Scientific Writer and Communication Manager

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Department/ Country Program Description/Mission

The CORE Group Partners Project (CGPP) supports a multi-lateral, multi-sectoral approach by strengthening capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats, whether occurring naturally or accidentally or being deliberately spread. Achieving global health security requires an inclusive and collaborative effort that builds on the interdependence among communities, civil society, the private sector, and governments, to ensure member countries meet targets identified by the International Health Regulations (2005) as measured through Joint External Evaluations. One of the core activities within the GHS project is disease surveillance and community engagement.

The CGPP is implementing community-based disease surveillance and community engagement as part of its ongoing polio work and global health security. The CGPP project coordinates and collaborates with key stakeholders and line ministries in addressing human health, livestock and wildlife health, as well as environmental health, through a “One Health” approach. This new approach provides the opportunity to record and report unusual events for prompt investigations before they can become outbreaks.

The CGPP Kenya project is implemented in Turkana County, Garissa County, Marsabit County, Lamu County, Wajir County, Mandera County, and Kamukunji subcounty, dedicated to addressing infectious disease threats through community programming in cross-border Counties. Additionally, the CGPP activities in Somalia is implemented in 3 regions i.e. Lower Juba, Gedo, and Bakool regions.

Primary Purpose of the Position

Under the supervision of the Deputy Director, the scientific writer will support the development of project research areas, data collection processes, data analysis, the development of scientific abstracts, and publish manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, adhering to publication ethical standards. These efforts will contribute to the evidence base in global health security and disease surveillance.

The role also supports monitoring and evaluation, reporting, knowledge management, and communication efforts to inform stakeholders, guide decision-making, and strengthen program visibility and impact.

Primary Duties/Responsibilities

• Manuscript Development & Scientific Publishing.

• Develop and implement a realistic publication strategy for the project

• Identify operational research opportunities in the CGPP implementation areas in collaboration with the secretariat and the program field team

• Collaborate with the secretariat to convert implementation experiences, including success stories, innovations, achievements, and challenges, into high-quality, visually appealing, and compelling publishable scientific articles

• Lead end-to-end manuscript development using program data, secondary surveillance, immunization, and global health security data and research data

• Understand the various scientific and operational research methods for use in program research work

• Stay informed on emerging scientific research, trends, and advancements in relevant fields

• Conduct comprehensive literature reviews to support research and documentation activities

• Understand peer review system and processes, journal submission guidelines, including open-access publishing

• Simplify and communicate complex scientific information for non-technical audiences.

• Ensure developed articles comply with reporting standards such as STROBE, PRISMA etc, while liaising with editors, reviewers, and other stakeholders throughout the publication process

• Collaborate with researchers to accurately interpret and present scientific data.

• Identify credible, high-impact journals for publication of project research articles, track and report publication metrics, and assess the quality and impact of research outputs

• Increase CGPP visibility in disease surveillance and in general global health discussions

• Develop scientific materials such as abstracts, case studies, and success stories for dissemination to conferences and presentations

• Develop policy briefs, technical reports, and tailor the messaging for policymakers, donors, programs, and other stakeholders, such as communities

• Program integration.

 Monitoring and Evaluation 

• Support monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) in strengthening the project information system, including data collection processes, analysis, and translating the data into information for programmatic and overall public health impact

• Build the program teams' scientific writing skills and documentation culture

• Support of proposal development for resource mobilization to various donors

• Conduct quarterly and ad hoc field monitoring visits to all project areas i.e joint spot checks, polio SIA campaigns, data quality audits, training of frontline workers, including healthcare workers, animal health assistants, and community volunteers on community-based disease surveillance, routine immunization, and Risk prevention and community engagement 

• Support the partners in the implementation of community-based disease surveillance systems for polio and other infectious diseases, including other vaccine-preventable diseases and priority zoonotic diseases.

• In coordination with other secretariat members, support the development of CGPP programmatic reports, including quarterly and annual polio project reports, GHS semiannual reports, and Far-Reaching integrated delivery (FARID) project reports. 

• Review and edit program documents to enhance clarity, accuracy, and overall coherence

• Support in the implementation of project evaluation surveys and other monitoring exercises to assess program performance over time 

• Track routine performance of planned activities, outputs, and project indicators to measure achievement and track progress towards intermediate results and overall program strategic objectives 

• Perform other duties as requested by the CGPP Director/Deputy Director 

Content Development and Distribution:

• Collaborate with project subject matter experts to develop project communication instruments, including presentations, bi-weekly bulletin, briefing material, for dissemination to different audiences.

• Develop and disseminate projects programmatic quarterly, and annual reports to internal and external stakeholders.

• Coordinate with various project departments to gather updates, achievements, success stories, and upcoming programmatic events for inclusion in the quarterly newsletters.

• Develop a systematic approach to document and showcase project successes, impactful outcomes, and innovative practices.

• Research, develop, and edit public relations materials, brochures, information sheets, capacity statements, for public relations and social media content.

• Support field teams with to develop context- specific communications materials for sharing with county government and local stakeholders.

• Collaborate with project team to develop and produce project videos such as testimonials, expert interviews, how-to guides, and documentary-style content in collaboration with implementing partners.

• Promote communications and project materials through appropriate social channels.

• Maintain digital media archives, including photos and videos.

• Ensure all communication and IEC materials align with DOS and CGPP branding and marking guidelines.

• Lead the creation of success stories, case studies, and human-interest testimonials highlighting project achievements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in public health, or other medical-related fields, with a minimum of 7 years of experience in scientific or medical writing, research publications, stakeholder engagement, preferably in NGOs or development sectors. A master's degree in the public health discipline, with strong writing and health communication experience, is an added advantage.

• Experience in scientific writing, scientific journalism or science communication

• Proven experience in scientific writing with strong research, analytical skills, and familiarity with the peer-review process and editing

• Expertise in the field of disease surveillance, immunization, and global health security field

• Strong understanding of operational research methodologies and data interpretation

• Ability to understand public health data, scientific research findings, and technical information, and translate them into common language messaging understandable by the public.

• Expert command of Content Management System platforms e.g., MS Office suite, WordPress, Adobe Creative Suite, digital communication tools

• Experience with grant writing and the funding applications process

• Proficiency in using reference management software (e.g., EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero etc)

• Experience with regulatory writing and compliance guidelines and the scientific publication process

• Understanding of ethical guidelines in scientific research and writing for different types of scientific publications.

• Willingness to travel frequently to Northern Kenya and the border regions of Somalia. 

Skills

• Experience in disease outbreak communication, immunization campaigns, risk prevention and community engagement programs is an asset.

• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills to engage with internal teams, partners, and external stakeholders, with solid experience in supervising staff and leading communication initiatives.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with proficiency in technical and scientific terminology.

• Ability to multitask and work in a fast-paced, multicultural environment.

• Ability to analyze program statistical records/data using available data analytical software’s Stata, , R-studio, SPSS, QGIS/Arc GIS

• A creative and strategic thinker.

• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Canva)

Disclaimer Clause

This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skills, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.

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Why Choose the IRC?

Work that has meaning: Every day at the IRC is a chance to make a difference through a purpose-driven career. Whether you're working directly with communities or providing support behind the scenes, you will be part of a dynamic team that is always innovating, scaling, and testing new and better solutions to ensure the best possible outcomes for the people we serve.

Global scale, dynamic workplace: At the IRC, we believe that the dynamic, global make-up of our team is our strength. When you join us, you're not just starting a job—you will be part of a global organization positively impacting millions of lives in over 40 get to work with colleagues from all around the world—working across time zones and regularly exchanging different ideas, perspectives and insights. You’ll join a team that is dedicated to fostering a supportive environment to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and heard.  

Challenging work, innovative solutions: We’re committed to excellence and innovation, and pride ourselves in setting industry-leading standards while practicing evidence and data-lead strategies. Come challenge norms, shatter conventions, and pioneer change while working on real, nuanced and complex issues we face in the world today.  

Community centered: We’re an empathetic community that truly cares for one another. Our comprehensive safety and security initiatives ensure a safe work environment, while our continuous learning and development programs provide ongoing opportunities for personal and career advancement.

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Our Typical Recruitment Process

The interview process typically includes three rounds, though the number may vary depending on the role and level of seniority. It usually begins with a conversation with our recruiting team to learn more about you and your goals. This is followed by an interview with a hiring manager or business stakeholder to explore your background and provide more insight into the role. The final round focuses on assessing your role-specific expertise and may be conducted as a panel interview to evaluate your cross-functional strengths. Before extending an offer, we generally conduct reference checks, and after an offer is made, a standard background check is completed. While we strive for consistency, the process may differ based on the role, business unit, location, job type, legal requirements, and other factors.

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