Job Opportunity: Girl Innovation, Research, and Learning (GIRL) Center at the Population Council is hiring a Coordinator Apply!

The Girl Innovation, Research, and Learning (GIRL) Center at the Population Council is accepting applications for the position of a coordinator.

Application Deadline:  November 20, 2023

POSITION SUMMARY: 

The Girl Innovation, Research, and Learning (GIRL) Center at the Population Council is a cross-cutting research hub, established in 2017, that leverages the Council’s 20 years of research and programming expertise in adolescent girls and brings together today’s leading scholars in adolescence to generate, synthesize, and translate evidence effectively for decision-making. The Center aims to bridge the fragmented ecosystem on adolescence by combining research, programming, and policy on adolescents, with a particular focus on girls, and making it available and accessible in one place to a full range of stakeholders. The Center envisions a gender-equitable world where girls and boys make a healthy and safe transition into adulthood and reach their full potential. The work of the Center consists of three pillars: 1) generating evidence, 2) convening key stakeholders and communicating evidence and 3) growing current and future capacity of adolescent researchers and scholars. In its first five years, the Center has made critical contributions to the field, from conducting the most extensive mapping of education players, leading innovative and critical research on child marriage, and studying causal pathways between education and health to launching a series of tools including the Evidence for Gender and Education Resource, the Adolescent Data Hub, and the Adolescent Atlas for Action. The Center has also convened – in person and online – researchers, donors, advocacy groups and policy makers to examine the evidence and think critically about what girls need as well as what works and what doesn’t to improve their lives. 

The Center team is a multidisciplinary, global team across multiple countries and four regional hubs in: (1) East and Southern Africa, (2) Latin America, (3) West Africa, and (4) South Asia. Staff in Regional Hubs lead on adolescent-focused research and communications with regional or country-specific decision-makers to promote the overall mission of the Center. In addition to the group of full-time staff, the Center is supported by 11 External Collaborators and over a dozen Internal Collaborators from the Council who play a pivotal role in advancing our mission. The GIRL Center maintains strong ties with the Global Education Team given our overlapping focus on adolescence.

The Coordinator will be part of the Center’s Core Management and Operations Team, which consists of the Director, Manager, and future Associate Director, Policy, Partnerships and Engagement. They will work closely with the Center’s Core team to provide a range of day-to-day administrative support to teams across multiple regions and countries. They will be responsible for providing communications support, including managing the GIRL Center quarterly newsletter and X/Twitter account. They will also be responsible for translating reports and publications into briefs targeting non-research audiences. Lastly, they may be involved in providing research support across a portfolio of projects that focus on topics relating to adolescence.

The candidate for the Coordinator role will be a highly organized, detail oriented, self-motivated, and excited to learn about project management and operations. The coordinator will be trained in administrative duties, and should also have some demonstrated experience in communications and research. 

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

The Coordinator’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Administrative Responsibilities (40%)

1. Draft SOWs for consultants, subcontractors, and interns (U.S. and non-U.S.-based) and work with procurement, human resources, and accounts payable to deploy contracts and process invoices across Council offices. 
2. Organize and take part in internal and external meetings and seminars.
3. Take minutes, write meeting reports, and organize follow-up. 
4. Support RFP development and submission process for new vendors. 
5. Maintain project Sharepoint sites and troubleshoot issues with IT. 
6. Coordinate logistics, including travel arrangements and catering for in-person events, in coordination with the local finance and administration team. 
7. Conduct and track purchases for GIRL Center team and process staff invoices for travel and other expenses.
8. Coordinate the GIRL Center’s internship program by reviewing applications, conducting initial interviews and reference checks, liaising with human resources, and scheduling onboarding activities. 
9. Provide additional administrative support to staff as needed. Independently troubleshoot and resolve problems as they arise.

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Communications Responsibilities (30%)

1. Manage the GIRL Center newsletter: propose the theme, aggregate content, write sections, liaise with other authors for inputs, manage review process, work with the Office of Strategic Communications to review newsletter draft in Mailchimp, and manage subscriber list. 
2. Manage the GIRL Center social media presence on X/Twitter and LinkedIn: identify important and relevant opportunities (i.e., international days, conferences, events) to highlight the Center’s work, conceptualize and lead social media campaigns, write social media posts, and track engagement, impressions, and followers. 
3. Manage webinars, workshops, and symposia from start to finish: work with colleagues to draft agendas and run-of-shows, review/edit/format presentations, facilitate practice sessions, assist with technology, track attendance, and draft and distribute follow-up materials and engagement. 
4. Translate reports and publications into briefs and blogs for non-research audiences such as policy-makers, practitioners, and donors.
5. Draft and copy-edit other communications materials including press releases, blogs, and op-eds. 
6. Track metrics of engagement, dissemination, and uptake.

Research Support (30%)

1. Assist in the preparation and submission of donor reports and grant proposals. Review, copy-edit, and format reports and proposals to conform to donor requirements.  
2. Manage citations for multiple projects by organizing Zotero collections, formatting references for research products, and conducting Zotero trainings for new staff. 
3. Conduct systematic and structured literature searches and synthesize evidence for research projects.
4. Learn, set up, and manage Covidence for scoping and systematic reviews.
5. Become familiar with systematic review protocols and inclusion/exclusion criteria and assist with title and full text screening as-needed. 
6. Support manuscript development by contributing to sections and copy-editing prior to journal submission.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE: 

We understand that there are many paths to acquiring expertise and experience and strong candidates may not have every qualification listed here. We encourage applications from individuals with diverse and/or nontraditional backgrounds who bring passion, skills, and experience in many or most of these areas. 

• Master’s degree in public health, public policy, education, international relations, or another related field preferred. 
• At least three years of experience working in operations and/or project management for a multi-country organization, preferably including locations in both high-income and low-income countries 
• Exceptional English-language written, oral, and interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively interface with a broad range of constituents, including senior management and multidisciplinary scientists.
• Proficiency in and experience with communications software and social media platforms including Twitter, YouTube, HubSpot, MailChimp. Familiarity with data visualization, graphic design, and video editing skills a plus, but not required. 
• Excellent administrative and organizational skills with keen attention to detail, ability to effectively multi-task, think critically, proactively problem solve, plan ahead, adhere to deadlines, and respond to rapidly changing priorities. 
• Demonstrated experience drafting and contributing to reports, power point presentations, briefs, and blogs with sharp attention to detail, appearance and accuracy while utilizing good editorial judgment.
• Self-motivated; flexible and adaptable; creative; and hard-working with demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of multi-disciplinary teams. Experience working on multicultural teams required; professional experience working in low and middle-income countries (LMIC) desired
• Proficiency in Sharepoint, Outlook, MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint required. 
• Familiarity with a reference management program such as Zotero or Mendeley and a systematic review program such as Covidence a plus but not required. 
• Experience in or knowledge of the Council’s regional locations highly desirable. Fluency in a language or languages of the Council’s region(s) a plus.

Note: preference will be given to candidates from countries in East and Southern Africa

SALARY AND BENEFITS:   Salary offered will depend on knowledge, skills and experience. Excellent benefits package includes health insurance and life insurance, generous annual and sick leave; and paid parental leave among others. We strive to provide an environment of professional growth and development.  

How to Apply

Application Deadline:  November 20, 2023

When applying through the web portal please attach your CV and Cover Letter in Word or PDF format. 

The Population Council is an international, nonprofit, nongovernmental institution that seeks to improve the well-being and reproductive health of current and future generations around the world and to help achieve a humane, equitable, and sustainable balance between people and resources.

The Council conducts biomedical, social science, and public health research and helps build research capacities in developing countries. Established in 1952, the Council is governed by an international board of trustees. Its New York headquarters supports a global network of country offices. We are seeking an individual to fill the position described.  If you know of a qualified candidate or are interested in this position, please apply at: http://www.popcouncil.org/employment/index.asp.