Job Opportunity for Research Coordinator at Vihara in Sitapur

The context

Stanford University is partnering with Vihara Innovation Network on WASH UP! Evaluation Project which is a collaboration between Stanford University, World Vision, and Sesame Workshop.

It features a combined education and infrastructure sustainability program with two objectives: (1) to improve the knowledge and practice of safe WASH behaviors among primary school students and (2) to improve the sustainability of WASH service delivery at schools. The education portion of the program consists of a curriculum developed by Sesame Workshop. The purpose of the infrastructure sustainability intervention is two-fold: (1) to ensure that existing WASH infrastructure on school premises are always functional and (2) to ensure that the necessary WASH consumables, such as soap and water for handwashing, are always available.

Stanford University is seeking to collaboratively design an infrastructure sustainability intervention with Vihara, that incorporates insights from the systematic review conducted by Stanford around existing WASH service deliveries as well as insights from an in-depth formative research to be conducted by Vihara at the ground level. The infrastructure sustainability intervention will be implemented in 100 rural government primary schools across the Sitapur district, Uttar Pradesh.

What will your day-to-day look like?

• Lead the team in designing, implementation and management of intervention solutions; ensure high-quality program implementation through in-person monitoring and oversight across Sitapur district, U.P. in close coordination with project staff
• Provide technical assistance to strengthen the capacity of project staff, partners and other staff to design and implement quality programing
• Lead all project activities across partner geographies and the person will coordinate, identify and mobilize stakeholders who will be collaborators in the implementation of activities, oversee activity roll out, implement and sustain knowledge and demand for services
• Conduct in-person fieldwork; participate in data synthesis and analysis; identify patterns, key insights, and opportunities; and provide a rich evidentiary basis and stimulus for program decisions such as overall innovation direction, theory of change, key evaluation indicators, etc.
• Strengthen collaboration with the key stakeholders and partners including funders for shared results through addressing both supply and demand side issues
• Identify and write technical and programmatic briefs as appropriate and disseminate and promote sharing information and initiatives through relevant channels.

Role

We’re looking for a capable Research Coordinator with relevant experience (5-6 years) in designing and/or implementing solutions (especially WASH/public health or social development) in low resource settings while managing multiple stakeholder relationships. You’ll have to manage all aspects of this project in-person in Sitapur (U.P.), the details of which are outlined below.

Team management

You will be leading a cross disciplinary team consisting of researchers, designers, public health experts and partnership team members.

Planning and overseeing implementation of project activities, tracking and reporting progress, managing the various team members and keeping the entire team engaged and motivated are the primary responsibilities under this aspect of the role.

Project strategy

A large part of the project involves co-creation with external stakeholders. You will design and facilitate collaborative workshops, brainstorming sessions, codesign activities within the team, as well as with clients and project partners.

In addition to the above, you will also be responsible for thinking about strategies to engage with the ecosystem, and finding avenues to engage with non-traditional stakeholders. You will collaboratively develop this with the CEO and the senior leadership team of the organisation.

Good to haves ( skills / experiences )

• Bachelors or Masters degree in Anthropology, Psychology, Behaviour Science, Service Design, Strategy or Social Sciences.
• A combination of relevant technical experience in research and design as well as partnership, planning and management skills.
• Experience in designing systems and services with components of process and products in the health, public service and/or development sector. Your portfolio should highlight piloted service solutions. Experience in designing for health services, primarily in the WASH sector for low resource settings and/or prior experience of working with children or in schools is most valuable.
• Strategic understanding of the user centered design process, with experience in developing and leading teams through tailored design methods for public innovation projects.
• Knowledge of public health related issues, sensitivity to cultural differences and understanding of the political and ethical issues surrounding public health issues; superior written and verbal communication skills.
• Knowledge of relevant stakeholders within the community of practice, donors and their strategies.
  Proficiency with Hindi, a plus if fluent in the regional language of Central U.P. (eg. Awadhi).

How to apply

To apply for this job, please write a succinct email describing your interest in this position, and attach a writing sample, your up to date CV and a portfolio if you have one. Please highlight experiences that are relevant to the description mentioned above.

Send it to vihara@vihara.asia

About Vihara

Vihara is one of India’s leading design led social innovation practices. It has been working in this sector for more than a decade, and has deep expertise in bringing innovation to social development.

Our teams are multi-disciplinary, representing wide expertise areas such as Design, Research, Management and more. Our way of working involves tying together these various technical skills to achieve the common goal of making social systems work for people. As such, we like to think of our team as changemakers, rather than identify them by their technical specialities.

You can read more about our work on our website