Senior Technical Specialist
JOB DESCRIPTION
ABOUT YLABS
YLabs is a leading global design and research organization working to improve health and economic opportunity for young people 10–24 years old. Founded in 2016 at the Harvard Innovation Lab, YLabs has partnered with young people in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Central America to design health programs that address key challenges in sexual/reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, and mental health. Find out more about our projects here: https://www.ylabsglobal.org/work
Our team of physicians, designers, economists, public health professionals, and educators bring a unique mix of human-centered design, adolescent health, evaluation, economic and health outcome evaluation, behavioral science, and implementation know-how to the global problems facing youth.
We have offices in the US and Rwanda, and are currently supporting our teams to work remotely during COVID-19 in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
SUMMARY
We’re looking for an established public health leader to support YLabs global projects. In this role, the Senior Technical Specialist will provide technical expertise in mental health and/or sexual and reproductive health, and project evaluation support to our multi-disciplinary team and partners. They will contribute to organizational learning and professional development of YLabs staff and support the development and leadership of our global technical team. The Senior Technical Specialist will provide leadership to other designers and team members during field work and throughout each phase of the solution design process.
They will also support building strong relationships with our partners (including donor/client organizations, relevant government agencies, and other NGOs) and work with the business development team to provide technical expertise for the scoping of new projects. They’ll help craft and disseminate compelling storytelling for a variety of audiences about our work and the young people and communities with whom we design in partnership.
The ideal candidate will be excited to work with a dynamic interdisciplinary team of designers and public health professionals to support the development of design solutions for some of the biggest challenges facing young people globally. They will provide public health expertise to support the design and evaluation of programs aimed to improve adolescent health and livelihoods. They will work to understand community perspectives, build and test prototypes, and implement and evaluate solutions that improve young people’s health and economic opportunity.
YOU HAVE
- At least ten years of professional experience in a relevant field to our work (public health, medicine, research disciplines, economics, international development)
- Expertise in sexual and reproductive health or mental health
- Fluency in quantitative and qualitative research methods across the research process, from research protocol development, to data collection and analysis, to reporting and presenting work
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Strong collaboration skills with attention to addressing power differentials, and ensuring equity in our work and in our organization
- Strong project management skills; able to effectively communicate with supervisor and team members about work flow and prioritization of deliverables
- Prior work experience with youth programming
- (Human-centered design training or experience is not a prerequisite for this role; this will be provided)
Desirable skills:
- Research ethics including safeguarding and protection
- Experience in scoping and developing new project proposals and partnerships
- Program evaluation
- Language skills in French, Swahili, Kinyarwanda
YOU ARE
- Enthusiastic about building and growing a vibrant, multidisciplinary global team
- Committed to building trusting, convivial working relationships that support wellness, creativity, and collective joy
- Excited about the prospect of mentoring, teaching, and training others, including colleagues, partners, and global audiences
- Adaptable, optimistic, and flexible when faced with changing circumstances and challenges
- A pro at prioritization, delegation, and helping others prioritize and delegate as needed
- Willing to work flexible hours to accommodate evening calls with the US-based YLabs team
- Fluent in English
LOCATION
Under normal circumstances, this role would be based out of the YLabs Rwanda office. Given the current circumstances due to COVID-19, it is possible to conduct this role remotely within GMT+0 to GMT+4. There is an expectation that this role will be based in Kigali, Rwanda once normal office life resumes.
BENEFITS
Salary range: RWF 24,500,000 – RWF 36,312,500 gross, commensurate with experience.
YLabs adheres to Project Fair’s principles and standards to establish equity in pay with the overriding principle of “equal pay for work of equal value” outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals. All salary ranges are based on level within the organization and are competitive to regional and national salary benchmarks, based on the respective office location.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
To apply, send a resume, cover letter, and a link or PDF of your portfolio (research papers, presentations, or other written samples) to talent@ylabsglobal.org with the subject line “Senior Technical Specialist- RW”.
This posting will be open from March 1 to March 22. Once the application period closes, all applications will be reviewed by our Hiring Committee. YLabs recognizes the effort that goes into submitting an application; all candidates will be notified of their application status once the hiring process begins.
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines. All YLabs offers of employment are conditional on satisfactory background check and criminal record clearances.
