Research Manager, CFA’s at Code for Africa (CfA)

About the Role:

The successful candidates will join CfA’s CivicSignal Research team, managing, conducting and publishing research projects focussed on African media ecosystems. Previous research partners included the Global Disinformation Index Media Market Analysis for South Africa and Kenya, as well as several Reuters Institute Digital News Reports.

Fundamentally, CivicSignal addresses issues and topics that impact democracies and civil society, seeking to provide the data and analysis necessary for government and citizens to make informed decisions. The projects range across a broad spectrum, including internal and external mis/disinformation, media sustainability, monitoring of hate speech and xenophobia, and general media ecosystem mapping.

As part of a multinational team within a growing organisation, you must be agile and able to thrive in a multicultural environment. You will need to work easily with people from different backgrounds who may speak different languages. 

Responsibilities:

• Setting the research agenda, overseeing research projects, and coordinating and managing the research team
• Standardising research methodologies/taxonomies/schema, research approaches and documentation according to international benchmarks. 
• Ensuring research outcomes are aligned with organisational goals and lead to meaningful outcomes.
• Designing, and reporting on, research projects for external and internal partners.
• Collaborating with the CfA tech and data teams to ensure that CivicSignal is in sync with larger organisational goals.
• Work proactively and think critically to help improve data and research capabilities in CfA’s research department.
• Liaise with the Senior Programme Manager for our Engagement and CivicSignal teams,  to coordinate report launches and related events. 

Required:

• Evidence of managing a substantive research project, or research team.
• Experience in building design approaches and methodologies for research teams, and a familiarity with taxonomies and schema that inform research projects. 
• Strong analytical and logical skills, with a demonstrable track record translating data into actionable insights.
• An understanding of media ecosystems and economies and/or digital advocacy and/or digital civic engagement.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to write for publication, present research insights and shape research proposals.
• Meticulous eye for detail to ensure data integrity and analytical precision.
• The ability to collaborate with a diverse set of multidisciplinary project stakeholders.
• Experience in working with remote, distributed teams with agile methodologies.
• Previous experience of contributing to reports and research publications
• Proactive, solutions-oriented approach to problem solving
• Ability to work under tight deadlines with good prioritisation and time management skills
• Ability to work with minimal instruction in a teamwork environment
• Strong organisational, analytical and interpersonal skills
• High professional standards and ethics