Director of Research and Policy Development

Full Job Description

To lead policy research and analysis relevant to the center’s focus areas and deliver innovative and transformative policy reports and outreach activities that influence local, regional, and global health policy and standards.To set the strategic policy areas of focus, based on local and global healthcare challenges, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders to WISH with a view to develop meaningful policy impact with local and global policy making communities.

Key Result Areas:

• Develop the overall strategy for policy research, policy translation and content development for the WISH summit.
• Manage and develop the research and policy team, ensuring opportunities for capacity building and promoted best practices, and develop a methodology for the transfer of knowledge from academic partners to the team.
• Monitor global health trends and developments, assess their impact nationally and internationally and define priority research areas.
• Formulate clear goal-orientated timelines to outline the delivery of the summit policy research content as well as other components such as innovation competitions at every summit year.
• Facilitate the selection of summit topics via identified policy issues of national, regional, and international prominence, create and collate the overall summit program and sessions,manage summit and non-summit related content development, select and prepare speakers/moderators in advance of and during the summit period, and manage sessions during summits, midterm event and other strategic intervals.
• Contribute to policy research briefs, position papers, summaries and key elements of the summit reports leveraging the expertise found at Education City and of external partners and oversee and review all policy research material to be presented at the summit. Ensure all academic reports are thoroughly reviewed and proofread by the content team.
• Identify relevant policy and research partners including academic and content partnerships; fellows; local and global healthcare institutes and academic stakeholders and facilitate their involvement in summit content development and panel sessions for WISH.
• Identify and manage risk in the summit forum process; work to mitigate risk, alerting the CEO where appropriate and to ensure successful delivery of WISH policy development and research content for WISH Summits.
• Ensure the quality, consistency, and coherence of the WISH Summit reports and policy and academic output.
• Identify post-summit policy engagement opportunities with local and global policy making communities that contribute to the dissemination and impact of the summit reports.
• Develop and sustain academic and consultancy partnerships both within the QF ecosystem and external local and international experts for the purposes of policy impact locally and globally.
• Create and manage the WISH Ambassador program, engaging with previous forum chairs and forum members to promote the reports launched during summit, through focus groups, presentations and ongoing research activities, and support provided to key policy making institutions globally and locally to influence policy decision making in the area of global healthcare challenges and to provide meaningful policy advice to these communities.
• Work with local and international partners and policy making institutions, including MOPH, HMC, Sidra and PHCC, and develop policy content that is relevant for local and global policy decision making, empowering previous forum chairs to promote the reports launched during summit events through the ambassador program. Represent the organization as the research and policy authority, internally and externally in major conferences, forums and events, and to local and global policy making communities.
• Contribute to the center’s policy advocacy via op-eds, memos, media engagements and other such related tasks with the team
• Develop policies, and procedures and oversee budgets, within the Research and Policy Department, ensuring value for money and identifying opportunities for revenue generation.
• Support the WISH team in achieving desired outputs on local and international outreach events including mini-summits, capacity-building workshops, community programs, Doha Healthcare Week, and the bi-annual summit.
• Other reasonable tasks as assigned by supervisor.
• Master’s degree in the field of healthcare policy/similar healthcare field; PhD in Public Health Policy, is preferred
• 8 years of relevant full-time work experience in a health policy or healthcare delivery preferably in a large and diverse organization, 5 of which are at management level.
• Experience in the Middle East and knowledge of Qatar Foundation and WISH is an advantage.
• Outstanding knowledge of research and policy analysis, problem-solving, and program management, with extensive experience developing and advocating for research-based policies.
• Excellent knowledge of the current developments in global health systems and/or innovation.
• Excellent program and project management skills and techniques.
• Excellent leadership, management, strategic planning, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to create effective networking relationships.
• Excellent writing skills with the ability to draft and edit a variety of written reports and communications and to articulate ideas clearly and concisely; Arabic proficiency is an advantage.
• Proficiency in MS Office applications.