Environmental Enteropathy Project Associate / Coordinator

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Benefits Project

Position: Environmental Enteropathy Project Associate / Coordinator

Deadline to Apply: February 15, 2012 (applicants will be reviewed on a rolling basis)

Start Date: March 2012

Location: Kakamega and Bungoma, Western Kenya

Eligibility: Position open to all nationalities; Kenyan nationals strongly encouraged to apply

IPA’s WASH Benefits Project is a five-year study to evaluate the health benefits of sanitation, hygiene, household water treatment and nutrition using a large-scale, randomized evaluation in Western Province.

The project will be based out of two satellite offices in Western Province. The principal investigators of WASH benefits are Michael Kremer and Clair Null.

IPA’s water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) benefits project seeks a qualified applicant for the position of Environmental Enteropathy (EE) Project Associate/Coordinator.

Environmental Enteropathy is a condition characterized by an unhealthy child gut that can lead to undernutrition and growth faltering.

The EE Coordinator will manage sample collection, processing, and analysis of child stool, blood, and urine samples in Western Kenya in order to meet the project objectives to measure environmental enteropathy among young children.

The position offers an opportunity to gain first-hand field management experience in an organization undertaking cutting-edge development research. This position will be based in Western Kenya, with some travel to other areas of Kenya.

The EE Associate/Coordinator will work closely with the WASH benefits management team, academic researchers, and project collaborators at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and Moi University.

The EE Associate/Coordinator position will be based in Kakamega or Bungoma, with travel around the study sites in Western Kenya. We are looking for a commitment period of 2 years for this position.

Responsibilities

• Develop and oversee implementation of field protocols to collect and transport child urine, stool, and blood samples
• Manage a field team dedicated to EE sample collection
• Ensure safe delivery and storage of samples to a central lab facility in Nairobi, as well as international shipment of urine samples to Bangladesh
• Assist with ordering supplies and liaising with KEMRI to perform ELISA assays to test for biomarkers of environmental enteropathy
• Cleaning data and assisting in preliminary analysis
• Assisting in the writing of project reports and policy memos
• Coordinating with local partners, including KEMRI and Moi University

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Experience collecting blood, urine, and stool samples from young children
• A BS/MS degree in nursing, medicine, public health, biology, environmental health, or related field
• Fluency and excellent communication skills in English; fluency in Swahili strongly preferred

Desired Qualifications and Experience

• Excellent management and organizational skills along with strong quantitative skills
• Experience measuring anthropometrics
• Familiarity with ELISA assays
• Experience living and working in Kenya
• Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently, and team player
• Demonstrated ability to manage high-level relationships with partner organizations

If you are interested in applying, please follow the instructions below:

To apply:

Please send a cover letter and detailed CV, 3 references, daytime phone number(s), and email address. Your CV should include your scores or grades and other measures of academic achievement, and details about any relevant work experience.

Applications can be submitted to any of our branch offices,

or by email to jobs-kenya@poverty-action.org

or by post office using P.O Box 373, Busia area code 50400 Kenya.

If you submit by email, please ensure that the subject line reads: “EE ASSOCIATE COORDINATOR.”REF NO: WB-2012-01-02

All applicants will be considered for the EE Associate/ Coordinator position and only short listed candidates will be contacted.

Disclaimer:

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by the Associate Coordinator.

The statements are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all possible duties, tasks, and responsibilities.

Management reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet organizational needs as necessary.

Please note that IPA will never request any form of payment from an applicant.

Applicants are encouraged to confirm the information listed above with IPA prior to releasing any extensive personal information to the organization.

Please direct questions to jobs@poverty-action.org.