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Reporting to RPCA’s Associate Director of Research, the Program Manager will support all aspects of expanding Sugira Muryango (SM), a home-visiting family intervention program focused on early child development and violence prevention across three districts in Rwanda in close coordination with the government and other local partners. The Program Manager will collaborate with a diverse team based at FXB-Rwanda to manage all activities of the intervention to enhance buy-in and sustainment of SM in each District. The Program Manager will help with ongoing programming, ensuring the completion of research deliverables, support to field staff, and regular communication with partner organizations, local government, and the RPCA team in Boston, MA. The Program Manager is based full-time in Kigali, Rwanda. This position is open for U.S. citizens and green card holders. This position is temporary for 3-months with opportunities for renewal. 

Roles and responsibilities include: 

Research Management and Implementation (40%):

• Provide on-the-ground support in Rwanda and long-distance communication with Boston based team on research deliverables, updates, and field-related activities, including supporting the deliverables of University of Rwanda. 
• Support local teams, including FXB-Rwanda team members, on the management of field logistics, day-to-day research activities, and monitoring of intervention, including risk of harm and IRB reporting. 
• Contribute to development of materials to support implementation of continuous enrollment program for SM. 
• Support the data collection process throughout delivery of intervention and work closely with Boston and FXB-based team members to report regularly on the progress of the implementation and goals.

Government Engagement and Dissemination (50%):

• Closely work with in-country teams in consultation with RPCA to develop materials to disseminate SM research to key stakeholders, government officials, and other community organizations and funders. 
• Maintain strong partnerships to enhance and contribute to culturally-informed adaptations to SM program including; activities, materials, and messaging-centered on father engagement and violence reduction. 
• Synthesize lessons learned from the advisory board, local NGOs, and study data to create and disseminate targeted messaging included but not limited to father engagement, violence reduction, and child development via continuous training opportunities, one-on-one government interactions and presentations, and scheduled stakeholder meetings with funders, collaborators, and government officials.

Research Administration (10%):

• Monitor communications, with a sense of cultural competence, with Boston, FXB, and University of Rwanda team to ensure research goals are met. 
• Contribute to reports and other materials regarding SM. 
• Lead weekly team meetings with entire team based in Rwanda and Boston. 
• Maintain strong communication with key stakeholders to contribute to study success. 
• Ensure partner invoices are submitted to Boston College for prompt payment. 
  

Requirements

• Masters in Social Work, Child Development, Public Health, Psychology, Global Mental Health or other relevant fields highly preferred. 
• 3-5 years of experience required. 
• Supervisory experience required. 
• Prior international work experience, specifically sub-Saharan Africa, required. 
• Must be able to travel throughout Rwanda and commit to significant time in the field. 
• Demonstrated flexibility, adaptability, and ability to perform and collaborate under challenging conditions. 
• Strong planning, community mobilization, and inter-cultural communication skills required. 
• Knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research, including mixed methods, preferred. 
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail. Self-starter with experience taking initiative and working both independently and as a team. 
• Excellent coordination and collaboration skills required. 
• Excellent communication and project management skills required. 
• Excellent cultural sensitivity and respect for local partnerships required. 
• Authorization to work in the USA (US Citizen or Green card holder) required. 

Reporting to the Sierra Leone Program Manager, the Research Associate will provide oversight between partners to ensure they are executing program plans. The Research Associate will serve a vital role in overseeing research, evaluation, and data
management. This role will be responsible for programmatic reporting and preparing the study ethics and regulatory applications for the study. The role will work closely with
partner organization, Caritas Freetown, and will be based full-time in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The Research Associate supervises and trains a team of 5-10 research assistants at partner organization, Caritas Freetown, and 1-2 Boston College interns. The Research Associate will serve a vital role in overseeing research, evaluation, and data management. This role will be responsible for programmatic reporting and preparing the study ethics and regulatory applications for the study.

This research project links to the 20-year history of the intergenerational study of war affected youth in Sierra Leone. This study will allow us to look at early child development and the potential influence of parental trauma on family functioning among families with children. This study will contribute to a longitudinal study of war to further address exposures to trauma, and risk and protective factors across the social ecology.

Roles and Responsibilities: 

Project Implementation (60%)

• Work closely with the Sierra Leone Program Manager and Caritas to plan,implement, and conduct research related activities for the intergenerational / longitudinal study of war, specifically supporting data collection and research deliverables as indicated by the sponsor
• Create project implementation plans, together with partners and Caritas Freetown, and oversee the ethical and appropriate research protocols related to the collection of data for the vulnerable population
• Support the recruitment of participants from prior waves of the longitudinal study alongside partners and research assistants
• Travel to the field as needed around Sierra Leone during data collection periods
• Support the research assistants on risk of harm management for all IRB reporting both in country and at Boston College.

Data Management (20%)

• Ensure data gathered is stored through secure systems as directed by the Data Analysis Manager of the RPCA and Data Manager at Caritas Freetown
• Develop data management plans for project deliverables
• Support the supervision of research assistant(s) at the RPCA on necessary data tasks, including analysis and presentation materials.

Research and Dissemination (20%)

• Collaborate with team members to complete deliverables, including participating in and developing a media outputs, dissemination reports, community advisory board content development, and grant reporting
• Support Sierra Leone Program Manager on federal reporting to ensure compliance with stakeholders
• Lead stakeholder development in Sierra Leone and coordinate meetings and events to advance the dissemination of research outputs at the RPCA.

Qualifications:  

• Masters in Social Work, Early Childhood Development, Psychology, PublicHealth. Very strong bachelors’ degree applicants will be considered.
• Previous experience working and living internationally, preferably insub-Saharan Africa required.
• The Research Associate needs to be self-driven with strong interpersonal skills,flexibility, and cultural sensitivity.
• The Research Associate will need to operate on an independent level tocontribute to the deliverables of the research.
  
• The Research Associate will need to serve as a clinical liaison between Boston College and partnering agencies in Sierra Leone.
• The incumbent supports the team on complex issues related to data collection, risk of harm management, and dissemination of results.
• The incumbent will work with senior team members to address challenges that arise and make recommendations for processes in conjunction with the PI and other in-country investigators.
• Research experience in qualitative and quantitative research methods required.
• Experience with cross-cultural communications and interpersonal relations required.
• Authorization to work in the USA (US Citizen or Green card holder) required. 

The Research Associate will live in Sierra Leone. Applicant should be aware of the following conditions in Sierra Leone: Hot, humid, tropical climate. Extremely limited medical facilities. Potentially contaminated water. High incidence of HIV/AIDS. Prevalence of common diseases that include Rabies, Lassa fever, water-borne diseases, malaria and other tropical diseases.