Research Assistant

ABOUT VILLAGEREACH

VillageReach works with governments to solve health care delivery challenges in low-resource communities. Our programs focus on increasing access to quality health care at the last mile, or the point at which services are delivered. We develop and implement new ideas and approaches to ensure vaccines and medicines are available, increase the capacity of health workers and ensure they have access to data to improve health. Our work improves the lives of more than 20 million people in sub-Saharan Africa. VillageReach is headquartered in Seattle, WA with offices located in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi and Mozambique.

DESCRIPTION

VillageReach invites qualified candidates to apply for the position of Research Assistant, Advocacy and Communications. Ideal candidates will be a recent university graduate who is still pursuing studies or otherwise interested in bolstering their skills. This person will join the VillageReach team for a period of six months – and potentially longer – to help further our mission to improve health by increasing access to quality healthcare for the most underserved communities.

Description

Advocacy and Communications Research Assistant is paid staff based in the Kinshasa, DRC and will work closely with VillageReach program staff on a variety of activities to support the work of the Advocacy and Communications team. The Research Assistant will work primarily on engagements in Francophone countries in sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on strengthening supply chains and other mechanisms to ensure access to high quality health commodities and care at the last mile of the health system. As such, successful applicants must be professionally proficient in speaking, reading and writing in French.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or be assigned at any time.

• Partner with staff to identify and develop compelling content that effectively communicates impact and results. Clearly articulate objective and help deliver against that objective.
• Support program teams to photograph and write, edit and package content for advocacy and communications materials (reports, policy papers, blogs).
• Assist with advocacy and public relations activities – maintaining calendar of events and media lists for traditional, online, and social media targets. Identifies opportunities for engagement and submit organizational profiles and other content on external web sites.
• Support translation of English and/or French documents and materials for advocacy and communications purposes.
• Regularly update the database of external partners.

• Other duties as assigned.

The RA may also have opportunities to work on other VillageReach programs based on interest and availability.

Competencies:

The following competencies reflect what is expected of all VillageReach employees; including examples of how one might demonstrate each of these competencies in one’s role.

• Personal Motivation and Drive: Is self-directed in one’s approach to work, but asks for help when needed; holds oneself accountable; undertakes self-development activities; seeks to build and master new skills; looks for and takes advantage of opportunities within the organization

• Collaboration & Effective Communication: Establishes and maintains effective relations with coworkers, partners & stakeholders and external parties; works collaboratively with others to accomplish organizational and team goals and objectives; works actively to resolve conflicts; expresses ideas and thoughts effectively; selects and uses appropriate communication methods and maintains meaningful communication with virtual coworkers and other parties to keep them informed
• Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion: Takes personal responsibility for and supports others across the organization in creating and sustaining a diverse work environment where individuals are welcomed, valued, respected and supported; personally committed to attaining cultural competency including self-awareness of one’s own attitudes about culture and cross-cultural interactions; exhibits the willingness and ability to engage openly and respectfully around issues of race, colonialism, identity and culture; upholds equity in access to sharing of information, ideas, and opportunities throughout VillageReach

• Commitment to Excellence: Produces a high output of work, both in terms of quality and quantity; looks for ways to improve and promote quality; monitors work to ensure quality; has a personal commitment to the mission of VillageReach

• Solution Orientation & Innovation: Focuses on results and desired outcomes and how to best achieve them; gets the job done; sees opportunities for creative problem-solving while staying within the parameters of good practice; sees old problems in new ways and has novel approaches to solving those problems; contributes original and/or resourceful ideas to their area of responsibility; is able to consider and articulate risks and consequences of proposed innovations and factor these into decision-making

Requirements

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, international development, public policy or other related field.
• 2 years of experience in communications, message research, strategy development and the intersection between communications and policy or related fields.
• Experience in photography and/or videography.
• Established cultural competency in partnering with racial, cultural and linguistically diverse groups.
• Demonstrated understanding of challenges with working in rural, underserved and low-income context; experience living in and/or working in a low-income country a plus.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel) and comfortable in a fast-paced technical environment.
• Fluency in English.
• Knowledge of global health and development policy issues and players.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver results in communications, advocacy or public awareness campaign efforts.
• Competency in social media platforms such as Twitter and LinkedIn.
• Maintain high quality interactions, including clear, consistent, error-free written communications.
• A quick learner, flexible, highly organized, with ability to manage multiple projects with a strong orientation to detail/quality work.
• Ability to be highly effective while managing shifting internal expectations.
• Excellent oral, written, and presentation communication skills and storytelling ability.
• Strong editing and proofreading skills.
• Prioritize and manage large amounts of information relevant to the work.

Other Qualifications: Environment and Physical Demands

VillageReach has no private offices, employees work in a shared, open environment with task and conference rooms accessible to employees for privacy and meetings. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet. Due to the time zone differences between our Seattle office and our Country Offices and location of other global staff, US based staff are expected to be available for early morning meetings starting at 6am. In addition, our global HQ and Country office staff are expected to be available for late afternoon/evening meetings up to 6pm.

APPLICATION INFORMATION:

This is a six-month position with the possibility of extension contingent on performance and continuation of donor funding. This is an immediate hire and therefore resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis until April 10, 2019. To apply, please submit your resume and a cover letter [plus any other desired materials] to our online portal: http://www.villagereach.org/join-us/

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY & INCLUSION:

VillageReach is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer committed to workforce diversity. We believe that diverse, equitably weighted perspectives foster an organizational capacity to create novel solutions that improve health in the most underserved and hard-to-reach areas. To align our values, innovations and impact, VillageReach is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse global workforce.