Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Job Type: Full time

Position Overview: The PRVCU’s Community Mobilization Division Evaluator is a position designed to evaluate the operations of the community engagement, mobilization, education, and behavior change programs for the Community Mobilization Division of the Puerto Rico Vector Control Unit (PRVCU). This position supports the PRVCU mission of inspiring and empowering the Puerto Rican public to play a direct and meaningful role in combating the mosquito that spreads Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and other diseases. Effective communication strategies in the community are critical to the success of any development intervention. The PRVCU wants to evaluate the effectiveness of behavior change communications strategies, community intervention designs, communication dissemination plans, and measurement approaches focused on prevention of Aedes aegypti proliferation across Puerto Rico. It will work closely with the federal and state governments, professionals, community organizations, community leaders, and civil society organizations among others, to explore and develop communication to address social conditions, change behaviors, norms and practices, and monitor outcomes. The PRVCU’s Community Mobilization Division Evaluator will supervise internal evaluation processes that assess the impact of PRVCU’s programmatic efforts to reduce Aedes aegypti populations in Puerto Rico. The incumbent will be responsible for measuring, learning and evaluating initiatives, programs and projects, both new and established, providing accountability and ensuring efficiency and success from start to finish. This position will establish, refine and monitor key performance indicators of projects and social and behavior change interventions; facilitating learning from project implementation and contributing to refining/revising project and program strategies based on these learnings. The incumbent will oversee progress towards project goals and ensure that expected milestones and deliverables are met, including the development of regular project progress reports, and will collaborate with the program development teams, partners and government agencies to prepare monthly, quarterly and final narratives.

Reports To: Community Mobilization Program Supervisor

Key Responsibilities and Duties:

  1. Support the Community Mobilization Division in the development of logic models and evaluation plans.
  2. Lead design and implementation of internal monitoring and evaluation projects and work as lead for research, measurement and evaluation to develop and manage clear measurement models related to the program strategies, refine and monitor research and evaluation goals and implementation plans.
  3. Support external evaluation processes, when necessary.
  4. Establish mechanisms for rapid feedback and learning within projects as well as for evolving a longer-term operational and research projects.
  5. Provide statistical, research and evaluation design expertise to PRVCU partners in order to produce relevant and high-quality work.
  6. Provide expertise in the development and monitor of key performance indicators, milestones and deliverables.
  7. Revise and develop tools and data collection procedures (examples: Logical framework, project performance tracking, indicators, data flow chart, and others).
  8. Collect, manage, and analyze data from all the Community Mobilization Division activities and initiatives, as well as from other divisions when necessary.
  9. Contribute to the design of new strategies, cross cutting data initiatives with focus on coherent, integrated theories of change, measurable impact models, scaling, collaborations and implementation plans to ensure long-term sustainability and impact of the Community Mobilization Division.
  10. Revise, develop and analyze evaluation tools and instruments as surveys, questionnaire, and others.
  11. Support the development of project progress reports.
  12. Participate in events and meetings where appropriate and represent PRVCU, within or outside the Island.
  13. Conduct reviews of scientific, peer-reviewed literature.
  14. Support the communication of research and evaluation project results for internal and external audiences.
  15. Manage and/or support other research projects, as needed.

Provide support to the Vector Control Unit in general, and the Community Mobilization Division specifically, as needed.

Education, Training, & Experience:

  1. Master’s degree required, preferably in evaluation, biostatistics, public health, public policy, social sciences, psychology or related field.
  2. 2-4+ years of hands-on experience in conducting research or evaluating program.
  3. In-depth knowledge of statistical methods, formative, summative, developmental and additive evaluation designs, qualitative and quantitative research methods, data collection and management.
  4. Demonstrated knowledge of STATA, SPSS, SAS, EPI Info, R Statistics or NVivo (qualitative analysis data).
  5. Experience with interdisciplinary collaborations and multi-method projects.
  6. Experience in managing and analyzing large database.
  7. Strong project management skills.
  8. Able to develop and implement work plans independently.
  9. Enthusiasm for contributing to PRVCU’s organizational development.
  10. Strong interpersonal skills; ability to work effectively as part of a team in a dynamic environment; comfortable and effective in influencing at all organizational levels; ability to tactfully give/receive constructive feedback.
  11. Impeccable oral and written communications skills in English and Spanish including excellent writing, proofreading and editing abilities and command of grammar/punctuation, style and format; ability to communicate, translate, simplify and articulate complex ideas into easily understood and relatable concepts.
  12. Proficient in the use of Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
  13. A self-starter with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment and managing multiple simultaneous projects under strict timelines and within confidential circumstances.
  14. A strong work ethic, ability to maintain and model high personal, ethical and professional standards, as well as an outgoing and positive personality.
  15. Must be able to work outside normal business hours; must be able to travel regularly throughout the island, as needed.
  16. Must hold a valid Puerto Rico driver’s license.

Please send your resume and cover letter to [email protected] before October 25, 2019. Please include contact information, indicate whether you speak Spanish and English fluently, and are available to start within one to three weeks of being notified.

PLEASE SEND CV AND COVER LETTER TO [email protected]

Overview of the organization

The Puerto Rico Science Technology and Research Trust is a private non-profit organization created in 2004 to encourage and promote innovation, transfer and commercialization of technology and creation of jobs in the technology sector. We are responsible for Puerto Rico’s public policy for science, technology, research and development. The Trust’s mission is to invest, facilitate and build capacity to continually advance Puerto Rico’s economy and its citizens’ well-being through innovation-driven enterprises, science and technology and its industrial base. Our vision is that by 2022, Puerto Rico is a globally recognized innovation hub that develops, attracts, and retains scientists, technology entrepreneurs, and enterprises to unlock world class creativity and competitiveness

The Puerto Rico Vector Control Unit (PRVCU) main responsibilities is to develop, lead, and deploy an effective integrated vector management (IVM) strategy to reduce the Aedes aegypti population and the burden of Zika, chikungunya, and dengue. PRVCU will carry out vector surveillance, community engagement and IVM for effective mosquito control.