in LMICs, who brings both quantitative and qualitative research methods expertise. The researcher will work under the leadership of the GIRL Center Director and in collaboration with other researchers based across the Council’s U.S. and 13 country offices and its partners. The researcher will undertake rigorous evidence synthesis, including systematic reviews, secondary analyses using the Council’s and its partner’s existing data, as well as primary research to advance the Council’s research agenda. The researcher will also be responsible for communication of research findings, fundraising, project development, and management of his/her/their research projects in collaboration with other researchers and research staff. As the GIRL Center Manager, they will be responsible for tracking and reporting on donor deliverables, proposal writing, managing Center staff and other strategic management functions as needed.

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Research (60-65%)

1. Work with the Director and other Council researchers to define, lead, conduct and manage cross-country research analyses, evidence synthesis, and primary research to advance a range of adolescent outcomes.

2. Serve as lead researcher and co- investigator in partnership with internal and external researchers to generate ideas and develop and execute research projects that align with the Council’s research program on adolescent wellbeing and development.

3. Produce academic and non-academic publications that effectively communicate the Council’s research to a wide range of audiences, including other researchers, policymakers, practitioners, donors, the media, and governments.

4. Lead and support fundraising for research grants, including identifying and liaising with donors and leading or contributing to proposal development.

5. Represent the Council at external forums and meetings and work with other Council researchers to develop and host meetings/panels/webinars for external audiences.

6. Liaise with programs country offices, and administrative units (e.g. Accounting, Grants and Contracts, and IRB) within the Council as required.

7. Contribute to the Council’s organizational development initiatives.’

8. Perform related duties as assigned by the Director.

Management (35%-40%)

1. Manage proposal development for the GIRL Center in collaboration with Council’s team members and external partners, including writing and reviewing technical and non-technical sections of a proposal, and ensuring alignment between technical components and cost proposal

2. Lead the development of an efficient and responsive program structure to ensure a dynamic talent pool across the GIRL Center; 

3. Supervise staff members, potentially to include the GIRL Center Coordinator, post-doctoral fellows and intern(s); 

4. Work closely with internal departments to resolve internal management issues as they arise; responsible for resolution of issues on behalf of the GIRL Center; 

5. Lead on the development of effective and efficient processes for quality assurance, knowledge management, proposal development, program communications enforce systems, policies, and procedures.

6. Provide effective budget oversight; review and sign off on finance and administration (e.g., expense reports, travel authorizations, consultancy staffing requests, etc.);

7. Provide support to GIRL Center staff and collaborators to ensure high quality proposal submissions, donor reporting, dissemination events, and publications; and,

8. Liaise with internal teams to share and communicate GIRL Center outputs effectively to internal and external audience.

9. Perform other related duties assigned by the Program Director. 

Qualifications

We understand that there are many paths to acquiring expertise and experience and strong candidates may not have every qualification listed here. We encourage applications from individuals with diverse and/or nontraditional backgrounds who bring passion, skills, and experience in many or most of these areas. 

1. Doctoral degree in relevant discipline (public health, sociology, public policy, economics, etc.) and at least 2 years of post-doctoral experience or Masters and at least 8 years of post-degree experience

2. Solid record of peer reviewed publications on adolescence 

3. Experience in program management/coordination of research activities, preferably focused on adolescents and/or gender

4. Experience working in an international research organization or conducting international research at an academic institution 

5. Fluency in quantitative research methodologies, data management and analysis (using STATA or other data analysis software) and demonstrated capacity to analyze large and multiple datasets

6. Strong knowledge and application of qualitative research methods

7. Demonstrated ability to write successful grant proposals and build strategic relationships with a variety of donors

8. Excellent representational and interpersonal skills

9. Experience managing and mentoring early career researchers and research staff

10. Willingness to travel in the US and internationally as required

11. Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, including ability to effectively communicate with a wide range internal and external stakeholders (strong desire for individuals who have strong speaking or writing commands in French or Spanish)

12. Exceptional management and organizational skills 

13. Strong attention to detail, with a proven ability to handle multiple responsibilities at one time, successfully prioritize tasks and meet deadlines

14. Highly developed skills to influence and persuade; ability to quickly and effectively build relationships with team members and stakeholders

15. Must be able to work under pressure and meet deadlines while maintaining a positive attitude and providing exemplary assistance to internal/external stakeholders

16. Strong problem-solving skills and management of team members with different background 

SALARY AND BENEFITS: Salary range between $92,000-$120,000 annually, depending on knowledge, skills and experience. Excellent benefits package includes:

• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance available immediately upon hire;
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer contribution equal to 12% of annual salary (up to a maximum salary of $200,000) after one year of employment;
• 24 annual and 12 sick days per year (accrued semi-monthly) *
• Approximately 10 paid holidays;
• 13 weeks of paid parental leave;
• Educational assistance*
• College tuition support for dependents**

We strive to provide an environment of professional growth and development.

*Pro-rated for part-time staff who work a minimum of 20 hours per week.

**Employees must work full-time to be eligible for this benefit 

Application instructions

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