Senior Research Officer, Nigeria
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Reports to: Head of Research & Learning
Contract duration: 1 year fixed term (Renewable)
Application instructions:
Interested candidates should please send in their application/cover letter with an introduction and capability statement stating capability for the job, a detailed curriculum vitae (word document please) with names and addresses of at least two professional referees (including their telephone number and email addresses) to [email protected] with the position applied for clearly stated on the application cover letter.
This is a local post applicable to people who have the legal right to live and work in Nigeria.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Application deadline: Friday 1 August 2014
Job purpose:
To provide senior level support the Head of Research and Learning in the efficient and effective co-ordination and implementation of quantitative research activities as well as qualitative research activities to include formative research, process research and impact evaluation for the BBC Media Action’s projects in Nigeria.
Main Duties
• Support the effective design, co-ordination and delivery of research for all BBC Media Action’s mass media campaigns across a range of different themes, comprising of formative research, baseline studies (e.g. surveys), process research (e.g. pre-testing of outputs) and impact evaluation;
• Support the facilitating, monitoring and commissioning (where necessary) of all research and outreach inputs (e.g. quantitative studies / surveys, focus group sessions, panel studies, case studies, listening groups etc), including negotiations on technical matters with BBC Media Action staff and external agencies, working to budget and deadline requirements;
• To be primarily responsible for quantitative research activities conducted by BBC Media Action; undertake the conduct of all research sampling, questionnaire design and data analysis when required.
• Oversee the coordination of viewer / listener groups and to communicate feedback to the Head of unit and production teams
• Support the analyses of quantitative data primarily and qualitative data (when required), interpreting and communicating learnings from primary and secondary research work in order to help senior management, project management, production, and training teams to draw insights from the data that will be useful in the design of activities.
• Undertake the communication of findings / learnings to external organizations as may be required;
• Undertake line management (as assigned) and oversee the supervision of research work of other team members to include (but not limited to) all or any of the following as determined by the Head of Department:
o Work with junior team members to design their work plans/timelines/itineraries
o Oversee the implementation of tasks assigned to junior team members
o Conduct appraisals with junior team members
• Maintain the liaison with other BBC Media Action partners (NGO, Civil Society Organizations, and listening groups) to monitor quality control and timely delivery of projects
• Oversee planning and implementation of study fieldwork, site selection, recruitment of respondents, data collection, data storage and data processing.
• Oversee travel planning, including risk assessments;
• Perform any other duties that may be assigned.
Required skills, knowledge and experience
• Strong quantitative research skills (sampling and survey design, data management and analysis using SPSS, questionnaire design etc.)
• Good knowledge of qualitative research techniques and how they inform quantitative research methods.
• Good qualitative research skills (moderating, analysis and interpretation of data)
• Experience supervising and running field research teams, for quantitative studies as well as qualitative studies.
• Ability to work closely with a production team (internal or external) in applying research findings to media outputs.
• 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 multitask and deliver promptly
• Good IT skills, including MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Result oriented and commitment to excellence
• Transparent judgement and decision making, and high level of professionalism.
Academic/Professional Qualification
• A first degree in the Social Sciences, Health Sciences, Behavioural sciences, the Humanities or any other relevant field;
• A Master’s degree in any of the disciplines above will be an added advantage;
• Strong research experience in quantitative research.
• Ability to speak and write one or more of the following Nigerian Languages: Hausa, Yoruba and / or Igbo. Hausa speaking and writing ability is a definite benefit.
Key competencies
The following competencies (behaviours and characteristics) have been identified as key to success in the job. Successful candidates are expected to demonstrate these competencies.
• Analytical thinking – Able to simplify complex problems, processes or projects into component parts, explore and evaluate them systematically. Able to identify causal relationships, and construct frameworks, for problem-solving and/or development.
• Strategic thinking – Can identify a vision along with the plans that need to be implemented to meet the end goal. Evaluates situations, decisions, issues, etc. in the short, medium and longer-term.
• Decision making – Is ready and able to take the initiative, originate action and be responsible for the consequences of the decision made.
• Imagination/Creative thinking – Is able to transform creative ideas/impulses into practical reality. Can look at existing situations and problems in novel ways and come up with creative solutions.
• Planning and organisation – Is able to think ahead in order to establish an efficient and appropriate course of action for self and others. Prioritises and plans activities taking into account all the relevant issues and factors such as deadlines, staffing and resources requirements.
• Resilience – Can maintain personal effectiveness by managing own emotions in the face of pressure, setbacks or when dealing with provocative situations. Can demonstrate an approach to work that is characterised by commitment, motivation and energy.
• Influencing and persuading – Ability to present sound and well-reasoned arguments to convince others. Can draw from a range of strategies to persuade people in a way that results in agreement or behaviour change.
• Communication – The ability to get one’s message understood clearly by adopting a range of styles, tools and techniques appropriate to the audience and the nature of the information.
• Managing relationships – Able to build and maintain effective working relationships with a range of people.
• Self-Development – Is able to identify and apply opportunities for learning and development.
Note: This is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.
