In the inception phase of Project Vruddhi, formative research will be conducted under the leadership of the lead formative researcher. He/She will lead a team of 2-3 qualitative researchers 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 childrenunder 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.

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. 

Job Responsibility:

• Under the guidance and supervision of the Project Vruddhi Technical Lead and Technical Working Group, the Lead formative researcher 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/wp-content/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 Project Vruddhi Technical Lead and Technical Working Group to revise the guidelines, IEC tools, and key intervention delivery strategies upon completion of formative research and TIPs

The role includes, but is not limited to:

• Supporting the capacity building team for skill building among field coordinators and block coordinators to perform various field activities at system and community levels; this includes developing curriculum for incremental learning for front line workers and Project Vruddhi staff
• Training field staff for TIPs implementation in the negotiation with participants of the adoption of behavioral practice recommendations.
• 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 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:

• PhD/ 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 8 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
• Prior experience with TIPs, communication and intervention design for public health programs and Interventions in India
• Expertise in a range of qualitative research approaches for understanding social norms, structures, cultures, beliefs and practices of the communities, preferably with a focus on 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 English is essential.

Preferred:

• Computer Knowledge: Excel, Word, Power Point, and other relevant tools used for qualitative research
• An educational or experiential background related to maternal and child nutrition, or at least maternal and child health.

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 communication 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;
• Experienced in handling teams of qualitative researchers/design experts
• 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