Research Officer at BBC Media Action

Reports to: Project Director, BBC Media Action

Based: Nairobi (with possible travel to other regions of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania)

Contract: Part-time (approx. 2.5 days per week)

Duration: Fixed term-contract to December 2019

Start date: February 2019

Summary of the role

BBC Media Action is recruiting a Research Officer (RO) to support the research activities under a new media and communication project focused on strengthening the capacity of media professionals and technical experts to respond to the climate and weather information needs of audiences living in select regions of Northern Kenya, around the Lake Victoria shores of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, and the coastal strip of Kenya.

The RO will be responsible for implementing the project’s monitoring and evaluation activities, including training and mentoring media professionals on gathering data for ongoing audience research, monitoring practitioners’ development, liaising with experts to undertake content analysis on media outputs, and collating project and research data to report on key indicators periodically.

The RO will also be responsible for leading the project’s final qualitative evaluation. This will include assisting in the design of research tools, implementing and overseeing fieldwork and conducting the analysis and reporting of data. As such, the RO will be expected to have substantial experience in qualitative research methods (designing tools, conducting fieldwork and analysing/reporting on qualitative data). Experience in training non-researchers in research methods is desirable.

The role will be supported by a Research Manager (RM) based in BBC Media Action’s London office.

The role will be based at the BBC Media Action office in Nairobi.

The role is funded on a part-time basis of 10 days per month (approx. 2.5 days per week). There may be some need for flexibility in terms of when these days are worked in a particular month (e.g. during busy periods of fieldwork, it may be necessary to work more than 2.5 days in a week).

Context

We undertake research at audience, practitioner, organisation and system levels, including:

• Formative research to guide the development of projects, including literature reviews, qualitative and quantitative primary research.
• Pre-testing/piloting of media outputs with audiences, to feed into programme development.
• Monitoring project progress including audience reactions.
• Evaluation of the impact of our projects.

Job Purpose

BBC Media Action is recruiting a Research Officer (RO) to support the research activities under a new media and communication project focused on strengthening the capacity of media professionals and technical experts to respond to the climate and weather information needs of audiences living in select regions of Northern Kenya, around the Lake Victoria shores of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania and the coastal strip of Kenya.

The RO will be responsible for implementing the project’s monitoring and evaluation activities, including training and mentoring media professionals with ongoing audience research, monitoring practitioners’ development, liaising with experts to undertake content analysis on media outputs, and collating project and research data to report on key indicators periodically.

The RO will also be responsible for leading the project’s final qualitative evaluation. This will include assisting in the design of research tools, implementing and overseeing fieldwork and conducting the analysis and reporting of data. It will also involve acting as a central point for project and research data collected across the project, and reporting on key indicators at three key milestones.

As such, the RO will be expected to have substantial experience in qualitative research including the design and moderating of focus group discussions, conducting in-depth interviews, and qualitative analysis. The RO would be responsible for ensuring that research reflects the needs of the project, and ensuring that research findings are effectively communicated to all key stakeholders.

As the project involves training and supporting media trainees to conduct audience research, including qualitative data collection, analysis and reporting, experience in training non-researchers in research methods is desirable.

The position is based in Nairobi and may involve travel to other regions of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

Main Duties

• Under the supervision of the London-based Research Manager, implement the project’s monitoring and evaluation activities. This will include designing qualitative research and tools and conducting fieldwork such as moderating focus groups and conducting in-depth interviews.
• Act as a central point for project and research data collected across the project, and reporting on key indicators at three key milestones.
• Provide training, mentoring and oversight to media practitioners on conducting audience research, and collate this research to report on project indicators
• Facilitate meetings between a panel of experts with experience in climate and weather services and media practitioners who are being supported and trained under the project
• Liaise with the panel of experts and project staff to undertake content analysis on media outputs developed as part of the project
• Work with project staff to monitor media practitioners ongoing development, using pre-designed tools
• Lead on the design and implementation of the final qualitative evaluation, including fieldwork coordination and logistics planning, data collection, analysis and reporting.
• Communicate effectively to all key project stakeholders to ensure effective project communications and management.
• Communicate effectively with the London-based Research Manager.

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Experience of designing and managing qualitative research in support of practical outcomes.
• Strong qualitative data analysis skills
• Experience of undertaking qualitative fieldwork (including focus groups and in-depth interviews)
• Experience of adapting methods to challenging and resource-constrained conditions
• Strong report writing and presentation skills, communicating in non-technical language to a range of audiences such as media and development practitioners.
• Excellent track record of delivering research findings on time, and to a high standard.
• Ability to quality assure qualitative analysis and reporting.
• Strong time-management skills
• Fluent in written and spoken Swahili and English.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Understanding of development issues in Kenya
• Experience of conducting training in research methods to non-researchers
•  Experience in research around resilience issues such as climate change or adaptation.
• Experience working with media organisations in applying research
• Experience of conducting content analysis of media outputs/programmes
• Experience of using mobile phones/SMS to collect monitoring data

Relevant Competencies

• Strategic Thinking – Can identify a vision along with the plans that need to be implemented to meet the end goal. Evaluates situations, decisions, issues, etc. in the short, medium and longer-term.
• Analytical Thinking – Able to simplify complex problems, processes or projects into component parts, and to explore and evaluate them systematically. Able to identify causal relationships, and construct frameworks, for problem-solving and/or development.
• Decision Making – Is ready and able to take the initiative, originate action and be responsible for the consequences of the decision made.
• Imagination / Creative Thinking – Is able to transform creative ideas/impulses into practical reality. Can look at existing situations and problems in novel ways and come up with creative solutions.
• Planning and Organisation – Is able to think ahead in order to establish an efficient and appropriate course of action for self and others. Prioritises and plans activities taking into account all the relevant issues and factors such as deadlines, staffing and resources requirements.
• Resilience – Can maintain personal effectiveness by managing own emotions in the face of pressure, setbacks or when dealing with provocative situations. Can demonstrate an approach to work that is characterised by commitment, motivation and energy.
• Influencing and Persuading – Ability to present sound and well-reasoned arguments to convince others. Can draw from a range of strategies to persuade people in a way that results in agreement or behaviour change.
• Communication – The ability to get one’s message understood clearly by adopting a range of styles, tools and techniques appropriate to the audience and the nature of the information.