Research Assistant IV Non-Lab (Policy Analyst)

Harvard University - Boston, MA

Full-time - Mid Level

Remote - Boston, MA

Educational Services

About the position

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is seeking a Policy Analyst to join Dr. Abdisalan Noor's research program, which focuses on enhancing the capacity and strategic environment for public health analytics in health systems within low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in Africa. The Applied Public Health Analytics project aims to create a sustainable networked architecture for capacity development in public health analytics. This role will involve collaboration with national public health institutes, malaria programs, the World Health Organization, and the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention, among other partners. The Policy Analyst will be responsible for leading research efforts in selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, concentrating on malaria and maternal and child health. The objectives include investigating the processes undertaken by these countries to develop evidence-based policies, identifying best practices for operationalizing evidence-informed policy processes, and assessing the impact of key decisions made during these processes. The successful candidate will engage in regular research and progress assessment meetings with their Harvard faculty mentor and collaborate with experts in health policy analysis and implementation. Core responsibilities include contributing to country selection criteria, engaging with research partners, developing research protocols, conducting literature reviews, and producing study reports with actionable recommendations. This position requires a strong background in qualitative research, literature reviews, and evidence-to-policy translation, as well as experience working with Ministries of Health. The role is expected to involve approximately 10% travel to selected countries to implement the project.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to country selection criteria based on quantitative and qualitative metrics.
• Contribute to the identification and engagement of country research partners.
• Lead the development of research protocols and methods to implement literature reviews, qualitative and quantitative approaches.
• Contribute to within country evidence-to-policy process mapping, individual and focused group interviews.
• Contribute to review, production and dissemination of study reports with clear recommendations on strengthening the evidence-to-policy process.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• 4+ years of relevant experience is required; a combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Master's degree in health policy, public health, health economics or equivalent strongly preferred.
• Strong skills in qualitative research and literature reviews.
• Experience in evidence to policy translation and engagement with Ministries of Health.
• Strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• Intermediate to advanced Excel skills and knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite.

Nice-to-haves

• Second language skills (French or Portuguese) a plus.
• Use of search engines for literature review.
• Aptitude to perform highly complex experiments with high levels of reliability and accuracy within time constraints.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and previous experience in literature review.
• Awareness of and aptitude to appropriately and effectively understand, respect, and adapt to cultural and identity-based differences.

Benefits

• Commuter assistance
• Dental insurance
• Disability insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid parental leave