1 Post-Doc Research Fellowship on Public Health Science - Regional Health Policies in Belgium | United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS)

Applications are invited for a full-time Research Fellow, from 1st March 2014 (preferably) for a period of 24 months, to work under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Kingah and Dr. Philippe De Lombaerde at UNU-CRIS, in providing high level research assistance on an international research project ‘Poverty Reduction and Regional Integration: a Comparative Analysis of SADC and UNASUR Health Policies’ funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in collaboration with the UK Department for International Development and led by Professor Nicola Yeates (Open University, UK), and performing related tasks. Further project partners include: the University of Southampton, the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), and FLACSO Argentina.

The project aims to establish in relation to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) what institutional practices and methods of regional policy formation are conducive to the emergence of embedded pro-poor health strategies, and what national, regional and international actors can do to promote such practices and methods. To this end, the project examines and compares SADC and UNASUR institutional mechanisms and policy development methods and practices; investigates how regional and national levels of authority are co-produced and are connected by these; and develops policy monitoring instruments (Toolkits) to assess regional policy change and success in relation to impoverished populations' access to health care in Zambia and Swaziland in Southern Africa, and Bolivia and Paraguay in South America. A significant feature of the project is its high level of engagement with policy stakeholders throughout the lifetime of the project.

The Research Fellow will be responsible for the day-to-day operation and development of the Indicators of Policy Success and Change strand in the project, undertaking a range of research assistance, working in collaboration with and with the support of the project team, and participating in regional and international project events as appropriate. S/he will have opportunities to lead on project design and outputs and to participate in international publications. S/he will work with other Research Fellows and with senior members of the project team and with policy stakeholders. S/he will work closely with Dr. Kingah in his dual capacity as project co-Investigator and as line manager, and with Philippe De Lombaerde as project advisor.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Research Fellow will:

• Participate in and undertake a range of aspects of the Indicators of Policy Success and Change strand within the overall project, including:

- Conducting interviews, undertaking documentary research, reviewing literatures, collating secondary statistical material

- Research data entry and management

- Analysis of a range of qualitative and quantitative data sources

• Develop methodological, conceptual and theoretical aspects of the Monitoring and Indicators Toolkits work, and communicate findings to diverse audiences internationally;
• Contribute to cross-country comparative analysis of case studies, drawing out the methodological, theoretical and policy and practice implications;
• Contribute to the cross-regional comparative analysis of SADC and UNASUR, working with the project team to draw out the methodological, theoretical, and policy and practice implications of the study;
• Contribute to the dissemination and wider communication of the research project and its findings, including: liaison with external project stakeholders; development of a range of written materials for the project website, social media; and authoring and developing academic- and policy-focused publications;
• Participate in collaborative project activities in Europe, South America and Southern Africa as necessary;
• Contribute to the design and success of project stakeholder workshops, communicating effectively with stakeholders and the project team throughout;
• Contribute to project impact as agreed by the project team;
• Lead the implementation of the project Data Management and Archiving Plan in relation to the
• Indicators work strand on behalf of UNU-CRIS.

Requirements

Candidates will:

• Have a PhD in an appropriate field (e.g. Public Policy, Development Economics, Health Economics)
• Have knowledge of theoretical and methodological aspects of policy indicators literatures
• Have working knowledge of health systems and/or regional integration in a development context
• Be able to demonstrate strong research experience or potential
• Have excellent written, oral and inter-personal communications skills, including fluency in oral and written English to an appropriate professional standard. Working knowledge of Spanish would be an advantage.
• Be available to travel internationally for fieldwork and project events;
• Be a self-starter and able to work independently under supervision;
• Demonstrate research leadership potential;
• Be able to manage their own time effectively including scheduling and prioritising work
• Be able to work to deadlines
• Be familiar with the principles and different aspects of data management
• Be willing to work with digital online collaborative research tools and other technologies relevant to the design, undertaking and dissemination of research

Contract: Employment contract under Belgian Law, for two years (24 months).

Salary: Following salary scales of post-doc researcher at Flemish universities.

Closing Date: 10 February 2014

Anticipated Interview date: 21 February 2014

Application:

Please send a completed application package consisting of:

1. A cover letter indicating how you fit the requirements, what skills, knowledge and experience you would bring to the job, and when you could take up the job at the earliest

2. A full CV

3. The names and contact addresses of two referees