International Survey Manager

ICF is growing, and we are hiring a Senior International Survey Manager to manage food security population-based surveys (PBS) around the world. This is a full-time—preferably hybrid—position based in Rockville, Maryland.

ICF manages the USAID-funded Surveys for Monitoring in Resilience and Food Security (SMRFS) project as part of Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s flagship initiative to reduce global hunger and improve food security. The SMRFS Team collaborates with local survey implementing organizations to implement PBS in targeted geographical areas where the U.S. Government and its partners invest in agriculture, resilience, and nutrition. The SMRFS Team also works with USAID to update and expand Feed the Future’s publicly available population-based survey guidance materials (https://agrilinks.org/post/feed-future-zoi-survey-methods), conduct additional analyses, and investigate ways to reduce burden and collect data using alternative methods.

Key Responsibilities:

The survey manager has overall responsibility of leading country surveys through all stages of the survey process, interpreting survey results and producing reports, serving as the primary point of contact for the client for that survey, providing technical and logistical oversight, and coordinating different technical teams (e.g., data processing, analysis) and the local survey implementation partner. Specific responsibilities include:

• Leading and managing country level survey operations
• Managing, writing, and reviewing survey reports, including descriptions of survey activities and interpretation of survey results
• Serving as the primary point of contact for the client and the local survey implementation organization and ensuring effective communication throughout all stages of the survey process for all stakeholders
• Developing and monitoring survey work plans and budgets
• Managing the survey implementation organization including overseeing the selection of the survey implementation organization and monitoring implementation and quality of deliverables
• Designing or adapting survey questionnaires and protocols and obtaining ethics board approval
• Reviewing computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) data collection applications
• Preparing or adapting training materials and working with implementing agencies to train local field staff in questionnaire content and interviewing techniques
• Monitoring of data collection and data quality, and working with implementing agency to ensure proper fieldwork procedures are followed
• Working with the others assessing survey implementation and data use capacity and design and implement capacity strengthening plans
• Responding to monitoring and evaluation data and project reporting requests and participating in learning events
• Provide guidance to junior staff to support survey activities
• Supporting other survey managers or performing other survey related activities as needed
• Use advanced professional written and oral English in reports and presentations
• Travel and work in lower- and middle-income countries up to 20% time

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in food security, nutrition, economics, climate, resilience, agriculture, or related field
• 3+ years’ experience in designing, managing, and implementing population-based household surveys focused on topics relating to food security, nutrition, agriculture, poverty, climate, resilience, or developmental economics
• 1+ years’ experience working with implementing organizations, government officials, donors, and other stakeholders in low- and middle-income countries
• 3+ years’ experience developing and managing work plans and budgets
• 1+ years’ experience training adults in research methods

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD in food security, nutrition, economics, agriculture, climate, resilience, or related field
• 2+ years’ experience conducting surveys in in low- and middle-income countries
• Knowledge of and experience in survey design for complex surveys and complex survey data analysis
• 1+ years’ experience training in anthropometry measurements and
• 2+ years’ experience using computer assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) tools
• 2+ years’ experience using with applied statistical packages, preferably STATA, R, or SAS
• Proficiency in French, Portuguese, or Spanish
• Broad familiarity with subject matter related to food security, gender, poverty reduction, nutrition, agriculture development, natural resources management, resilience, HIV, and/or vulnerable populations

Working at ICF