Health and Nutrition Research Technical Director

Overview

With 75 years of experience, our focus is on helping the most vulnerable children overcome poverty and experience fullness of life. We help children of all backgrounds, even in the most dangerous places, inspired by our Christian faith. Come join our 33,000+ staff working in nearly 100 countries and share the joy of transforming vulnerable children’s life stories!

The Health and Nutrition Research Director will provide technical leadership and overall direction to develop and manage a prioritized evaluation and research agenda aligned with WVI priorities. Reporting to the Sr. Director, Evidence of Impact, Research, Knowledge Management and Learning, the Health and Nutrition Research Director will collaborate with Support, Regional, and Field Offices to design and implement studies and evaluations, applying appropriate methods, data management practices, and required ethics approvals.

The Director will lead equitable partner engagement, coordinate documentation and dissemination of findings, and promote uptake of evidence for program improvement, advocacy, and resource acquisition, while contributing to cross-sector learning and integration.

• Provide technical direction and research oversight for health and nutrition research and evaluations implemented by WV or with external partners, including support to protocol and instrument development, analysis planning, and quality assurance. Coordinate ethics (IRB) submissions and compliance, and ensure data security and file management practices are followed. Support AIM analysis and sense-making.
• Lead documentation and dissemination of research and evaluation findings, including contributing to manuscripts, abstracts, and presentations with partners. Package findings for internal and external audiences (e.g., wvi.org, visual abstracts, and other formats). Engage with Field Offices to support specific dissemination activities (i.e. using AIM data for advocacy).
• Direct the development and update of WVI’s research agenda, in coordination with the Sr. Director. Implement donor positioning plans and write funding proposals to support the funding of the research agenda.
• Lead partnership-wide research forums to share learning and identify cross-sector collaboration opportunities; support integration of evidence into multi-sector approaches.
• Conceptualize and direct research equity and ethical engagement principles across sector research and evaluations; contribute to the development and sharing of guidance with internal teams and partners.

• Master’s degree in Public Health or related research field required;
  PhD/DrPH preferred.

• Ten years of practical experience conducting health and nutrition program monitoring, evaluation, and/or research in humanitarian and development contexts
• Demonstrated quantitative and qualitative research skills (including formative research) and experience with data analysis software
• Experience contributing to publications or technical products; peer-reviewed publishing preferred
• Experience coordinating small teams, consultants, and/or research work streams
• Experience collaborating with external partners (e.g., academic institutions) on research activities
• Experience preparing and/or obtaining ethical (IRB) approvals
• Strong communicator and collaborator, especially in cross-cultural contexts

• Understanding of WV sector programing, development approach, and global partnership strategy
• Experienced with qualitative and quantitative statistical analysis packages, such as MAXQDA, SPSS, EPI Info, SAS, and STATA
• Strong research writing competence

Fluent English;
Spanish, French and other languages advantageous

Work from home; 20% travel

Note: For positions filled in the United States, the typical salary range for this role is $90,085 to $120,110 USD. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, job level, internal equity and budget. Exact salary offers will be determined by factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, experience and geographic location.

Last date to apply: 25th February 2026

Applicant Types Accepted: Local Applicants Only