Research Manager – East Africa 164 views0 applications

Position** : Research Manager

Location : Juba, South Sudan

Contract Duration: 12 months

Forcier is a multi-sectoral research and monitoring & evaluation firm operating across Africa and the Middle East since 2011. Our core services include program evaluations, opinion polling, third party monitoring, and capacity building for UN Agencies, NGOs, governments and private sector clients operating in post-conflict and challenging environments. Forcier currently has offices in South Sudan, Somalia, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, and Egypt, with staff in Iraq. These offices are supported by a remote technical unit in Washington, D.C., and our headquarters in Tampa, Florida, USA.

Job Summary:

Forcier Consulting is seeking a Research Manager to oversee teams responsible for the implementation of research projects across South Sudan, and other countries around East Africa. Through their management of Research Officers, the Research Manager will oversee a multitude of projects from inception to final submission. They provide mentorship and guidance on a range of topics including client communication, research methods, quantitative and qualitative tool design, fieldwork management, budget management, statistical and qualitative analysis, and report writing. Overall, they ensure that staff and resources are adequately matched to client needs in order to ensure that all projects are delivered with high quality, on time, and within budget, while also collaborating on research protocols and policy implementation and systematization. Although the majority of projects take place in South Sudan, there may be further opportunities for projects in other countries.

Ideal Match:

Forcier is looking for a Research Manager that has a passion for data analysis, fieldwork management, and creative problem-solving. The Research Manager must approach the challenge of implementing projects in complicated and complex settings with excitement and a commitment to quality. An ability to manage a variety of projects simultaneously, as well as a multitude of key staff, is essential. They must demonstrate an aptitude for building capacity among their co-workers and for efficiency in time-use and delivery, while never compromising quality, timeliness, and budgeting. Every day at Forcier is different, and we are looking for a Research Manager who is eager to manage research projects across a diverse range of thematic areas and research methods, while augmenting the capacity of our national and international staff. Our ideal candidate is a proactive leader, strong communicator, and passionate researcher.

Daily Tasks:

Client Interaction

• The RM is responsible for the oversight of all client communication and client management throughout the lifecycle of all assigned projects, including the routine communication between the client and members of the research team on logistics and operationalization.
• The RM represents Forcier as required for assigned projects, and engagements with government bodies, donors, UN agencies, NGOs, private sector enterprises and civil society associations.

​

Managing Research Teams

• Quality assurance, quality control, and management of all project deliverables.
• Maintenance of a macro-level understanding of project objectives, client expectations, contractual obligations and deliverables, and management priorities with the overall objective of balancing human resources, staff workload, budget, timeline and resource management.
• Management of project workflow for several research teams, pro-actively working to align team capacities with project requirements.
• Coordinating research team workflow with the finance department and operations department in Juba.
• Supporting other departments in the implementation of assigned projects as needed, including proposal development and report writing.

Capacity Building

• Acknowledging staff weaknesses and strengths, and working with them to overcome weaknesses, while also fostering their strengths
• Mentoring the research officers and researcher teams on project management tasks including planning, coordination, budgeting, etc.
• Mentoring the research officers and researcher teams on technical research skills including tool development, scripting, sampling, data cleaning, quality assurance, data analysis and report writing
• Ensuring that expectations of team members are established and feedback is given.
• Tracking and reporting on staff performance.
• Working with the Head of Business Unit to ensure performance reviews are conducted.

Finance and Logistical Operationalization

• Ensuring all fieldwork plans are efficient and follow proper planning protocols
• Overseeing the creation and maintenance of fieldwork budgets to ensure they are complete and cost-effective
• Providing input on fieldwork logistics and ensuring problems are thought about and planned for before they happen
• Ensuring project timelines are adhered to and/or changes are communicated appropriately and in timely manner to the client
• Thinking creatively to solve logistical problems within budget

Reports To: Head of Business Unit, East Africa Business Unit

Requirements

Education Requirements:

· M.A. degree (or equivalent) in political science, anthropology, international relations, international development, economics, statistics, or a related field, OR B.A. degree (or equivalent) with 5+ years of work experience;

Required Skills:

• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Prior experience and technical skills in qualitative and quantitative tool development, scripting questionnaires in CAPI software (preferably with ODK), sampling, operationalization of complex research designs, data cleaning, quality assurance methods.
• Prior experience in planning and managing budgets and resources
• Strong analytical and writing skills with both quantitative and qualitative data
• Advanced knowledge of Stata, SPSS, or R required (preference for Stata)
• Experience collaborating with and managing diverse, multi-cultural teams
• Ability to conduct themselves in a professional manner with it comes to client and partner communication and interaction, and liaising with upper-level management
• Excellent knowledge of Office package, including good skills in Excel
• Ability to work independently in a stressful environment with minimal supervision
• Ability to produce high-quality work under tight deadlines
• Creativity and an ability to think outside the box to conceptualize projects and implementation strategies
• Strong communication skills, cultural sensitivity, curiosity, sense of humor and a ‘can do’ attitude
• Interest in South Sudan and Eastern Africa
• Flexibility and willingness to work in other countries as needed

Preferred (but not required) Skills:

• Prior experience living and working abroad, preferably in a developing country; working experience in South Sudan will be considered an asset
• Knowledge of Arabic will be considered an asset
• Graduate-level coursework in research design and sample design
• Training in, or experience using qualitative analysis software (ex. NVivo)
• Training in, or experience using GIS analysis software (ex. QGIS)

Benefits

Benefits:

• Salary commensurate with relevant experience, and in line with Forcier compensation guidelines
• In-country living stipend
• Accommodation at the Forcier guesthouse at your assigned duty station; or a similar arrangement organized by Forcier
• Round-trip flights from your home base to duty station at the start and end of the contract
• Additional flight allowances during contract period
• Generous paid time off
• Medical benefits while stationed abroad
• Emergency medical and evacuation coverage while stationed abroad
• Local transportation