Research Manager at Chemonics International

The Role:

Working closely with the Team Leader and Stabilisation Advisor, Chemonics UK’s Evidence and Research Team, and any sub-contracted research partners, the Research Manager will leverage expertise in the project’s priority geographic and thematic areas, and experience delivering research and analysis to policy audiences, to lead the design, delivery and uptake of rigorous, mixed-methods research and analysis to support programme planning and policy needs. Illustrative tasks may include but are not limited to the following (a more detailed SoW will be developed for contracting the successful candidate upon award of the project):

• Design and/or lead conflict analyses, drawing on primary and secondary data collection, to examine drivers of conflict and violent extremism, as well as sources of resiliency, in priority regions along the Kenya-Somalia-Ethiopia borderlands.
• Develop or lead in-depth actor and stakeholder mapping – based on primary and secondary research and data collection – to enhance understanding of the role, priorities, influence, power, relationships, and interest of key actors and stakeholders in the focus geographies.
• Design scopes of work to support commissioning of research and analysis to inform programming, including mixed-methods field data collection as relevant.
• Cultivate and maintain a network of research organisations and researchers with expertise in the project’s focus geographies and thematic areas.
• Oversee research and analysis, including: direction of commissioned research; authoring and quality assuring outputs (e.g., reports, briefing notes, presentations); organising and leading briefings and presentations for policy audiences.

Who can apply:

We will accept applications from subject matter experts for this full-time, Research Manager position. Applicants should demonstrate the following qualifications:

• Applicants should be advanced professionals or academics with experience in research, policy and/or programme activities related to Kenya, Somalia, and/or Ethiopia.
• Applicants will have relevant technical expertise on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE), conflict prevention/resolution, stabilisation, peacebuilding and/or development issues in Kenya, Somalia, and/or Ethiopia, preferably at both the national and regional levels along the Kenya-Somalia-Ethiopia borderlands, with an understanding of key issues, structures, policies, and development initiatives in the region.
• Demonstrated experience leading the design, commissioning, delivery and quality assurance of rigorous mixed-methods data collection and analysis, including the design of research questions, drafting and editing research deliverables (e.g., reports, briefing notes, presentations) for policy and programme uptake.
• Strong supervisory and organisational skills, with experience engaging and managing independent researchers and/or research organisations to collect data and conduct analysis in fragile, conflict-affected settings (FCAS).
• Applicants should have demonstrable experience of working with the international development community and an understanding of the needs of policy and programme stakeholders, with a proven ability to communicate clearly and confidently, verbally and in writing to these audiences.
• Fluent English writing and oral skills are required, with a strong additional preference for regional linguistic skills.