Description
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1.Background
Improving the health and wellbeing of adolescents around the globe is an important yet underappreciated and underfunded endeavor. While governments and multilateral organizations have programs targeted specifically to early childhood development, adults, and (to a lesser extent) the elderly, the important life stage of adolescence usually falls through the cracks – being indirectly served by programs designed for a different purpose or demographic.
Existing bodies of evidence on what works to improve adolescent health and wellbeing, and associated systems for generating and applying knowledge and learning, conclude that most such initiatives fail to meet the needs of adolescents. This leads to underinvestment by governments and development partners as well as programs with questionable effectiveness in supporting adolescent wellbeing. There is a sense that a disconnect exists between what adolescents actually need and how the work targeting them – from the definition of the problems to the collection of data to the design of interventions, programs, and systems – is organized.
A new collaboration between the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children, and Adolescents (GFF) and the Development Research Group (DECRG), the World Bank’s independent research department, aims to address these barriers to improving adolescent wellbeing by starting a new laboratory on adolescent health and wellbeing, called ADLAB. ADLAB will be housed in DECRG to signal that it’s envisioned as a research endeavor, conducting evaluative and implementation research. However, through its staffing and management committee, it will have strong links with the GFF and counterparts in GFF countries (and elsewhere) to ensure that it is engaged in prioritizing pertinent questions facing health, education, and social protection systems in low-income countries (LICs) and focused on translating evidence into successful implementation and eventual scale up of promising programs into robust government systems.
2.Tasks
The researcher will initially work with the ADLAB management team (consisting of researchers in DECRG and GFF, as well as other staff from GFF) to (a) set initial priorities for the lab, (b) participate in research to fill gaps in evidence in priority areas, (c) work with GFF focal points, local research organizations, and LIC government institutions to disseminate and translate the evidence, and (d) focus on the design and implementation of government programs to address important issues pertinent for adolescent wellbeing.
Specifically, the researcher may be involved in some or all of the possible tasks listed below:
(i)Serve as (co-) investigator of select studies to ensure proper management of research projects and subsequent dissemination – including carrying out data analysis, preparing materials and inputs for presentations, authoring working papers, publishing in peer-reviewed academic journals, drafting reports for policymakers, etc.
(ii)Lead or support priority setting activities for the lab, including facilitating consultative dialogue/processes in GFF countries through existing country platforms for stakeholder engagement; with World Bank task teams, GFF country focal points, and GFF results specialists; and other key stakeholders (e.g., GFF steering committee, GFF Global Youth Platform, etc.).
(iii)Prepare calls for proposals (CFPs) to fund studies from GFF countries for work in various stages (formative work, study design for descriptive or evaluative research, study implementation, etc.) and help evaluate such proposals for funding, including managing the review process.
(iv)Facilitate formation of study teams, including WB staff, local research institutions, and researchers from DECRG. Incorporate youth engagement into the research activities, per the ADLAB youth engagement strategy.
(v)Provide technical support to local research institutions, as needed (determined on case-by-case basis), particularly on implementation research study design, data collection and analysis, effective stakeholder engagement throughout the research process, and evidence translation plans.
(vi)Focusing on translating such evidence into implementation and scale-up in specific cases; conducting additional iterative research to continue learning and adapting, making sure that partner institutions can incorporate evidence into effective programs and robust delivery systems that serve the needs of adolescents.
In the early stages of the consultancy, we anticipate that the tasks (ii) – (iv) (selecting and setting up studies) will occupy much of the selected researcher’s time. After this initial period, we anticipate the researcher to spend most of their time on research activities, i.e., tasks (i), (v), and (vi).
Selection Criteria
•A PhD (required) in economics, public health, epidemiology, biostatistics, education, or related field with strong (quantitative and/or mixed method) research and publication skills.
•A specialization and/or experience in implementation science, including knowledge of theories, frameworks, study designs, and data collection methods and tools.
•Field experience, preferably in sub-Saharan Africa or SE Asia, working with governments or multilateral institutions.
•Specialization and/or experience in developmental science focused on adolescents, OR experience with implementation of or research on adolescent health and health service delivery approaches for adolescents.
•Experience managing research teams, with experience working across institutions and countries preferred, and collaborating with governments and implementers in conducting research.
•Familiarity with artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques, as well as comfort using big and alternative data sources.
•Advanced skills with data processing and analysis, both for quantitative and qualitative research.
•Excellent written and oral communications skills in English, with a second language being a plus (French preferred).
•Strong interpersonal skills and self-motivation with demonstrated ability to work effectively with minimal supervision and collaborate sensitively in multinational and multicultural teams.
4.Reporting arrangements
The researcher will be based in the Development Research Group (DRG) of the World Bank but will work closely with colleagues from the Global Financing Facility and will report to the ADLAB management team.
5.Estimated costs
The researcher will be hired as a one-year extended term consultant (ETC), with the term being open to extension for two more years based on performance, business need, and availability of resources.
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