Re:build Researcher (Nairobi or Kampala) at International Rescue Committee

Job Description

The IRC is seeking a Researcher, based in Nairobi or Kampala to support the design, development, management and implementation of the research, learning and evidence generating activities for a 30M+ euro five and a half year, multi-country multi-stakeholder urban livelihoods programs implemented in Nairobi and Kampala.

The Researcher will be a part of the Re:Build regional project team and the ERD technical unit.  The Researcher will be based in IRC’s country office in Uganda, Kampala or IRC’s regional hub in Nairobi, Kenya. This position will also work closely with Airbel – IRC’s research and innovation lab.

The Economic Recovery and Development Technical Unit (ERD TU) at the IRC is responsible for providing dynamic, innovative support to IRC’s field offices for their economic and livelihoods programming. This unit promotes best practices and ensures the IRC delivers high quality livelihoods programs. The Airbel Research and Innovation Department supports the various technical units across the IRC to conduct or backstop research studies and innovation projects, and also leads initiatives that provide resources for country programs to design and implement programs based on evidence.

Job Overview/Summary:

The Re:Build Researcher will play a critical role in the Re:Build project and within the ERD TU and R&I unit to carry out activities in support of the economic programming research priorities. The Researcher will be specifically responsible for: (i) coordinating across the various actors involved in the research including country teams, academic partners, donors and internal departments across IRC; (ii) provide support with business development activities and managing research projects, and (iii) play a lead role in reporting research activities and progress to donors, and internal and external audiences. This position requires strong project management skills, excellent interpersonal and communication skills and prior experience working with qualitative & quantitative data.

Major Responsibilities:

• Support research related business development activities, including conducting literature reviews, brainstorming research design ideas, developing proposals and engaging with country programs
• Play a lead role in securing ethics approval for ERD research studies and ensuring that all ERD research studies comply with ethical requirements and IRC research standards
• Work closely with relevant country programs to lay the groundwork for research implementation
• Provide direct support in rolling out and managing research activities related ERD priority areas, including but not limited to developing the work plan and managing the budget
• Assist in developing research instruments, conducting data collection training, and monitoring progress of research activities
• Serve as advisor or co-investigator on research projects
• Play a lead role in monitoring the quality of data collected and conducting data analysis, including cost-efficiency analysis and rolling out and monitoring of performance metrics for ERD programs
• Play a lead role in coordinating within ERD and across technical units and country programs to collect the necessary information for donor reporting. Responsible for ensuring completion and timely submission of donor reports
• Responsible for coordination with academic partners, when applicable
• Support research dissemination activities, including developing presentations, briefs and blog posts on research design and findings
• Represent the IRC’s ERD research priorities at internal and external events, as needed

Qualifications

Education: PhD or Master’s degree in economics, social sciences, or related field

Work Experience:  PhD with 2-3 years or Master’s with 4-6 years of work experience in research on topics related to the humanitarian or development sector. Experience working with complex datasets and managing research projects.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• High degree of proven organizational and project management skills required, and experience facilitating groups of stakeholders to deliver high quality outputs according to established deadlines
• Demonstrated qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis skills. Knowledge of STATA preferred
• Experience conducting research or managing research projects in humanitarian and/or development settings
• At least one-year field research experience in humanitarian or low-resource setting, with demonstrated experience leading their own research
• Experience training and supervising field teams, project management, and history of publication of results
• Superior internal and external communication and coordination capabilities and capability to operate independently and as a team member. Excellent writing skills required.
• Experience in or knowledge of cash and/or voucher programs and livelihoods interventions and relevant research preferred
• Experience managing donor funded programs and grants, including budget management, workplans, and reporting, and providing technical input to proposal-budget development efforts