POSITION/DESIGNATION: Project Vruddhi Qualitative Researcher
GRADE/LEVEL Consultant
PROJECT/UNIT Project Vruddhi Gujarat
PROJECT DURATION 7 Months
REPORTS TO Lead Formative Researcher, Technical Lead
LOCATION State of Gujarat: Sabarkantha and Bhavnagar Districts
TRAVEL To Bhavnagar and Sabarkantha

PROJECT DETAILS Project Vruddhi is a partnership between Power of Nutrition, Action Against Hunger and CARE aiming at increasing the capacity of existing systems and programmes as well as improving child nutrition-related practices in Bhavnagar and Sabarkantha, two districts exhibiting particularly high rates of stunting.
The Programme Goal is to contribute to reductions in children’s stunting and severe wasting by improving health, nutrition and hygiene among pregnant and lactating women and children under 6 years in Bhavnagar and Sabarkantha districts of Gujarat through two objectives:
-Increase capacities of health and ICDS system to deliver improved nutrition services.
- Improve essential health and nutrition practices among women and children by building knowledge, skills, and motivation and creating an enabling environment.

JOB SUMMARY

In the inception phase of Project Vruddhi, formative research will be conducted under the leadership of the Lead Formative Researcher. The qualitative researchers will work with the lead formative researcher as a team (1 lead Formative Researcher and 2-3 Qualitative Researchers for each district) to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, practices, beliefs, and norms of the rural community in Sabarkantha and Bhavnagar regarding the nutrition care practices of mothers of children under 5 years, with a particular emphasis on mothers of children under 2 years. As Project Vruddhi will be designed and implemented in partnership with the Government of Gujarat, the formative research team will also identify opportunities for convergence and to improve coverage and quality of nutrition-related programs and initiatives by mapping
existing relevant government and non-government organizations/initiatives in the target area. 

JOB DESCRIPTION
In addition to the formative research, the team will also be responsible for conducting Trials of Improves Practices (TIPs) for designing and testing specific behavioral recommendations to caregivers, the community and government stakeholders. As such, the team will be responsible for transcription and interpretation of the data collected during formative research and TIPs, qualitative data analysis, report writing and providing key inputs for program design and implementation to the Technical Lead of Project Vruddhi.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Under the guidance and supervision of the Lead Formative Researcher, this position will be responsible for:

• Designing, piloting and revising the qualitative data collection tools and guidelines for formative research and TIPs
• Conducting In-depth interviews, focus group discussions, informal discussions, assessment of strengths, limitations and opportunities for improvement in various government programs and initiatives related to nutrition
• Timely documentation of all the qualitative information gathered, transcription, analysis, and report writing
• Conducting TIPs (see https://www.manoffgroup.com/wpcontent/uploads/Designing-by-Dialogue.pdf) and identifying strengths and weakness of various behavioral objectives and intervention delivery strategies as part of the recommendations
• Working with the Technical Lead to revise the guidelines, IEC tools, and key intervention delivery strategies after the completion of formative research and TIPs

The role includes, but is not limited to:

• Supporting the capacity building team for skill building of field coordinators and block coordinators to perform various field activities at system and community levels and also in the development of curriculum for incremental learning of front line workers and project Vruddhi staff
• Providing critical inputs towards the program design and implementation strategy of Project Vruddhi based on the findings and learnings from the formative research and TIPS
• Understanding implementation, challenges faced and opportunities for improvement of different platforms (such as Mangal Diwas, VHSND) and tools (Common Application Software - CAS) used by the government for nutrition related initiatives and programs.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Internal
- Project Vruddhi Lead Formative Researcher
- Project Vruddhi Technical Lead, SBC, Communication, Capacity Building Manager
- Project Vruddhi Technical Working Group
- Power of Nutrition
External
- Government of Gujarat, district representatives of Sabarkantha and Bhavnagar
- Other non-governmental organisations
- Civil society
- Community

QUALIFICATION & EXPERIENCE
Essential:

• Masters degree in Nutrition, Public Health, Community Health, Social Work, Health Anthropology, Sociology, or other relevant subject. Additional qualifications, achievements and awards a plus
• Minimum 3 years of full-time experience in qualitative research and data collection and analysis (In-depth interviews, Focus Groups Discussions, etc.) preferably for public health interventions, programmes and studies
• Demonstrated understanding of a range of qualitative research approaches for understanding social norms, structures, cultures, beliefs and practices of the communities, preferably towards health and nutrition
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to take field notes, document field processes, analyze qualitative data for inductive and deductive analysis using qualitative data analysis software such as NVivo, Dedoose, etc.
• Fluent in spoken and written Hindi and Gujarati is essential. Fluent in Written English

Preferred:

• Prior experience with TIPs, communication and intervention design is a strong added value
• Computer Knowledge: Excel, Word, Power Point, and other relevant tools used for qualitative research
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with diverse stakeholders: Community, Frontline workers and government officers 

SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

• Demonstrated self-starter, with an eagerness to consistently meet and exceed objectives
• Strong collaborative and analytical thinking skills
• Effective communications skills with diverse stakeholders
• Detail-oriented, with high quality standards for work and a proven track record of success
• Ability to work independently with initiative to manage high volume work flow;
• Innovative thinking and problem-solving abilities: Essential for TIPs
• Good conflict resolution and decision making abilities
• Ability to work in teams and build capacity
• Ability to manage diversity and change
• Strongly committed to Gender Equality and the Humanitarian Principles
• Sound work ethics