Organization: Pamela Steele Associates Ltd
Vacancy reference: 201809/RO
Our package: Attractive depending on skills and experience
Contract type: Fixed-term, two years
Hours of work: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week
This role reports to:** Head of Research
Staff reporting to this post: None
Annual budget for the post: None
Closing date: 7th October 2018
Interview date: TBC
About PSA
Pamela Steele Associates (PSA) is a niche management consultancy with a mission to ensure that no patient in developing countries suffers due to lack of essential medicines. We specialise in supply chain transformation for the public health and humanitarian sectors through consultancy, research and training.
PSA was founded in 2013 by Pamela Steele. It has headquarters in Oxford, UK, and regional offices in India, Kenya and Nigeria.
We provide sustainable solutions for developing the in-country capacity of individuals and organisations to reduce dependency on external support. Working with governments, International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) and the United Nations, we Research, Train and provide Technical Assistance, deploying technical specialists to transform health and humanitarian supply chains in collaboration with client teams.
At PSA, we are committed to excellence in all we do – for our colleagues and our communities, and for our clients and, ultimately, for the patients who benefit from our work. Our collaborative culture transcends organisational and geographic boundaries.
PSA is ISO 9001:2015 certified and accredited by the British Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education as a Short Course Provider.
Our values
- Humanitarian: we work for the alleviation of suffering;
- Ethical: we work with integrity;
- Service-driven: we use our professional expertise to meet our clients’ needs.
- Pragmatic: we apply general principles and frameworks but listen and adapt to the differing needs of our clients;
- Innovative: we seek to learn and apply new ideas, and embrace new technologies;
- Collaborative: we collaborate with partners, clients and service providers for mutual benefit and support, to create a strong team;
- Respectful: understanding local culture is important for effective change so we work with local partners who are familiar with the context.
Our team
PSA’s Research team forms part of the Supply Chain and Business Development Unit (SCBDU), which comprises of:
- Consultancy and projects team
- Operational Research team
- Training and professional development team
- Business development team
Who we are looking for
As PSA’s Research Officer (RO), you will lead efforts to respond to business expansion, with an emphasis on strategically increasing PSA’s client portfolio. You will also identify relevant new business opportunities and determine if those opportunities fit PSA’s core competencies based on thorough research and analysis. The RO will support the Business Development Team to manage the proposal process and ensure that it is efficient and effective. You will be responsible for leading the development and submission of high-quality research proposals (ranging in value and complexity) that meet all donor requirements, including internally or externally imposed deadlines, and that are aligned with our business focus areas. Proposals can range from several pages requesting general support to lengthy documents that describe the scope of the work to be performed and the organisation’s ability to carry out the project in detail. In developing proposals, you will lead project design and contribute to writing key sections of proposals and ensuring all critical components are successfully completed (including but not limited to budget development and human resource allocation).
The post holder would have a strong background in consulting and social science research, focusing on health and humanitarian logistics and supply chains. You need proven expertise in designing, leading, analysing and reporting on rigorous short- and long-term contracts and research studies. You will have demonstrable experience in using mixed methods in research and evaluation work relating to the logistics and supply chain field. You should have a strong track record in the use of quantitative methods for data collection and analysis, and experience of designing and choosing appropriate methods to fit specific contexts and tasks. You should be able to work well in collaboration with a team and be able to maintain focus under time and resource constraints.
Job Purpose
The Operational Research Team is the dedicated research unit of PSA based in Oxford, UK. It undertakes and commissions research on emerging or current issues of relevance for PSA’s supply chain capacity development interests in order to inform the strategic directions, policies and PSA core focus areas, its partners and beyond. The team also identifies critical research gaps, brings together established researchers, and supports or undertakes new research and data collection to address questions and to inform health and humanitarian supply chain management.
Key Responsibilities
- Review background documents to ensure comprehensive understanding of major technical concepts, interventions to be proposed, donor requirements, and desired overall approach.
- Support in the design of methodologies for research proposals.
- Support the data collection process, which includes the online data collection system and quality control strategies.
- Support in identifying and managing the collection of secondary data to complement primary data.
- Contribute to the analysis of data, coordinating inputs from other stakeholders and drafting publications (working closely with the Communications and Organizational Learning Team).
- Support with advancing the organisation’s intellectual growth and productivity by offering insights and contributions to other research projects, including efforts to collect and utilise extractive sector data and the future evolution of international development supply chain matters.
- Distribute essential material and updates to the proposal team experts and send follow-up emails with details of proposals and timelines for completion.
- Contribute to proposals development.
- Ensure all proposal documents are formatted according to client requirements, and copy edit proposals for submission to ensure quality.
Project management:
- Support the project team leader on research projects, including both externally funded and internal projects.
- Support quality assurance processes and project management on key assignments undertaken by other staff and associates, including client management, quality assurance and financial control.
- Support the work of research consultants and interns whenever they are engaged in projects, and provide guidance to help them achieve their performance goals.
Learning and building up of organisational knowledge:
- Contribute to PSA’s development of capacity on key themes such as sustainable supply chain capacity development, evidence-based decision-making, gender mainstreaming and greening supply chains, including supporting organisational learning and the development of internal and external materials and publications.
- Work with the Communications and Organisational Learning Team on the production of PSA’s research and learning initiatives and publications (including blogs, newsletters, web pages, occasional papers, books, events, etc.).
Support to the wider organisation:
- Collaborate closely with external associates on initiatives and with colleagues on other teams.
- Perform other reasonable duties in support of the organisation as requested by the line manager or CEO.
- Working with team members to organise conferences and workshops as required.
Skills, experience and knowledge
Essential
- Right to Work in the UK
- MSc in a relevant field – supply chain, health, development (E)
- Excellent command of English, both written and oral, including a demonstrable ability to write clearly and concisely for different audiences (E)
- Experience of applying social science research skills to research projects, evaluations and impact assessments, in areas relevant to PSA’s work; e.g. international development, humanitarian supply chains, health supply chains, etc. (E)
- Quantitative social science research skills, for example: (E)
- Survey design and implementation, including sampling
- Baselines and longitudinal studies
- Statistical analysis
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and database management (E)
- In-depth knowledge and experience of MS Excel, as well as statistical analysis software and qualitative analysis tools and software (E)
- Excellent organisational skills and ability to multitask and work to deadlines (E)
- Ability to travel as part of research and capacity development assignments (E)
- Strong research skills with a willingness and ability to synthesise complex information in accessible and actionable formats (E)
- Commitment to PSA’s values, vision and mission (E)
- Some experience with international humanitarian and development organisations (E)
- Ability to advise clients and PSA colleagues and associates on appropriate research methods (E)
Desirable
- Qualitative social science research skills, including use of participatory methods, e.g.: (D)
- Participatory action research
- Participatory rural appraisal
- Comparative case studies
- Fluency in another international working language, preferably Arabic, Russian, French, Spanish or Portuguese (D)
- Proven track record of applying analytical skills in the international development space for
- Experience designing and delivering training utilising participatory learning methodologies (D)
At PSA, our job descriptions provide a guide to what might be expected in the role. Along with our strategy the job description is used to help to shape specific objectives for employees. Employees are supported to deliver these objectives and they are annually assessed against them as part of the PSA performance review process. This job description is not incorporated into the employment contract. PSA is dedicated to building an inclusive workforce where gender balance and diversity is valued.
For the full job description and details of how to apply, please visit our website https://www.pamsteele.co.uk/about-us/jobs