Project Assistant (Sierra Leone)

The Organization:

Corus International, has been present in Sierra Leone since 2011. Corus International is the parent of a family of world-class organizations working to deliver the holistic, lasting solutions needed to end extreme poverty once and for all. We are a global leader in international development, with 150 years of combined experience across our brands. Our nonprofit and for-profit subsidiaries include IMA World Health and its fundraising brand Corus World Health, Lutheran World Relief, CGA Technologies, Ground Up Investing, and Farmers Market Brands. Our more than 400 staff around the globe are experts in their fields and dedicated to helping the world's most vulnerable people break the cycle of poverty and lead healthy lives.

At Corus we believe that good only grows stronger and we reflect that belief in our workplace culture. We value every staff specialized area of expertise and nurture professional growth. We promote an engaging and supportive work environment, where staff feel enabled and driven to innovate, learn and collaborate. And because our subsidiaries often function as partners, our staff have the opportunity to work across our enterprise family.

Job Brief:

The Project Assistant will provide telephone caregiver surveys in Sierra Leone. The survey asks caregivers of school-age children how their children spend the week: time at school, time helping at home, and any other work. The findings will support senior project staff in informing an ongoing programme in the identification of program participants to ensure the efficient implementation of projects within the country office.

Responsibilities:

• Conducting structured telephone interviews with selected caregivers.
• Obtaining informed consent and explaining the purpose of the survey.
• Administering the questionnaire accurately and consistently.
• Recording responses accurately and completely using the designated data-collection system.
• Applying appropriate, non-leading probes to clarify responses.
• Maintaining respondent confidentiality and adhering to data-protection and safeguarding requirements.
• Conducting callbacks and following up with respondents as instructed.
• Escalating any concerns, inconsistencies, or technical issues to the Project Manager.
• Completing assigned interviews within the agreed timeframe and quality standards.

Supervisory:

This position has no direct reports.

Education & Experience:

• High School with at least one year of experience.
• Experience conducting household or telephone interviews, or comparable data collection work.
• Experience on a survey involving children, households, or social protection.
• Completion of safeguarding and child-protection training prior to start date given the survey is focused on children.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Fluent in English and Krio, and fluent in one of Mende, Temne or Soso.
• Confident using a smartphone or tablet, and able to enter data into a form while holding a conversation.
• Familiarity with ODK, Survey CTO, Kobo Toolbox or similar.
• Knowledge of the school communities in the survey districts.
• Strong organizational and multitasking abilities.
• Attention to detail and accuracy in data entry and recordkeeping.
• Customer-service orientation.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
• Proficiency in Office 365 applications including Word, Excel, SharePoint, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to work part of a team.
• Ability to handle routine tasks efficiently.
• Ability to follow instructions, manage time, and meet deadlines.

Physical and Mental Requirements:

• The physical requirements that may be needed to execute responsibilities may include bending, standing, and walking, etc.
• The mental requirements that are essential to satisfactorily executing the responsibilities outlined in this job description include, but are not limited to: learning new tasks, comprehending, and retaining information, completing tasks independently, effectively communicating verbally and in writing, demonstrating proficiency in using computer software to perform assigned tasks.

Other Duties:

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities for the position. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. All positions are required to perform any additional tasks assigned by the supervisor. Global positions that are bound by contracts will not be changed without notice and approval.

Working Conditions, Travel and Environment:

• This is a two-week, temporary engagement. The project assistant will primarily conduct the survey remotely by telephone; any in-person requirement (e.g training or field verification) will be communicated in advance. The Project Assistant must be available to work outside normal office hours or on the weekends as required.
• This position must be able to travel as required for standard domestic business purposes. While performing the duties of this job in different locations, the enumerator may be exposed to precarious settings under high-security risks and/or very basic living conditions and outside weather conditions, as well as to infectious diseases.
• If applicable, must have authorization to work in the country of assignment.

As a member of the Corus Family, each enumerator is expected to:

• Foster a work environment where everyone feels valued and included.
• Support enumerators' evaluation and promotion processes based on skills and performance.
• Promote a safe, secure, and respectful environment for all members of Corus family, stakeholders in general, and particularly for the communities we serve.
• Follow Corus Code of Conduct helping to prevent any type of abuse including workplace harassment, sexual abuse and exploitation, and trafficking in persons.
• Adhere to the Organizational Core Values.

Corus International prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to enumerators and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability status, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by U.S. or International law.