STTA Lead Researcher at North East Regional Initiative (NERI)

Number of Positions: (1) Bassa (1) Mangu

Job Location: Plateau State

Contract Term: Short Time

Position Summary: 

The STTA Lead Researcher will be responsible for leading a group of enumerators and lead the design of tools, analysis and reporting for the rapid assessment. He/She will work with the Director General of the plateau Peace Building Agency (PPBA) and to develop and lead rapid assessment (pioneering research), understanding community dynamics and how people across communities have/or will respond to conflict. The STTA Lead Researcher will involve working with the team to develop the area in ambitious and ground-breaking ways and ensure insights are developed to support the data collection, learning and action of PPBA. This role calls for an analytical, quick thinker, who can provide guidance to junior member’s OF team and lead contributions to the overall Rapid Assessment. The role will include frequent travel to identified communities and LGA.

Reporting & Supervision: 

The STTA Lead Researcher will report to NERI Program Manager in close collaboration with Director General Plateau Peace Building Agency.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES AND DELIVERABLES 

Primary responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Develop & Test Tools to be used in data collection with support of NERI and Plateau Peace Building Agency (PPBA)
• Develop research tools, such as Key Informant Interviews or Focus Group Discussions, surveys etc.
• Work with PPBA to test the tools communicating closely with the NERI Deputy Chief of Party - Programs and the NERI MEL Team –this will allow NERI provide specific feedback on the effectiveness and applicability of the developed tools.
• Conduct intensive three-day training on data entry for tools developed
• Conduct assessment and enter data on an ongoing basis.
• Train enumerators in data collection process and ethics of data collection
• Develop tools that will be used in data collection and reviewing tools with USAID/OTI
• Monitor enumerators and see if they comply with standards data collection
• Mainstream gender into data collection process and also considering gender while developing tools
• Work closely with Plateau State Peace Building Agency throughout tool development, data collection, analysis and reporting
• Provide constant feedback to NERI M&E Manager and Program Manager on status of work as regards research work
• Collaborate closely with NERI and Plateau Peace Building Agency
• Synthesize and communicate research findings to inform development of activities in identified communities
• Clean data where needed and relay errors to Plateau state Peace Building agency
• Act and make strong decision-making on research work
• Ensure data quality, control, analysis, and administration.
• Line manage enumerators on projects
• Ensure gender is mainstreamed into research work.
• Lead the validation & dissemination event with critical stakeholders, in order to validate the findings of the needs assessment.
• Put together all assessment findings into a printable format agreed upon with NERI that incorporates observations and key points from the validation meeting.
• Develop draft report and present to PPBA who will in turn present to NERI
• Experience of leading mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) research, confidence with research and fieldwork techniques and a range of analysis

Required Skills & Qualifications 

• A minimum of MSc in social sciences, humanities or equivalent from a recognized institution with a significant focus on statistics.
• BSc or HND with 5 plus years of advance evaluation design might be considered in lieu.
• Conversant with Plateau terrain.
• Mentoring and coaching experience and the ability to lead research teams.
• Minimum of 2 years’ experience in capacity building and moderation, preferably within the NGO sector.
• Ability to learn new methods and willingness to experiment and take risks.
• Ability to write clear English language evaluation reports
• Cost-and time-efficient research project management skills in research projects.
• Innovation and pushing the limits of technical and practical tasks.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills are required.
• Demonstrated ability to manage large and time-bound research.
• Willingness to travel and support field teams where necessary.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to understand NERI/PPBA needs.
• Proficiency in database management: create, edit, update, join, append and query data
• Train and Provide oversight to enumerators
• Experience with USAID funded evaluations.
• Strong qualitative evaluation skills.
• Initiative, drive and the ability to define research strategies from scratch.
• Successful track record of research proposal writing.
• Excellent record keeping and documentation skills are required.
• Written and spoken fluency in English and Hausa.
• Ability to manage budgets and ensure cost-efficient and timely implementation.
• Ideally, the candidate will also have these qualifications:
• Prior experience of field research in developing countries.