Research Officer at BBC Media Action

Job Description

• The Research Officer will work closely with the Head of Research and Learning and with Senior Research Officers to ensure that all research is technically well designed, implemented, reported on and disseminated to a range of audiences within time, budget and editorial quality guidelines.
• The Research Officer is expected to have substantial experience in research methods and implementation.
• The role reports to the Head of Research and Learning and will work closely with other implementing teams and the Senior Management Team. The position is based in Abuja and will require travel to other states within the country.

Main duties and responsibilities:

• Support the effective design, co-ordination and delivery of research for all BBC Media Action’s projects in Nigeria across a range of different thematic areas in which BBC Media Action works (e.g. health and governance), comprising of baseline and formative research (e.g. surveys, literature reviews and focus group discussions), process research (e.g. pre-testing of outputs) and impact evaluation, including social media assessments.
• Support/contribute to (or where assigned), lead the development of plans for research activities, including research instruments and sampling design, fieldwork and fieldwork management to time, budget and high-quality standards.
• Assist in facilitating, monitoring and commissioning (where necessary) of research activities (e.g. quantitative surveys, focus group sessions, panel studies, case studies, outreach activity assessments, capacity building assessments, social media research assessments etc.), including negotiations on technical matters with BBC Media Action staff and external agencies.
• Support the analysis and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative data, reporting and dissemination of research findings to both internal and external audiences, in order to help Project and Senior Management, Production and training teams, donor and project partners to draw insights from the data that will be useful in the design and implementation of activities.
• Undertake, and support Assistant Research Officers  (as may be assigned) to undertake data collection, analysis and reporting, ensuring that the interpretation supports development of media products and capacity strengthening designs.
• Support in organising and implementing research review processes for key research deliverables (designs, reports etc.) with project stakeholders, with support and guidance from the Senior Research Officer or Head of Research and Learning.
• Engage proactively and collaboratively with the Project Management Team, Production and Training staff, Operations and Admin staff, Finance and HR staff, and London based research team, with guidance from the Senior Research Officer or Head of Research and Learning to ensure research supports wider organizational / programme objectives.
• Assist in the supervision of research work of other team members (e.g. Assistant Research Officers) as well as contracted research agencies and freelancers where required.
• Support the Senior Research Officer(s) or Head of Research and Learning and where necessary act as a key focal point for improving the research skills of colleagues.
• Perform any other relevant duties that may be assigned.

Required skills, knowledge and experience:

The Research Officer will be an experienced quantitative and/or qualitative researcher with demonstrable design and analytical skills. 

• At least 3 years’ experience conducting research and evaluation for development projects or similar experience in conducting social/market research in any research agency and/or media and communication research.
• Ability to plan and design qualitative and/or quantitative research, and design and manage mixed method research.
• Competent in qualitative and/or quantitative research implementation, data analysis and reporting.
• Knowledge and skills in social media/digital research design and evaluation is desirable.
• Strong fieldwork experience, including in rural and geographically challenging areas. Ability to undertake or manage fieldwork and adapt methods to challenging and resource-constrained conditions.
• Good communication skills, and the ability to clearly communicate the findings of our research and what these insights mean for the users of our data.
• Knowledge and understanding of the importance of and application of ethical procedures in research.
• Demonstrable understanding of cultural diversity and cross-cultural research within Nigeria.
• A good grasp of, or enthusiasm to learn about, communication strategies and development issues.
• Experience of writing precise and clear reports and briefing documents.
• Ability to work on own initiative and good time management skills, with a track record of delivering research findings to deadline within a range of often conflicting deadlines, juggling priorities to meet research needs and objectives.
• Result oriented and commitment to excellence.
• Transparent judgement and decision-making, and high level of professionalism.
• Good IT skills, including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and data analysis softwares such as SPSS, Atlas.ti, NVivo etc.
• Ability to forge strong working relations quickly and gain the trust of colleagues and partners, for example in other international NGOs, in media houses, research agencies and elsewhere.
• Ability to work closely with non-research teams in applying research findings to media outputs.
• Ability to speak and write one or more of the following Nigerian languages: Hausa, Yoruba and / or Igbo.
• Previous research experience working with NGOs or development projects would be an advantage.
• Minimum of a first degree in the Social Sciences, Health Sciences, Behavioural Sciences, the Humanities or any other relevant field.

Safeguarding responsibilities:

• Understand and comply with the Safeguarding Policy and the staff Code of Conduct.
• Participate in relevant mandatory training on safeguarding and respect at work.
• Report any safeguarding concerns immediately, either to the Country Director, or using the Whistleblowing Policy.